Malaysia rejects death penalty for drink-drivers, proposes victim compensation
Adding a compensation clause to the Road Transport Act will help victims avoid a long-drawn-out civil suit, minister says
“As far as the government is concerned, we have already stopped mandatory death penalties,” he told reporters on Monday after a road safety programme at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.
“So this is not something we are considering, even if the opposition calls for it. The government does not need to do everything that the opposition calls for,” he said.
“Without the death sentence provision in the act, the Attorney General’s Chambers can still charge somebody under the Penal Code.”
Instead, he said the government was looking to amend the act by focusing on strengthening support for victims’ families, including requiring offenders to pay compensation.