KUALA LUMPUR - The Government has proposed to revert to the original position of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which will allow the court to decide a punishment of either death or life imprisonment with whipping.
Under the Act currently, any person convicted of trafficking in dangerous drugs shall be punished with death under Section 39B.
The section was first included via an amendment to the Act in 1975.
The amendment originally stated that a person convicted shall receive either death or life imprisonment together with whipping.
However, the law was amended in 1983 to remove the judicial discretion and to provide for only the mandatory death penalty.
In the latest proposed amendments, the Government is seeking to amend subsection 39B(2) of the Act to empower a court to impose a punishment of death or imprisonment for life and whipping of not less than 15 strokes for the offence of drug trafficking.
"However, in imposing the punishment of imprisonment for life and whipping of not less than 15 strokes, the court may regard only any of the circumstances specified," reads the Bill.
The Bill was tabled for first reading by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri