As a staunch opponent of death penalty, WSN editor Jagmohan Singh, in an Open Letter to Datuk Liew Vui Keong -Law Minister of Malaysia, congratulates the Islamic Republic of Malaysia for abolishing death penalty from next week. The Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led cabinet deserves praise for this far-reaching move which would have Sikhs in Malaysia and elsewhere pleased as Sikhs have always upheld the right to life.

As is his forte, WSN Editor writes an Open Letter to Malaysian Law Minister as the country has taken the far-reaching step of abolishing the death penalty and annulling the anti-people colonial sedition laws from the statute. Here is the Open Letter:

Dear Yang Berhormat Datuk Liew Vui Keong MP

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Greetings in the Name of God, the Light of every soul.

I am sure that my community, of which large numbers live in your country, including your cabinet colleague Communications Minister Gobind Singh Deo, are please about the news that your country has announced a moratorium on death penalty to all the 1267 on the death row in Malaysia and that next week your country would abolish capital punishment at all times for all crimes from the statue of the Islamic Republic of Malaysia. Your veteran Prime Minister -Dr Mahathir Mohamad deserves special kudos for taking lead in passing this historic legislation.

The Sikh people are committed to the right to life for all. The Sikh people have demonstrated their commitment to abolition of death penalty for all crimes at all times. It has been proved beyond doubt that the killing of one human being by another person or state is wrong and that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime and serves only the purpose of revenge.

The Sikh ethical approach of compassion, forgiveness and scope for reformation of one’s life is a prerequisite for any progressive civil society. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler, in his 40 year reign (1799-1839) did not use the death penalty, even in cases, where he was the subject of attack.

“All death penalty would be abolished. Full Stop.”

Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Minister for Law, Malaysia

Your forceful statement sends the point home, “All death penalty would be abolished. Full Stop.” I am particularly happy that it is happening in your country as you join Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan who have effectively abolished the capital punishment, whereas others like India, who live in the name of Gandhi, but continue to hand out death penalty in cases all and sundry.

Undoubtedly, we are all living in difficult times. A heinous crime against a woman or a family, a public crime in which there are mass killings, immediately prompt society to do a rethink on the death penalty with the victim families upset and the society at large baying for the blood of the perpetrators in revenge. Even courts, like in India, use this perverted logic by delivering judgements not based on the law but on the basis of the collective conscience of the society at large.

It pleases me, just as it has Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others that you have considered all these arguments frivolous and as your Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said, “The government of Malaysia has decided to scrap capital punishment because the Malaysian public has shown they were against the death penalty.” This is indeed a tribute not only to your government which had made an election promise to scrap the death penalty, but also the people of your country who have commended the move.

“The government of Malaysia has decided to scrap capital punishment because the Malaysian public has shown they were against the death penalty.”

Gobind Singh Deo, Minister for Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia

When N. Surendran of Lawyers for Liberty human rights group in Malaysia has welcomed the decision of the Malaysian government said, “it is a force for moral good, and an example for the region and the world”, he was absolutely right. I am glad that there are unlikely to be any strong voices against the decision considering the relief that this is going to give to so many people.

While this is a grand move, the plan to rescind the Sedition Act is icing on the cake. Your friend and colleague Gobind Singh Deo has said that, “the Sedition Act has been used in the past to silence dissenters and critics. This too has to go as the cabinet has already taken this decision.” This is a huge break from the colonial past as “the world’s largest democracy -India” still continues to use this extensively against politicians, authors and activists, more than what the colonial masters of yore did.

“While this is a grand move, the plan to rescind the Sedition Act is icing on the cake. This is a huge break from the colonial past as “the world’s largest democracy -India” still continues to use this extensively against politicians, authors and activists, more than what the colonial masters of yore did.”

May I take the opportunity to inform you that in India the minorities, the poor and the underprivileged are the ones against whom death penalty is awarded whereas for the rich and famous there is travesty of justice in the name of ultra-nationalism and the case being “rarest of rare.”

India is yet to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and support initiatives in this direction by the United Nations.

Amnesty International has documented that only 23 countries of the world retain the capital punishment. Of these, your neighbours Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia need to follow suit and make Southeast Asia, free of the death penalty.

It is my appeal to the Sikhs living in these countries to participate in all civil society action to eventually have a death-penalty free world.

May you and your government receive the blessings of those on the death row, their families and also from other countries who live in hope that their countries too would respect humanitarian concerns and abolish death penalty.

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Let the call from Malaysia reverberate in countries, where capital punishment exists, “Hang the Noose!”

With kind regards and prayers!

Jagmohan Singh
Editor, The World Sikh News