Act fast to stop mandatory death penalty, say groups

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should speed up the move to abolish the mandatory death penalty, and a Bill to that effect should be tabled in the next Parliament sitting, say human rights groups and MPs.

Instead, the courts should be given the discretion to hand down such a sentence, said Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto, who felt the death penalty should even be abolished in the long term.