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Did You Know That it Costs RM1,975 to Hang Someone in Malaysia?
Capital punishment in Malaysia, with executions being carried out by hanging, has long been a controversial issue, with a stronger abolitionist movement in civil society calling for abolition since 2010. Malaysia has even been reviewed twice by the United Nations Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review.
However, according to the Daily Express, did you know that the whole process actually costs the government RM1,975? If the family does not claim the body, it costs an additional RM800 for a total of RM2,775.
According to the late Datuk Liew Vui Keong, a former minister under the Prime Minister’s Office, inmates on death row “are kept in a room next to the hanging room the night before their sentence is carried out, and brought out the next day where the entire process takes only 15 seconds.”
On 4 July 2023, mandatory capital punishment was abolished when the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 (Act 846) came into force. This allows judges to choose between the death penalty or a jail term of 30 to 40 years and not less than 12 strokes of whipping (if not sentenced to death) for capital offences.
Some of the offences currently punishable by death are:
- Committing terrorist acts - Section 130C Penal Code
- Rape resulting in death – Section 376(4) Penal Code
- Abetment of suicide of child or insane person – Section 305 Penal Code
- Offences against the person of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri – Section 121A Penal Code
- Offence of contamination of water, if the act results in death – Section 121(2)(a) Water Services Industry Act 2006
X user @datukhensem recently shared the cost of hanging on the platform, which went viral. Netizens shared their views on the matter:
Some offered to do the job themselves for the cost of nasi ayam, while others had suggestions of harvesting the organs of the criminals. However, others also explained that expertise was needed to hang someone. Some added that it was also more cost-effective than keeping someone in prison for 30-40 years, which could incur high expenses.
One user shared that the hanging technique had to be adjusted according to each individual. If done correctly, the criminal would die in an instant with no pain. The executioner would measure their height and weight. These measurements are extremely important as if the noose is too short, the person could get choked, and if it is too long, their head could be decapitated.
What do you think of the money needed to execute someone?
Featured Image Credit: Freepik, Tamara Gore on Unsplash
Featured Image Credit: Freepik, Tamara Gore on Unsplash