The proposed amendment on the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code will be tabled in the Parliament for second reading soon.
The Criminal Law committe of Bar Council led by senior lawyer, Sithambaran, has opposed to the new definition on aggravated rape. Click here for the news report.
Teresa Kok. the DAP MP for Seputeh, who is also a member of the Select Committee expressed disappointment with the comment by the Bar Council. Please click here for her full statement.
I have written this back in year 2004 (in National Language). My view is that Parliament should only define the maximum sentence and leave the discretion for sentencing to the judiciary. Sentencing should be the disretion of the judge who has the opportunity to hear the evidence.
"Terdapat pihak yang mengkritik bahawa undang-undang rogol di Malaysia tidak mempunyai unsur keruncingan seperti Kanun Keseksaan India. Kanun Keseksaan India misalnya mempunyai hukuman spesifik terhadap rogol berkumpulan, rogol terhadap wanita hamil, pesalah ialah polis atau pegawai awam,
Pada pendapat saya, kategori di bawah Kanun Keseksaan India bukanlah satu senarai lengkap yang tertutup. Faktor keruncingan seperti pesalah yang mengetahui dirinya menjangkiti AIDS atau penyakit berjangkit seks misalnya tidak dalam senarai keruncingan Kanun Keseksaan India.
Parlimen biasanya menggariskan hukuman penjara maksimum dan hukuman sebatan maksimum, adalah menjadi budi-bicara mahkamah untuk menilai setiap unsur keruncingan dan menjatuhkan hukuman yang setimpal. Pada pandangan saya, budibicara kehakiman dalam menjatuhkan tempoh hukuman yang berpatutan tidak harus dikongkong oleh Parlimen. "
For the full text of my essay, please click here.
There are other online comments on this issue:
1. From the blogger Weng Tchung -"The Proposed Provisions on Aggravated Rape: Sithambaram Has Got it all Wrong"
2. Forum in the Malaysian Bar Website- Should there be a new category of rape?
3. Other NGOs as posted in the Teresa's blog.
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