KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today said the government will reconsider abolishing the mandatory death sentence for those convicted of murder.
The deputy prime minister’s comment came just hours after Parliament was told that the Cabinet has decided to do away with the capital punishment for 33 crimes, including murder.
“We are reviewing it. The death penalty is one of those that we will review,” she told reporters at Bukit Aman when asked if the government would keep the death penalty for child murders.
“It is a heinous crime, as I said,” she added.
DAP MP Ramkarpal Singh proposed retaining the punishment for heinous crimes following the high-profile death of a nine-month-old girl in Kajang, Selangor, who was found to have been physically and sexually brutalised while under the care of a babysitter.
Dr Wan Azizah also highlighted how drug abusers are often involved or closely associated in such cases of abuse.
“The fact is drugs now like syabu or methamphetamines have caused all these child murders, (as they were) under the influence of drugs,” she suggested.
Dr Wan Azizah was referring to the revelation made following the arrest of two suspects in the death of the nine-month-old girl, one of whom later tested positive for drugs.
