'Quick Win' Justice Reforms Set For Next Parliamentary Debate - Azalina

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 (Bernama) -- Reforms to bolster Malaysia's criminal justice system under the "Quick Win" initiative are slated for parliamentary debate in the next session, announced Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She expressed hope that the proposed amendments would receive support from both Members of Parliament and Senators, enabling timely improvements to legal processes and safeguards.

“So with the Quick Wins, we hope that by the second trimester of the parliamentary session, some of the sections can be brought for MPs and Senators to debate, and that will bring about the change that this country needs,” she told reporters after officiating the Convention on Criminal Justice and Legal Reforms titled ‘Criminal Justice in a New Age’, here today.

Previously, Azalina was reported to have said that the Criminal Law Reform Committee (CLRC) had identified several 'quick win' reforms for short-term implementation to provide immediate public benefit.

She said these reforms included abolishing caning as a punishment, granting judges greater sentencing discretion and improving the remand process.

On a separate note, Azalina emphasised that criminal justice reform must evolve in line with global developments, including rapid technological changes affecting legal procedures and court administration.

“We have to keep moving forward. If not, we will be left behind. So, being in 2026, our politicians must recognise that there must be change, not from a political perspective, but change in the way we do things,” she said.

During her keynote address, Azalina outlined foundational principles for criminal justice reform. She asserted that it must begin by mitigating the risk of wrongful convictions and embedding safeguards at every stage of the legal process.

A mature justice system, she argued, must proactively examine how errors occur and establish mechanisms to correct them, as justice does not end at conviction but persists for as long as an individual's liberty is at stake. 

She concluded by emphasising that successful reform demands collective responsibility and cannot be achieved by any single institution alone.

— BERNAMA