COMMENT BY YB PROF DR.P.RAMASAMY, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER II, PENANG
Singapore’s drug laws are a curse to the poor and unfortunate.
I am shocked to see Singapore wants to prove its toughness in the death sentence of 33 year old Nagendran Dharmalinga on drug trafficking charges.
Nagendran, who was arrested in 2011, was sentenced to death in drug smuggling case despite being declared intelligent. He is 69 times less intelligent than the average person.
Singapore government is not moving, despite the request of human rights organizations. Nagendran will be hanged six days after Diwali on November 10, 2021 if there is no last minute intervention by Singapore authorities.
This is why his family is trapped in difficult situation. His mother doesn’t know what’s going to happen to her son. Indeed, the information about her son’s fate is hidden from her considering his health.
It is doubtful if the family will be able to go to Singapore to bring his body due to the epidemic and the family’s economic crisis. Nagendran is a very poor family just like other drug smugglers. It is sad and sad that a successful country in an economy like Singapore wants to show the world how difficult it is to deal with drug smugglers.
Unfortunately, the law in many countries ends in punishing the poor and the unfortunate, while the real criminals behind the drug syndicates escape.
Drug smugglers, trapped in the aim of making quick money to free their families from financial burden, are giving their lives by national prejudice law like Singapore.
Singapore authorities are well aware that penalties like death penalties against drug trafficking didn’t help reduce drug threats.
Indeed, no matter how strict the law is, the drug lords are finding new ways to engage in trafficking.
Drug trafficking is an international issue to be short. This doesn’t need to be an issue faced by countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
Strict and uncompromised laws in Singapore are a terrible curse for poor and poor people. As a result of strict laws, in many countries, the people who die in death penalty are poor.
I’m curious to find out if authorities in Singapore or Malaysia have ever succeeded in arresting drug smugglers in severe unishment.
It is shameful for a country like Singapore that Nagendran is executed for being caught with drugs.
It’s unclear if any attempts have been made to find the roots of the problem with cooperation from neighboring countries like Malaysia or Thailand. Being Singapore is a small country and surrounded by hostile neighbouring countries does not justify the argument that Singapore needs strict and inhumane laws.
It’s a lame excuse to put up a false image that Singapore is difficult and uncompromised in legal matters. It has not yet been investigated whether such an unpromising attitude reduced crimes.
What is the need to bring in strict laws that blatantly ignore human rights in punishing the poor and the innocent?
Why should the mentally ill Nagendran be sentenced to death?
Is it true that Singapore’s laws are not used according to the mentality of prisoners?
Singapore, which has modern government facilities, still relies on old methods of punishing those caught for violating the law. Nagendran may be guilty of drug smuggling, the law is clear in this. But aren’t there actions to reduce the death penalty to years of imprisonment?
But at the same time, he is mentally ill and a victim of globally operated drug smugglers with contacts in many countries.
No wonder Malaysia didn’t protest against the death penalty imposed for Malaysian Nagendran.
It is understandable that a government that sees everything from a race or religion, deliberately makes fun of such things. There is no legal difference between Singapore and Malaysia in drug trafficking.
Malaysia’s human rights record is just as bad as Singapore.
The only difference is Malaysia is not as talented as Singapore in law enforcement.
There are many disturbances when law enforcement is not making Malaysia more humane than its neighbouring country.
Death penalty for Nagendran is not going to change or reduce drug trafficking in Singapore.
It may be a symbolic victory for Singapore but definitely not a major victory. It’s unfortunate that the ′′ little red dot ′′ is stupid about what others think as it continues to uphold the old mythical laws in drug trafficking or even allowing human rights in the country.
Economic developments in Singapore has no impact on world’s liberalism politics.
