KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - The quiet, even stealthy way that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government plans to allow prisoners to apply for home detention has sparked concern that it might be part of a plan aimed at benefiting jailed former premier Najib Razak.
Najib, whose Umno party has been pressuring Anwar for a full royal pardon for him, was jailed for corruption and has about four years to go before completing a 12-year jail term, controversially cut short recently by the previous King to just six years.
According to reform group Projek Sama, a white paper should be tabled in Parliament first so as to ensure the initiative would not be abused to benefit criminals who may be deemed “privileged or powerful".
“This white paper must be tabled and debated in Parliament before any changes are made to laws, by-laws or administrative orders,” the NGO said in a statement.
Without mentioning Najib, it claimed that home detentions have been abused in certain countries, benefiting “rich and powerful” convicts while other inmates were denied the opportunity.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had a day ago announced that the government had agreed in principle to implement home detentions for inmates with jail terms of four years or less.
According to Saifuddin, the home ministry is now looking into how to implement the initiative based on the relevant provisions in the law.
In October 2023, the minister had told Parliament the prisons department wanted to implement home detention and suspended sentences, with about 16,000 prisoners eligible to be considered for the alternative forms of punishment.
Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
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