The amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (DDA) tabled in Parliament today should give the power to decide whether to impose the death sentence or life imprisonment on drug convicts solely to the court, without the involvement of the public prosecutor, Padang Serai MP N Surendran said.

In a statement, the PKR lawmaker said the new amendment is a serious trespass on judicial authority and infringes on the doctrine of separation of powers.

"The act of sentencing and the type of sentence must be purely a judicial exercise, without any involvement whatsoever of the executive.

"This provision will also dangerously open up opportunities for corruption in the prosecutor's decision-making process," Surendran said...