Catching flies while hornets fly free

DEATH penalty for the illegal import, export, sale or possession of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is known to the legal systems of 33 countries. Among them are China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Malaysia, Singa­pore, Indonesia, the United States, Yemen, Pakistan, North Korea and Japan. In 13 of these countries, the death sentence is mandatory.

Since 1983, Malaysia has been within the group of 13. However, Nancy Shukri, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, recently announced that the Government intends to repeal the provision for mandatory death for drug offenders and give the judiciary discretion to impose imprisonment or the gallows.