PETALING JAYA: Plug the loopholes, toughen our laws and remove those that are irrelevant - these are the suggestions given by criminologists and lawyers backing the government’s move to review outdated laws. Criminologist Datuk Shahul Hamid Abdul Rahim said it is important for the government to review outdated laws to ensure that the sentence given would not only serve as a deterrent but also correspond to the crime committed.
“Now, if a person steals milk for his child, the punishment is the same as a criminal who steals. To me that is not fair. Some commit serious crimes but receive lighter punishments.
“When this happens, people will blame the judge. That is why we need to review the laws,” he said.
Shahul said classification of the crime and sentences should be done clearly.
“If we abolish the death sentence, this will incur more cost to the government because it has to prepare the prisons and feed all these criminals.
“The death sentence should be there, but it needs to really justify the sort of crime that deserves someone to be sent to the gallows,” he said.
Shahul added that amendments to the current laws were needed to ensure the effectiveness of such laws.
Another criminologist, Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy, said amending outdated laws is a phenomenal task, but it is a progressive and proactive step taken by the Prime Minister to address contemporary societal needs.
“We also need to make sure that these laws are amended holistically and take into consideration the Federal Constitution, human rights and due process,” he said.
Among the laws that need to be introduced, Sundramoorthy said, is a specific law on cybercrime.
“This is becoming a pressing issue in the country,” he said.
Lawyer Datuk Wan Azmir Wan Majid said the government needs to check on relevant data and statistics to see how amendments to the law will be able to reduce criminal activity and allow for a spur of economic activity.
“The suggestion to amend the law is consistent with the notion that the law should evolve with changes in the society and spirited for economic advancement guided by current domestic socioeconomic data and statistics,” he said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Friday said the legal affairs division in the Prime Minister’s Department has been instructed to review existing laws, including 147 outdated ones.
