THE bill to abolish the mandatory death penalty will tentatively be tabled at the next parliamentary meeting, which begins on October 7 and runs until December 5, said Liew Vui Keong.

The de facto law minister said it is in line with Pakatan Harapan’s election promise to do away with mandatory death penalty.

“In line with promise No. 27 in Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto, I am pleased to inform you that our office is currently working on the bill to abolish mandatory death penalty,” he said during his keynote address at Suhakam’s 20th anniversary forum in Kuala Lumpur today.

A special task force headed by a former chief justice and assisted by members has been established to study the alternative sentencing for mandatory death penalty, Liew said.

“The task force will consider, among others, the seriousness of the crime, implications and welfare of the victims as well as restorative justice.”

There are about 1,281 inmates currently on death row, Liew said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight in July.

More than half, or 56%, are drug-related offenders. Of the death row inmates, 923 are drug traffickers.

The remaining are convicted for murder while 19 are convicted for participating in the 2013 Lahad Datu insurgency.

Under the proposed changes, judges will be given the discretion to impose the death penalty for 11 offences.

Present today was Suhakam chairman Othman Hashim.

Liew said Putrajaya is considering giving Suhakam more executive powers to address human rights complaints.

“The amendment to the Suhakam Act is in the works. This is to ensure Suhakan can carry out its mandate with increased effectiveness towards the protection of human rights in Malaysia.”

Liew also said the Anti-Fake News Act will be repealed in the next sitting.

A year ago today, a Pakatan Harapan-led initiative to repeal the law was defeated in the Barisan Nasional-controlled Dewan Negara.

“As you’re all aware, Pakatan Harapan government does not have two-thirds majority in the lower house or a simple majority in upper house of the Parliament.

“The amendment of Article 2(1) which sought to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak was defeated at the Dewan Rakyat, while the upper house had rejected the bill to abolish the Anti-Fake News Act 2018.

“Do or do not, there is no try. We are determined to deliver our promises.

“The one-year cooling period provided by Article 68 of the Federal Constitution is now over, the government will re-table a bill to abolish Anti-fake News Act in the next sitting.”

In September 12 last year, 28 Dewan Negara members opposed the repeal while 21 supported it. Three abstained.

The Anti-Fake News Act became law on April 11, 2018, after it was pushed through by the Najib Razak-led government, which was later routed from power in the May 9 polls. – September 12, 2019.