“Countries that give up the death penalty award an unimaginable advantage to the criminal over his victim, the advantage of life over death.” - Lech Aleksander Kaczyński
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Family members display photos of murder victims
(from left), Kevin Morais, Sosilawati Lawiya and Wong Jing Kui speak to
reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 9, 2018. Hadi Azmi/BenarNews
|
On 10
October 2018, Liew Vui Keong, the minister in charge of law in the
Prime Minister's Department,
announced that the Malaysian Government would abolish the death penalty. A
proposed bill is expected to be tabled at the next sitting of Parliament. The
minister also announced that the Government had imposed a moratorium on all
executions until the passage of the new law.
We the
comrades of Unit 1012: The VFFDP, want you to remember the murder victims and
hear from their families, who are against abolition of the death penalty.
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Sim Yee Ling (left) with her daughter Ng Yuk Tim (middle).
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Where’s the justice in abolishing death penalty, asks mum of murdered girl
Nurul Azwa Aris - October 19, 2018 7:00 AM
PETALING JAYA: A mother whose teenage daughter was murdered five years ago has slammed the government for its plans to abolish the death penalty, saying this will not be fair to her child.
Sim Yee Ling, 40, recalled the anguish her family went through when Ng Yuk Tim, a Cosplay enthusiast, was found murdered with her body stuffed into a suitcase.
“She was only 15, an innocent kid,” she said amid tears.
Speaking to FMT, Sim said she had waited more than 1,000 days for the death sentence to be carried out on her daughter’s convicted murderer, Poon Wai Hong.
Now, she says, the wait would be wasted.
“It is unfair. Do they (the government) consider the feelings of the families of murder victims? I am against this.
“Why do we want to give a chance to a murderer? Where is the justice for my late daughter?”
On April 3, the High Court passed down the death sentence on Poon, who was dubbed the “Cosplay killer”, after finding him guilty of murdering Ng. His counsel Rajpal Singh said then that Poon would appeal the decision.
Poon was found guilty of murdering Ng and stuffing her remains into a suitcase at Jalan Kebun Nenas, Shah Alam on Oct 21, 2013. The body was found the following day.
Sim said it was not just about her daughter, but also about other families which had lost loved ones to murderers. She added that the death sentence for convicted murderers would provide closure for the families of victims, who needed to feel that justice had been served.
Recently, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong said the proposed abolishment of the mandatory death sentence would be for all offences, despite objections from various quarters, including the families of murder victims. The sentences of those on death row will be commuted to life imprisonment.
Sim however said the government should seek the views of the people.
“We vote for the government we want and we hope the government will listen to us. We might be a small group of people but we just want justice.”
INTERNET
SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/VictimsFamiliesForTheDeathPenalty/posts/1766699450118680
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/10/19/wheres-the-justice-in-abolishing-death-penalty-asks-mum-of-murdered-girl/
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/10/19/wheres-the-justice-in-abolishing-death-penalty-asks-mum-of-murdered-girl/
Bill Kayong's
family unhappy over proposed abolition of death penalty
Posted on 9 November 2018 - 05:47pm
Last updated on 9 November 2018 -
09:04pm
MIRI:
The family of murder victim Bill Kayong has expressed their unhappiness over
the proposal to abolish death penalty especially those convicted of murder.
Miri Member
of Parliament (MP) Dr Michael Teo Yu Keng said the family had informed him that
they disagreed with the proposal because it would send a wrong message as if
murder was not a serious offence in the country.
"The
personally sent me a message about it," he told a news conference at his
office here today.
Dr Teo said
the death penalty should remain for premeditated murder cases in the country
and to send a strong message those who intend to take the law into their hands.
He also
proposed for Malaysia to follow Singapore criminal laws especially the death
penalty.
Bill Kayong,
who was Miri PKR secretary, was shot dead at the traffic light intersection
near E-Mart Supermarket in Jalan Kuala Baram bypass around 8.20 am on June 21,
2016.
On Aug 10,
2018, bouncer Mohd Fitri Pauzi was sentenced to death under section 302 of the
Penal Code by the Miri High Court on Aug 10, 2018 over the murder of Kayong,
whose Muslim name was Mohd Hasbie Abdullah, after High Court Judge P.
Ravinthran found that the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable
doubts.
On Oct 16,
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong was quoted as
saying that government would proceed with abolishing death penalty despite
criticism from families of the deceased. — Bernama
INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2018/11/09/bill-kayongs-family-unhappy-over-proposed-abolition-death-penalty
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(From left) Richard
Morais, Erni Dekritawati Yuliana Buhari and Wong Hie Huong want the government
to retain the death penalty.
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Families of
murder victims say ‘no’ to axing death penalty
November 9, 2018 10:45 PM
KUALA LUMPUR:
Family members of victims in three high-profile murder cases today urged
Putrajaya not to abolish the death penalty.
The families
of deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais, cosmetics millionairess
Sosilawati Lawiya, and banker Wong Jing Kui shared why they are against
abolishing the death penalty at a press conference today.
Erni
Dekritawati Yuliana Buhari, the daughter of Sosilawati, said the death sentence
must stay.
She said even in Islam, those who take the life of another must have
their lives taken away.
She
said not doing so would not be right to the families of murder victims such as
herself, who lost her mother.
“So
many people relied on her and she was suddenly taken from us. Who would have
taken care of us then?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“The
punishment (death penalty) must stay because it is unfair to the victims of the
families. Can you imagine if this happened to you?
“I
admit we can aim for better human rights, but I strongly disagree that we need
to lose the death penalty (to do this),” she said.
Sosilawati
and three friends had gone to meet with her lawyer at his farm in Banting. She
went to ask him to expedite payment for two post-dated cheques worth RM4
million in proceeds for the sale of her land handled by his legal firm.
Instead, the
four met their grisly end in 2010 at the hands of former lawyer N Pathmanabhan
and farm workers T Thilaiyalagan and R Kathavarayan, with their bodies burned
cremation-style through the use of logs.
Richard
Morais, the younger brother of Kevin, recalled how his brother was kidnapped
and brought to Subang Jaya where he was murdered and put into a drum in 2015.
He was later found covered to the brim in cement.
“They
cemented his body; are you going to release these people?”
“I’m
the only one who saw him. I couldn’t even make out his body,”
he said with tears welling up in his eyes.
“I
have never heard of crimes like this where the prosecutor was targeted and
killed for doing his job for the government.
“You’ve
got to lose a member of your family to murder to understand how we feel,”
he said.
Wong Hie Huong,
Jing Kui’s sister, said a suspect in the murder of her brother in 2012 in Sibu,
Sarawak, is still at large and has Jing Kui’s child.
This is
despite Jing Kui’s wife, Ling Hang Tsyr, been sentenced to death last year for
abetting her now missing lover in her husband’s death.
Lawyer
Christina Teng, who is a spokesman for the families of the murder victims, said
many Malaysians are against the move to abolish the death penalty as justice is
not seen as having been served.
“We are
asking the government to please do proper due diligence,” Teng said at a press
conference in Desa Pandan here.
Minister in
the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong said last month that a bill to
abolish the death penalty is expected to be tabled at the ongoing Dewan Rakyat
sitting.
Teng,
however, acknowledged that there were instances when the death penalty should
not have been imposed. She listed instances of entrapment, duress or using
drugs for medical needs as examples.
But she said
the discretion should lie solely with the courts and not with the government,
explaining that the death penalty should be an option for serious drug cases
that can lead to other social woes and crimes.
She said
axing the death penalty would only lead to more crimes, resulting in people
living in fear.
Teng said
Malaysia currently has a “smart government” but it is “still too emotional”.
She said it needs to be strong and say “no” to activists and look at the bigger
picture.
Meanwhile,
Bernama reported that the family of murdered PKR land activist Bill Kayong is
also unhappy with the proposal to do away with the death penalty.
Miri MP Dr
Michael Teo Yu Keng said the family had informed him of this, saying it would
give the impression that murder was not a serious crime.
“They
personally sent me a message about it,” he said at a separate press conference.
Kayong, who
was Miri PKR secretary, was shot dead in 2016. On Aug 10, bouncer Mohd Fitri
Pauzi was sentenced to death for the crime.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/11/09/families-of-murder-victims-say-no-to-axing-death-penalty/
Families with murdered relatives see no justice in killers going free [VIDEO
SHARED]
KUALA LUMPUR: For family members of murder victims, there will be no justice should the death penalty be abolished.
That is the sentiment of Erni Dekritawati Yuliana
Buhari, Datuk Richard Morais and Wong Hie Huong who went through the anguish of
losing their loved ones in a brutal way.
Erni’s mother, businesswoman Datuk Sosilawati
Lawiya, was 47 years old when she was murdered in 2010.
Richard’s brother, former deputy public prosecutor
Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais, was killed in 2015 while Wong’s brother Jing Kui
died in 2012.
All three are calling for the government to keep
the death penalty.
Erni, who is better known as Rita Sosilawati, said
she was dismayed when she first heard of the news that the government was going
to review the death penalty.
Holding back her tears, she said those who
advocated for its abolishment should walk in the shoes of family members like
her.
“It is unfair to the families of the
victims. Yes, we understand that it is about human rights. But when the
murderer committed the act, did he think about the rights of the victim?
“My mum was a successful businesswoman
with a family who was dependent on her. Suddenly, she was taken away from us.
“It is the punishment (death penalty)
that helped us find the strength to go on with our lives.
“It is not easy (to go through a murder
in the family). I still need my mum,” she said.
Should the death penalty be abolished to be
replaced with life imprisonment, the businesswoman said that families of murder
victims would always live in fear.
“What happens when the murderer finishes
serving his sentence? What if the murderer holds a grudge against us?
“The families of the victims will always
feel unsafe,” she
added.
Richard said it was unfair for murderers to escape
the gallows when they had killed someone in cold blood.
“Kevin was an innocent prosecutor, doing
his work for the government,” he said of his brother who was 55 when he was
first reported to be missing in September 2015.
“You have to lose a member of your family
to murder to understand how it feels,” he said.
He spoke of seeing his brother’s body.
“The body was like a rock. I couldn’t
even touch him; it was covered in cement.”
Wong felt that those who committed murder should
not be let free in their lifetime.
“This is wrong. They (the government)
should not do this,” said
Wong, who is an accountant.
Lawyer Christina Teng, who was representing all
three, said the death penalty should be kept as Malaysia needed strict laws as
deterrence to heinous crimes.
Teng said that commuting death sentences to life
sentences would also place a huge burden on public funds.
“Why do you want to use taxpayers’ money to support
the lives of perpetrators of crimes?” she asked.
The families have also started a petition at https://www.change.org/p/prime-minister-tun-dr-mahathir-protect-us-keep-enforce-death-penalty-dp-in-malaysia.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/11/10/do-not-abolish-death-penalty-families-with-murdered-relatives-see-no-justice-in-killers-going-free/
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Family members display photos of murder victims
(from left), Kevin Morais, Sosilawati Lawiya and Wong Jing Kui speak to
reporters in Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 9, 2018. Hadi Azmi/BenarNews
|
Families of
Malaysian Murder Victims Ask Government to Keep Death Penalty
Hadi Azmi Kuala Lumpur
2018-11-09
Family
members of three murder victims urged the government Friday not to abolish the
death penalty, a day after a Malaysian delegation faced the United Nations
Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and agreed to abide by a moratorium on
executions.
About 1,200
prisoners were on death row as October in the Muslim-majority nation, according
to Malaysian officials.
Erni
Dekritawati Yuliana, the oldest daughter of murdered cosmetic mogul Sosilawati
Lawiya, said she understood the government’s efforts to better protect human
rights in the country, but disagreed with efforts to ban capital punishment.
Relatives of
murder victims Kevin Morais, a former deputy public prosecutor; and banker Wong
Jing Kui joined Erni during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur.
“It
is so unfair to (murdered) family victims to abolish the death penalty,”
Erni told reporters, while emphasizing that she agreed with efforts to improve
human rights in Malaysia.
Sosilawati
and three others were beaten to death by her former lawyer and two farm hands,
before their remains were burned to ashes in a case that gripped the nation in
2010. The defendants exhausted their chances to appeal after the Federal Court
upheld the death penalty.
On Thursday
during its third review by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Malaysian
representatives reaffirmed the government’s decision to ratify all remaining
U.N. rights treaties and to establish a moratorium on all executions until the
death penalty is abolished.
Malaysian
Human Rights Commission commissioner Jerald Joseph, who was part of the
Malaysian delegation, told BenarNews he sympathized with the families.
“I
can understand their pain, but the death penalty is not deterrence to those
horrible crimes,” Joseph said.
Government
officials could not be reached for comment Friday to respond to the families.
Last month,
Liew Vui Keong, cabinet minister in charge of law, said the government of Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad decided to abolish death penalty with no exceptions.
“New
Malaysia, new look, new hope where everyone has a right of life,”
Liew said on Oct. 10, underscoring that the new Malaysian view was in line with
the internationally accepted convention on human rights.
Malaysia’s
move, announced during an event commemorating the World Day Against the Death
Penalty, spurred positive comments from U.N. chief Antonio Guterres, who
described it as a stride toward eliminating the death penalty worldwide.
About 170
nations have implemented a moratorium or ended the practice of the death
penalty, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres’s spokesman, said in a statement.
Brother
speaks out
Richard
Morais, the slain prosecutor’s younger brother, said those who have lost loved
ones through horrific deaths have a special bond.
“You
have to lose a family member to murder to understand,” Richard
Morais said as tears rolled down his cheeks while recounting his brother’s
murder.
Kevin Morais,
an employee at the attorney general’s office, was abducted while he traveling
to his office on Sept. 4, 2015. His remains, entombed in a concrete-filled
barrel, were found 12 days later in a suburb outside Kuala Lumpur.
“His
whole body was like a rock, I couldn’t even touch his body. Is this fair?”
Richard Morais said.
Seven people
charged with Kevin Morais’ murder pleaded not guilty and are on trial in the
High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Lawyer
Christina Teng, who represented all three families, said the government should
not bulldoze through the decision to abolish capital punishment because it is
needed as a deterrence.
Teng said the survivors think the government failed to consider their feelings.
Teng said the survivors think the government failed to consider their feelings.
Wong Jing
Kui’s family members did not speak to reporters.
Human rights
group reacts
Amnesty
International Malaysia challenged the claim that capital punishment deters
crime, saying there was no credible evidence the death penalty was any more
effective in reducing crime than life sentences.
“Abolishing
the death penalty does not mean that those convicted of a crime will go free
and justice will not be served,” Executive Director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu
said in an email to BenarNews.
Shamini said
the death penalty is a matter of taking a life and, by principle, the state has
no right to take the life of another human being.
The rights
group mentioned Canada, where the murder rate in 2008 was less than half the
rate in 1976 when the country abolished capital punishment.
“The
Malaysian government’s plans to abolish the death penalty for all crimes has
created an opportunity for Malaysians to have constructive debates on its
effectiveness in deterring crime and also for the country to uphold human
rights reforms,” Shamini said.
 |
(File pic) Rita said she
strongly objected to the idea of abolishing the death penalty as it was unfair
for the family members. (Pic by ZULAIKHA ZAINUZMAN)
|
Families in
high profile murder cases urge govt not to abolish death penalty
By Teoh Pei Ying
- November 9, 2018 @ 7:03pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Family members of several
high profile murder cases have urged the Government not to abolish death
penalty to prevent serious crimes.
They are Sosilawati Lawiya’s eldest
daughter, Erni Dekritawati Yuliana Buhari, or better known as Rita; Datuk
Anthony Kevin Morais’ younger brother Datuk Richard Morais, and HSBC banker
Stephen Wong Jing Kui’s elder sister, Wong Hie Huong.
They also shared the challenges they had
gone through during the trial.
Rita said she strongly objected to the
idea of abolishing the death penalty as it was unfair for the family members.
“In my mother,s case, it took
seven years for the court to make its final decision. When we know that the
murderers are finally sentenced to death, we are relieved, and get the strength
to continue our lives.
“I know that the Government
wants to enhance human rights, but when they (murderers) killed my mother, did
they ever think about us, the family members who are left behind.
“My mother was a successful
businesswoman. She was the backbone of the family. We lost her overnight, and
at that time, we lost our direction in life.
“Hence, it is very worrying
that our rule of law can be abolished to protect criminals. The fact it (the
murder) was masterminded by a person of influence, money, power, and was a
lawyer is a real concern. We cannot let criminals abuse and manipulate our
criminal legal system,”
she told reporters at a press conference today at a restaurant in G Village
here.
Richard said he was still traumatised
and badly affected by his brother’s murder.
“Until today, I can still
remember vividly my brother’s body, murdered and cemented. I am still
traumatised.
“Just imagine, if the death
penalty is revoked, the perpetrators are all still young. What if they don’t
repent when they are jailed, they may seek revenge after they are released,” he said.
Hie Huong said the nightmare would never
end if the death penalty was abolished.
“Can you imagine someone who
has been convicted of murder can still get what she (Stephen’s wife) wanted -
their son and the deceased’s money.
“The damage that brought to my
family is irreparable. Till now, the convict holds custody of my brother’s only
son, for six years. We have no access to the child even though he lived with us
since birth. She is also a beneficiary of my brother’s estate. Where’s the
justice?
“It is very unfair to us if
the death penalty is abolished. She will only be locked up for 20 to 30 years.
What has been done cannot be reversed,” she said.
Meanwhile, lawyer Christina Teng,
representing the family members, said the country needs strict laws to keep law
and order.
“We need strict punishment,
for example, death penalty as a shield to prevent serious crimes, including
murder, terrorism and drug trafficking, which can cause perpetual damage to our
society. When less deterrent, it will trigger more crime and social problems.
“Besides, it will create more
liabilities and wrong usage of public funds. We are in deficit and should be
prudent in spending public funds.
“Why waste taxpayers’ money
when we have not addressed more important priority? Estimated cost on food
alone for 1,281 inmates with death penalty, for 30 years will cost more than
RM575 million. This does not include medical treatment and infrastructure.
“Please look at the bigger
picture and best interest of our country and common good of the people before
making any decision,”
she said.
On Oct 27, NSTP reported that the
government had yet to finalise the decision to abolish death sentence.
Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
said the ministry was still seeking consultation and feedback from various
parties before it was tabled to the Cabinet.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/11/429663/families-high-profile-murder-cases-urge-govt-not-abolish-death-penalty
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/451154
& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpJNkHflO5Y
PLEASE SIGN THE
PETITION BY GOING HERE: https://www.change.org/p/prime-minister-tun-dr-mahathir-protect-us-keep-enforce-death-penalty-dp-in-malaysia
PROTECT US KEEP
& ENFORCE DEATH PENALTY (“DP”) IN MALAYSIA.
Protect Malaysia started this
petition to Prime
Minister Tun Dr Mahathir and 2 others
Our crime
rates are high with robberies, kidnaps, rapes of children and women, murder and
mass killings, even with death penalty. We don't feel safe in our homes and
even on the streets! Criminals have become lawless and fearless, due to weak
enforcement. We want strict laws like death penalty in place to protect us.
Death Penalty
(“DP”) deters crime and saves innocent lives. It is an effective deterrent
against serious crimes. What we fear the most deters the most. (H. Naci Mocan,
an economist at Louisiana State University, author of a study finding that each
execution saves five lives. “But my research shows that there is a deterrent
effect.”) If DP is removed, there will be increased crimes and we will not be
safe. DP has been proven to benefit people as in socially and economically
progressive Singapore, Japan and China.
The problem
is never with DP being ineffective, the problem is our weak enforcement effort.
The Government should instead focus on strengthening our enforcement effort to
fight crime.
The new
Government must respect our laws seriously! If you leaders don’t follow it, how
do you expect others, especially lawless and fearless criminals to follow it?
If you remove DP, you devalue our rule of law; you devalue our lives and you
devalue yourselves as weak Government. Serious crimes like murder, terrorism
warrant death penalty. Justice must be served.
Why remove DP
as a priority to ensure human rights of criminals reach international
standards when we have not even cleanup the current mess? The Government should
take care of the human rights of 31.6 million Malaysians first (instead of the
1281 inmates = 0.00004051% of the population.) We need to deal with important
and urgent issues, including poor welfare, healthcare, medical and education
systems (all below international standards).
We really
need to step up our enforcement efforts to fight crimes. (Our enforcement team
are understaffed, overworked and underpaid - we need resources & urgent
cleanup of our passive enforcement sectors, including police, prosecutors, judges,
welfare. Why don’t you think about their human rights first? They put their
lives in danger to protect our country, instead of the criminals who cause
troubles to us?) The Government should also target the root of crimes, save and
educate the poor vulnerable children first! Often criminals come from broken
homes, with no parental guidance or education. Often misguided and they commit
crimes Please use our limited funds to solve this problem first.
Why use our
precious taxpayers' money to build more prisons & provide free food,
housing, healthcare and other privileges when our country is in debt, when the
Government cannot even afford to feed your children and civil servants
properly. We need to take on more liabilities and spend millions and even
billlions with this intiative (estimated 575 millions to feed 1281 inmates 30
years, what about infrastructure, healthcare etc.?
We want our
leaders to respect, uphold and enforce the rule of law, not weak in enforcing
it and not foolish by stripping it for the sake of minority criminals, ignoring
the public interest. Do your due diligence, DP saves lives, taking it away will
result in more crimes! Get the opinion from 31.6 million of us first.
Majority never asked for DP to be removed.
Do not be
weak & do not be manipulated by activists backed by criminals. You should
clean up the current mess and not cause more chaos by removing death penalty.
Let us keep our strict law. Enforce our laws and not strip it! Please protect
us 31.62 million of the majority of people living in Malaysia safe! Please KEEP
DEATH PENALTY as deterrent to protect us from serious crimes!
Please share
& support this so our appeal is heard.
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