Statements

The recent rape of a 10 year old child in a schoolbus was a terible crime and the young victim and her family may be scarred for life as a result. The perpetrator, if convicted after due process, deserves a heavy prison sentence in retribution for his act. However, we deplore the violent and rash proposals that are emanating from various quarters in a typical knee-jerk reaction to this very disturbing crime. We are particularly appalled by the suggestion by DAP Chairman Karpal Singh that child rapists be put to death. An immediate practical consequence of such a law is that child rapists will then be encouraged to murder their victims in order to escape detection and avoid the gallows.