KUALA LUMPUR — The Transport Ministry has no plans to introduce the death penalty in the Road Transport Act for driving under the influence (DUI) offences, said minister Anthony Loke.
He said Malaysia had abolished the mandatory death penalty, and there are other existing laws to deal with serious cases resulting in death.
“As far as the government is concerned, we have already abolished mandatory death penalties.
“So this is not something we are considering,” media reported Loke saying today after a road safety programme at the Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology .
The government is, however, looking at ensuring compensation for crash victims’ families and this will be incorporated into the Road Transport Act.
Loke also noted that drink-driving offenders who cause the death of others can already be charged with murder.
This is the current status of the case involving Sakthygaanapathy Ravichandran, 28, who tested positive for drugs and alcohol while overtaking vehicles before allegedly killed Amirul Hafiz Omar, 33, who was riding his motorcycle on the opposite lane.
Sakthygaanapathy was charged with murder on April 1 over the collision that occurred in Klang on March 29.
Section 302 of the Penal Code on murder carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years. As the death penalty is no longer mandatory in Malaysia, judges may ops to sentence the offender to at least 12 strokes of the cane, in addition to imprisonment.
Following the horrific accident and calls for the death penalty by some lawmakers, Loke on March 30 said his ministry is drafting further amendments to the Road Transport Act that would compel offenders to pay compensation to the families of victims of fatal accidents.
Current fines for DUI offences are between RM50,000 to RM100,000 for first time offenders, and RM100,000 to RM150,000 for repeat offenders.
Current jail terms are between 10 to 15 years for first time offenders, and 15 to 20 years for repeat offenders. – April 13, 2026