Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said said the relevant ministries and agencies would prepare a memorandum to be handed over to the Cabinet for approval.
She said research on the issue had been carried out through the International Centre for Law and Legal Studies (I-CeLLS) and presented to the cabinet on March 1.
“The cabinet unanimously agreed to the amendment to Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act,” she said.
Azalina was responding to Ramkarpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor), who had asked for updates on the government’s move to review the mandatory death sentence. He also asked for the number of people executed since 2010.
Azalina said the cabinet had decided that the act should allow judges the right to decide on more appropriate sentences such as jail terms.
In the past, she said, judges had been forced to pass the death sentence on drug traffickers as no other sentences were available.