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Follow Duterte and just shoot drug pushers, M’sian MP tells Parliament

KUALA LUMPUR —A Malaysian parliamentarian has called on his country to emulate Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte in ordering extrajudicial killings on drug pushers.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Reuters

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Reuters

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KUALA LUMPUR — A Malaysian parliamentarian has called on his country to emulate Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte in ordering extrajudicial killings on drug pushers.

“I am very serious about this. Just shoot them, like they do in the Philippines,” said lawmaker Bung Moktar Radin from the ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno), while praising the way the Philippines has taken on its controversial war on drugs.

He was speaking during the debate on the allocation of Budget 2018 for the Home Ministry on Tuesday (Nov 28).

Mr Bung Moktar added: “Why can’t we do this? Jail addicts without trial and shoot dealers. What is the problem (in doing this)?

“If the nation is to be clean of the drug menace, it can develop and prosper with an intelligent society. If we allow it to persist, our future will be bleak.

“In the Philippines, the (level of) drug usage was scary at one time, but since President Duterte took office, it has become almost zero.”

Mr Duterte was elected last year on a promise to eradicate drugs from Philippine society by launching an unprecedented campaign.

Since he took office, police have reported killing almost 4,000 people in the crackdown. Another 2,300 have been murdered in drug-related crimes, while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, according to government data.

Opposition MP Ramkarpal Singh was taken aback by Mr Bung Moktar’s remarks.

“Are you serious, do you feel this is a good move and are you supporting this?” he asked the Barisian Nasional backbencher.

Mr Bung Mokhtar stood his ground, saying that the country needs more outstanding people to move it forward, like Mr Ramkarpal and himself, instead of addicts.

“This is the future, we want not addicts, killers and robbers. Look at the Philippines, look at how it’s the future now,” Mr Bung Mokhtar observed.

He also said that the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) should be dissolved for its failure to address the drug menace.

In response, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said it was not feasible to dissolve the AADK.

“If we dissolve AADK, who will regulate enforcement concerning drug addicts?” the minister asked.

“Supporting Duterte’s policy of shooting addicts runs counter to international norms. We don’t want to implement policies that would affect human rights,” Mr Nur Jazlan said, adding that such policies would attract international attention in all the wrong ways. AGENCIES

 

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