By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 24: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) chief Wilfred Yap is totally against the death penalty for its irreversible nature.
He opined that the death penalty had no place in a modern legal system as it violated the right to life, which happens to be the most basic of all human rights.
“The death penalty is by its nature ultimate and irreversible and offers no room for rehabilitation or remorse.
“I feel that the federal government should take proactive steps towards total abolition of the death penalty and move towards ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT),” he told DayakDaily.
He said instead of the proposed total abolition of the death penalty, the Pakatan Harapan government’s recent decision to only abolish the mandatory death penalty and replace it with a discretionary death sentence is still a barrier to upholding human dignity and the right to life.
“The death penalty has been shown on many occasions as not an effective crime prevention mechanism within the system of justice.
“This is because there is no credible evidence that the death penalty will serve as a deterrent more effective than a prison term, and there is also always the possibility that an innocent person could end up on death row from human error or misapplication of forensic science,” said Yap.
Yap said due to his strong belief in the abolition of capital punishment, he would continue to render help whenever needed in his capacity as PCB chief to those facing the death penalty. — DayakDaily
