When Malaysia's cabinet agreed to abolish the death penalty, Amnesty International and foreign diplomats naturally lauded the move. Amnesty particularly regards the death penalty to be cruel, inhuman and degrading and opposes the death penalty regardless of who the accused is, the nature or circumstances of the crime. Not every Malaysian take up to the idea however. When a nine-month-old girl died after being raped, a member of Parliament, Ramkarpal Singh thought the death penalty should be allowed if the victims are children. Family members of murder victims such as deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais, cosmetics millionairess Sosilawati Lawiya, and banker Wong Jing Kui, are against abolishing the death penalty. Erni Dekritawati Yuliana Buhari, daughter of Sosilawati had said that to be fair to the family of the victim, the death sentence must stay and cited that in Islam, those who take the life of another must have their lives taken. Then, I wonder about the Buddhists' stand. Considering the first of the Buddhist Five Precepts, Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures, doesn't this mean that the death penalty should be abolished?
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