President hopeful new penal code will be passed without death penalty and amputation
Speaking in his
weekly radio address, President Mohamed Nasheed has said he is hopeful the new
penal code will exclude the penalties of death and amputation.
After debate, the People’s Majlis sent the revised draft penal code to an ad hoc
committee for further review, on Wednesday.
On death penalty, the President said: “A fair, a very fair trial – in my view as
fair as the justice delivered during the Prophetic era – must be ensured before
taking human life.
“I don’t believe that the Maldives’ judicial system has the capacity to meet all
requirements for such a fair trial. Ultimately, the burden of pardoning or the
burden of implementing death penalty is upon the President.”
The President said, in his opinion, it was unwise to make death penalty a
codified punishment in law.
“I’m hopeful the penal code would be passed without offences punishable by
death,” said the President.
Speaking on amputation, the President said amputation as a penalty has never
been the common practice in the Maldives.
He said the consequences of the only two instances of implementing amputation in
the past were negative and bad.
“I don’t think the penal code should include amputation as a penalty,” said the
President.
Underwater cabinet meeting
In his radio address, President Nasheed spoke on the underwater cabinet meeting
to be held at Girifushi tomorrow.
He said the underwater cabinet meeting will be a significant achievement in
drawing the world attention to the Maldives’ efforts to address climate change.
The President said: “It’s crucial that the voice of Maldives’ politicians – or
the cabinet – be heard throughout the world. This is because of the threat posed
to the Maldives from climate change”
He further said a dialogue between the Maldives and the rest of the world must
be started. The underwater cabinet meeting, the President said, would facilitate
such a dialogue by attracting the world attention on the Maldives.
“There is hardly any news media that have not talked about this event,” said the
President.
Some of the major international media outlets are in the Maldives to cover the
event. Television Maldives will broadcast the meeting live around 10 o’clock in
the morning.
President Nasheed, including the cabinet, will hold a press conference after the
dive.
Bill on former presidents
In the radio address, the President also spoke on the bill on the privileges and
immunities of former presidents, which was passed on Tuesday.
Referring to the controversial “Article 9” which was ultimately removed, the
President said it was unacceptable that any citizen had the immunity from being
tried in a court of law.
The bill provides for pension and other allowances for former presidents.
President Nasheed also reiterated a theme he has raised on several occasion. He
said former presidents should remain as former presidents should they wish the
respect and admiration of the people.
“If former presidents become opposition political leaders, the respect and
admiration they get will be on that capacity,” said the President.
In his radio address, the President highlighted on his trip to Laamu atoll, his
scheduled visit to India on 21 October, on the World Food Day, which is being
marked today, and on government’s decision to make a claim for an extended
continental shelf for the Maldives.
The cabinet in a meeting on Tuesday decided to explore the possibility of having
an extended continental shelf for the Maldives.
A transcript of the radio address, broadcast on the Voice of Maldives this
morning, is available on the President’s Office website.