Link between drug smuggling and death penalty reform remains unproven - Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR - The government has rejected suggestions that the rise in large-scale drug smuggling cases in Malaysia is linked to the abolition of the mandatory death penalty, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressing that the connection has yet to be established.

He said the existing legal framework remained sufficiently stringent, but the more pressing challenge was addressing security gaps along the country's land, sea and air borders.

"Is that (increase) really because we have reduced or abolished mandatory hanging? That has yet to be established because our borders are relatively porous, particularly along sea and land routes, and now even through the air.

"That is why we are strengthening the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), because we know that smuggling is taking place on a large scale,” he said during Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Anwar was responding to Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang), who asked whether the abolition of the mandatory death penalty under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 had emboldened traffickers to smuggle larger quantities of drugs into the country, while raising concerns that traffickers might no longer be sufficiently deterred by the prospect of life imprisonment following the sentencing reform.

Underscoring the government’s commitment to strengthening border security, the Prime Minister said the allocation for the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) would increase significantly from RM37 million this year to RM490 million in 2027.

On staffing, he said the transfer of enforcement personnel from frontline agencies to AKPS was being carried out transparently through offers made by the Public Service Department (PSD), without coercion.

"The staffing process follows established procedures. The PSD makes the offers, which have already been extended to officers from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, Immigration Department, Health Ministry, Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS) and police.

"Most have accepted, while some have declined, but the employment scheme remains the existing government scheme,” he said in reply to Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kasim (PN-Arau), who proposed seconding Customs and Immigration officers to AKPS to avoid having two separate enforcement entities operating at the country's entry points if officers declined permanent transfers.

The Prime Minister also commended the proactive efforts of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), particularly the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID), for taking action without favouritism against criminal groups and cross-border syndicates. - BERNAMA