Former MACC advisory panel member Robert Phang (above, fourth from left) has planned a series of discussions around Peninsula Malaysia to engage the public on the Pakatan Harapan government’s move to abolish the death penalty.
Beginning in Kuala Lumpur today, he and his team will head to Johor Bahru and Penang in the next month.
Following which, they will submit a petition to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad calling for the death penalty to be maintained.
Phang said the government, especially de facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong, had failed to thoroughly seek public opinion before arriving at a cabinet decision to remove the death penalty for 32 offences and replace them with a minimum 30 years imprisonment.
“Liew said this has gone through the cabinet. If this has gone through the cabinet [...] have they or the government thrown (the idea) out to us rakyatto find out whether (we think) abolishing the death penalty is good or bad?
“The government must listen to the people’s voice [...] if they don’t want to treasure the people’s voice, soon five years will come and you can exercise your vote to decide whether to continue to vote for this government or not,” he told a press conference at an event entitled 'We Oppose the Abolition of Death Penalty'.
Liew previously said the 32 offences included murder, the Firearms (Heavier Penalties) Act 1971, Firearms Act 1960, Kidnapping Act 1961 and Armed Forces Act 1972, Water Services Industries Act 2006, Strategic Trade Act 2010 and Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.