PETALING JAYA: Those convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol should be executed or imprisoned for life, say some politicians in response to the latest incident in Klang where an intoxicated car driver killed a motorcyclist.
The chorus of heavier penalties came following the 11.40am incident on Sunday where motorcyclist Amirul Hafiz Omar died after being hit in Jalan Raya Barat, Klang, by a car driven by an individual police said tested positive for drugs and alcohol.
Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said the proposal is necessary because the incident claimed the life of an innocent person.
He stressed that when someone is under the influence of alcohol but still chooses to drive, the law should consider the individual as having the intent to kill.
He added that the Klang incident was a form of extreme negligence that should be considered a serious crime against society, noting that existing punishments fail to provide sufficient solutions.
“This proves that the current legal approach is no longer sufficient to address the increasingly worrying issue of drunk driving,” Wan Ahmad Fayhsal said in a statement yesterday.
PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden shared a similar opinion in a social media post yesterday.
“People who get drunk, drive and hit people to death should be punished with death,” he said.
Selangor human resources and poverty eradication committee chairman V. Papparaidu asked for a maximum jail sentence allowed, along with caning.
“I urge that firm and commensurate legal action be taken against the perpetrator,” he said on social media.
MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan called for more cameras, frequent inspections and a more visible police presence on the roads.
“While legal penalties are necessary, we need a comprehensive system that promotes safe driving and public awareness,” he said in a statement.
Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo emphasised that there should be a sustained year-round Ops Mabuk with unpredictable and high-visibility roadblocks, including routine screening for both alcohol and drugs.
“Preventive measures must also be enhanced by lowering the permissible blood alcohol concentration according to WHO recommendations, mandating rehabilitation programmes for offenders and implementing continuous nationwide public education campaigns that emphasise the dangers of DUI in all its forms,” he said.
Meanwhile, South Klang OCPD Asst Comm Lim Jit Huey confirmed the driver involved in the Klang incident has been remanded until April 2.
“A four-day remand has been granted,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He said the accident involved a motorcycle and two cars, with police having recorded statements from three people so far.
“The suspect does not have any prior police record,” he added.
Footage of the incident has gone viral on social media, with police saying the suspect was believed to have driven his car at high speed and tried to overtake several others before crashing into Amirul Hafiz, who was coming from the opposite direction.
