THE government is finalising several policies and bills in an effort to decriminalise attempted suicide, Deputy Law and Institutional Reforms Minister Ramkarpal Singh told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said  the Attorney-General’s Chambers conducted a study on cases of attempted suicide, which is an offence under section 309 of the penal code, and a proposal to repeal the legislation.

He said the study scrutinises approaches taken in several countries to assess the justification and implications of this legislation.

“Since December 2022, I have chaired 10 engagement sessions with stakeholders, including government agencies, MPs, assemblymen and the Home Affairs Ministry in Singapore to examine and resolve all legal matters that arise in this endeavour.

“The next move is a memorandum on this effort, which will be submitted to the cabinet for approval, and the bills will be presented in parliament for debate and approval,” he said during the question-and-answer session today.

He was responding to a question by Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (Bandar Kuching-PH) about updates on the government’s aim to decriminalise attempted suicide to address the increasing number of cases in the country.

Ramkarpal said he expects the bill to be tabled during this parliament session.

He said suicide attempts should be handled as a public health issue and not as a criminal offence, as studies show people suffering from depression are 20 times more likely to develop suicidal behavior and die due to suicide.

Ramkarpal said decriminalising attempted suicide is in line with guidelines by the International Classification of Diseases and the World Health Organization, which classify suicide attempts as a disease.

He said people who attempt suicide should be taken to hospital for further evaluation and given appropriate treatment, instead of being accused of a crime. – Bernama, March 22, 2023.