Death Penalty in Malaysia : The Ongoing Debate
The death penalty has always sparked intense debate but in Malaysia, the conversation is at a tipping point. Once seen as a way to stop serious crimes, it is now being questioned for its fairness, ethics, and usefulness today. The question remains : Can justice be served without resorting to the ultimate punishment ? Historically, the death penalty was used for murder under British colonial rule. In 1952, the Dangerous Drugs Act was introduced without the death penalty. In 1975, it became discretionary for drug trafficking, and by 1983, it became mandatory. [1] The government amended Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) to grant courts the discretion to impose either the death penalty or life imprisonment for drug trafficking offenses in 2017. On 10 June 2022, the government took a step further by agreeing to abolish the mandatory death penalty. In April 2023, Malaysia passed the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act, which removed the mandatory death ...