THE government has decided to replace the mandatory death penalty with an alternative punishment, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (parliament and law) said in a statement today that the decision was made after two series of meetings held on September 6 and today by the Substitute Sentences for the Mandatory Death Penalty Task Force Technical Committee, which he had chaired.

The government in principle has agreed to the proposal to substitute sentences for 11 offences carrying the mandatory death penalty, including one under section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and 22 other offences that also carry the death penalty but at the discretion of the courts and provide a moratorium for the 1,337 who have been convicted and sentenced to death.

The task force’s decision will be submitted to the cabinet for approval and to pass amendments at the third meeting of the fifth term of the 14th parliament in the Dewan Rakyat.

The first reading of the bill is expected on October 4 and the second on November 22. – Bernama, September 13, 2022.