Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali has disclosed that his “initial proposal” to the government on the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (DDA) amendment was for judges to be given full discretion to decide on the death penalty.

Tabled last Thursday, the bill seeks to give courts the power to sentence drug traffickers to life in prison, instead of the mandatory death penalty.

However, a caveat that subjects judges’ decisions to input from the public prosecutor has led to the Bar Council to call for it to be withheld and re-amended to allow for “genuine” judicial discretion...