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When young people, society question the death-penalty policy
After all, available crime-data support Singapore's longstanding position in favor of retaining capital punishment as the best form of deterrence.
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Drug deaths: Placards and LED lights are displayed on April 25, 2022 at Speakers Corner in Singapore during a public vigil for Malaysian national Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, who was executed two days later for trafficking heroin into the island state. Singapore has hanged five convicted drug traffickers since March. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)
A
t the end of the day, it will all depend on three things: An evolving landscape in the region; a shift in perceptions among young people; and ultimately, the pragmatism that always determines a change of policy in Singapore. Add to this recipe a good dose of real fairness.
What I am talking about is the death penalty.
Imagine the following. A major company from an ASEAN-member state decides to launch an initial public offering in Singapore.
It is a multibillion-dollar industry with a high potential for growth and Singapore is a very attractive destination; surely the Singaporean stock market will benefit from it. Guess which sector I am talking about? Medical cannabis.
How will Singapore’s policymakers react to this business opportunity? Will they start rethinking the consequences of their drug policies or will they start filing legal proceedings for drug-trafficking cases against the executive of this company, perhaps merely because the citizens of Singapore read some of their official statements on the internet? Or will they simply adapt and adjust to a new normal?
Admittedly this is a provocation and at the best a very far-fetched scenario, but when I heard it from Dobby Chew, the executive coordinator of the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), I got intrigued.
While medical cannabis in Singapore is allowed only in extraordinary cases (basically almost never), it is already a reality in Thailand and it could also become one in Malaysia.
