Transport Minister Anthony Loke has pushed back against calls for the death penalty to be imposed on drivers found to be intoxicated while behind the wheel.
He said this was because Malaysia had already gotten rid of the mandatory death penalty, which came into effect in July 2023.
‘No plans for death penalty’
Speaking to reporters at a road safety programme at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT), Loke said the law already allowed serious cases to be prosecuted under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, where appropriate.
“As far as the government is concerned, we have already stopped mandatory death penalties. So this is not something we are considering,” he said as quoted by NST.
Loke added that the government is now looking into amending the Road Transport Act that will allow families of drink-driving victims to receive compensation without being subjected to lengthy court proceedings.
The amendments are slated to be tabled in Parliament in June, with the the Road Division and Road Transport Department (JPJ) drafting them with the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
What led to calls for the death penalty?
On Mar 29, a delivery rider named Amirul Hafiz Omar was horrifically killed after a driver rammed into him and sent him flying several metres into the air.
Following the incident, the driver was arrested and charged with murder, where he faces the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years upon conviction.
He was also found to be intoxicated and on drugs at the time of the accident.
The case has since triggered an outpouring of rage from netizens and politicians, with many calling for the death penalty to be imposed on drunk drivers.
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