Malaysia’s quick win criminal justice reforms, including abolishing caning, are slated for debate in the next parliamentary session.
KUALA LUMPUR: Reforms to bolster Malaysia’s criminal justice system under the “Quick Win” initiative are slated for parliamentary debate in the next session.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said expressed hope the proposed amendments would receive support from MPs and Senators.
“So with the Quick Wins, we hope that by the second trimester of the parliamentary session, some of the sections can be brought for MPs and Senators to debate, and that will bring about the change that this country needs,” she told reporters.
She was speaking after officiating the Convention on Criminal Justice and Legal Reforms titled ‘Criminal Justice in a New Age’.
The Criminal Law Reform Committee had previously identified several ‘quick win’ reforms for short-term implementation.
These reforms include abolishing caning as a punishment and granting judges greater sentencing discretion.
Improvements to the remand process are also part of the proposed changes.
Azalina emphasised that criminal justice reform must evolve in line with global developments.
This includes adapting to rapid technological changes affecting legal procedures and court administration.
“We have to keep moving forward. If not, we will be left behind,” she said.
She argued that a mature justice system must proactively examine how errors occur and establish correction mechanisms.
Justice does not end at conviction but persists for as long as an individual’s liberty is at stake, she added.
Azalina concluded by emphasising that successful reform demands collective responsibility.
It cannot be achieved by any single institution alone, she said.
