Now, that the Sarawak Elections are over, will the Barisan Nasional(BN) or the Opposition(DAP/PKR/PAS/Amanah, ete) be bothered about Sarawakian Kho Jabing? Will they even call for Kho Jabing not to be hanged to death? Or are political parties only 'bothered' when there will be elections?
Now, Malaysia did rather well with the case of Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, 24, a university science graduate from a poor Malay family of rice farmers, who was facing the death penalty in China in 2008. Interestingly, BN, PAS and other parties were quick to call for life to be spared..and to provide assistance to the victim's family... see
DEATH PENALTY: Beijing Sentence Shakes Malaysia's Own Policy
CCM Youth - IN SUPPORT OF ABOLISHING THE DEATH PENALTY AND APPEAL TO REFORM CRIMINAL LAWS
There seem to be different treatment
by Malaysian government, UMNO, MCA, PAS, ....of different Malaysians
facing the death penalty...Why?
Let us look at the response in the Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim( 24) and Ong Kim Fatt's case
when the UMNO, MCA and government went all out to save these Malaysians
from the death penalty...Why is there no similar response to ALL cases
of death penalty involving Malaysians...
Yong Vui Kong (21) may be hanged on 11/12/09 - and why is UMNO, MCA, Government not doing anything to get his sentence commuted ?
One may say, that Kho Jabing's case is about MURDER - well, in Singapore the law was amended and now there is no more mandatory death penalty - hence, he can be sentenced to life imprisonment with caning. It was a 'theft' that turned into a 'robbery' - where violence was used, but the weapon was not brought to the 'fight' - but a piece of wood... there is also doubt as to who caused the blow that caused the death - was it Kho Jabing or was his the other person(who is no longer facing the death penalty) - so justly, should Kho Jabing be hanged? I think not...
See earlier relevant posts:-
QUESTIONABLE VALIDITY OF THE COURT OF APPEAL THAT RE-SENTENCED KHO JABING TO DEATH REASON ENOUGH FOR IMMEDIATE STAY OF EXECUTION OF KHO JABING, NOW SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY 20/5/2016
URGENT - Last Chance To Try Save Sarawakian Kho Jabing from being hanged next Friday?
NGO: Kho Jabing case too ‘flawed’ for gallows
The Singapore Government, President,
Attorney-General/Public Prosecutor and/or the Judiciary can and must
take note of serious concerns on the case.
KUALA LUMPUR: In the absence of a re-trial or a new trial, Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (MADPET) has called for the commutation of the death sentence of Kho Jabing. “All others currently on death row in Singapore for murder must have their sentences commuted as well on the grounds that the death penalty was being abolished all over the world.”
“The five United Nations General Assembly Resolutions on the death penalty, the first being in 2007 and the fifth being on 2014, also refers.”
The Singapore Government, President, Attorney-General/Public Prosecutor and/or the Judiciary can and must take note of serious concerns, irrespective of whether there is any application in court by Kho Jabing, stressed MADPET spokesman Charles Hector in a statement. “They should immediately stay the planned execution of Kho Jabing in the interest of justice.”
The questionable validity of the Court of Appeal that reversed the High Court decision and re-sentenced Kho Jabing to death, also calls for an immediate stay of execution of Kho Jabing, which is now allegedly scheduled for this Friday, added the NGO.
Briefly, MADPET was worried that Kho Jabing may be executed based on a possibly tainted or invalid Court of Appeal judgment, which reversed the High Court decision that commuted the death sentence to imprisonment and caning.
Having perused the relevant judgments, MADPET discovered that Andrew Phang, one of the five judges who sat in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Appeal No 6 of 2013) that sent Kho Jabing to the gallows again, also did sit as judge in an earlier court case concerning Kho Jabing, being Criminal Appeal No 18 of 2010.
Alternatively, even if Andrew Phang’s vote was not to be taken into consideration, said MADPET, the result would be a 2-2 decision, and as such again, the prosecution’s Appeal would have failed, and the High Court’s decision will not have been overturned, and Kho Jabing would be facing imprisonment and caning and not death.
Another concern with regards to Kho Jabing’s case, was that when the case was sent to the High Court for re-sentencing, the judge who heard and considered the re-sentencing was not the High Court judge who originally heard and convicted Kho Jabing.
The Singapore Parliament wisely appreciated the importance that it be the same judge, possibly because that judge may have recalled elements in the trial, including demeanour, which at the end of the day can never be properly or comprehensively captured in any Notes of Evidence/Proceedings and/or Judgments.
In Kho Jabing’s case, the original trial judge had retired, and hence another judge heard the re-sentencing case, reminded MADPET. “This fact, in itself, was most prejudicial to Kho Jabing.”
Further, even if the re-sentencing judge had been the same judge, noting the lapse of time plus the fact that many other cases would have come before the same judge, the question would be whether it was even reasonably possible for the original judge in the court of first instance to effectively recall from memory aspects of the said case that was not fully and clearly stated in his/her written records.
Re-sentencing was needed after Singapore amended the law concerning murder vide Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2012 (Act 32 of 2012), which effectively resulted in the “repeal and re-enactment of Section 302”, continued the NGO. “The law before the amendment provided only the mandatory death penalty for murder (Section 302).”
Under the amendment that came into effect, not only was there now discretion of the court with regards to sentencing i.e. death penalty or imprisonment with caning, but also a consideration of other matters including mental capacity. - FMT News, 16/5/2016
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