Former inspector-general of police Hanif Omar said the criminalisation of attempted suicide is one of the “inexplicable laws” Malaysia inherited from England.
Hanif, who was the IGP for 20 years, said those who attempt to take their own lives are almost always under extreme mental stress or unbearable bodily pain.
“What good does it do to him or society to stress him further with a criminal trial, fine or imprisonment?
“What harm has he caused society? Would this treatment of him cause other people who can’t bear the stress of living to desist from trying to end their life? I think not,” he told FMT.
Hanif said if anything, society should help those attempting suicide to overcome their problems.
He said the “attorney-general many years ago” had ceased prosecuting such cases.
However, he said, the act of assisting suicides should remain an offence.
Former deputy women, family and community development minister Hannah Yeoh labelled the law criminalising suicide “archaic”. She said it was more pertinent now because of the health crisis.
She said the previous Pakatan Harapan government had looked into decriminalising attempted suicide.
“Mental health issues need medical support, not prosecution … just like (how) we treat those who are not well, instead of arresting them and sending them to prison,” she said.
Yeoh said Malaysia does not have a national suicide registry, which is vital in tackling the issue.
This way, she said, policymakers would know how to channel funds to the right stakeholders because “everything is about data”.
Repeating her call to set up such a registry, she said that without one, the government’s response would be ad hoc and with no detailed planning.
Yesterday, national coalition for mental wellbeing member M Ramachelvam called on Putrajaya to impose a moratorium on prosecutions against those attempting suicide.
He said a moratorium on Section 309 of the Penal Code, which criminalises suicide, would be “especially important” amid the pandemic, which has seen an increase in the number of suicides recorded.