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Hung: A Briefing on SIngapore's Death Penalty
By: Roxanne Hesh
Singapore American School
2009
word count: 1520


1 person every 9 days.
40 people every year.
Seeing those numbers out of context may be meaningless to you. But add: 1 person killed every 9 days. 40 people killed every year.[i] All of a sudden those numbers become a lot more meaningful. It may seem shocking but those are the statistics for the death penalty in Singapore. Some say the capital punishment is overused in Singapore, as it is the world’s leading country in use of death penalty per capita, and others say it is a good thing death is given to criminals, making the country one of the safest in the world.[ii] Either opinion may be right, but one needs to know the facts behind death penalty in Singapore before taking a side. The country’s death penalty affects the countries reputation, the psychology of people residing in Singapore as well as those merely visiting, and Singapore’s relationships with other countries. Of those three social implications, the way capital punishment affects Singapore’s diplomatic and political reputation is the most important. It is the most important is because it makes Singapore seem like a country with no compassion towards its residents and visitors, and makes the government look ignorant to the value of life.

Singapore, a city-state island and major port in South East Asia has had the death penalty in use since 1965 when the country first won it’s independence. [iii] During this time the prime minister of Singapore was Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, a man who has been active in the government since the 1950’s. [iv]

Since 1965 Singapore’s capital punishment has been in use, and in the 44 years, clemency has been granted only 6 times. [v] This emphasizes how the government looks ignorant to the value of life. So rarely is clemency granted and so frequently is execution used, that it is pointless for prisoners to even hope, but some do until their last minute. “Just a few days before her execution… An impoverished and uneducated woman, and also deeply religious, swore until her death that she was unaware of the heroin that was hidden in the lining of a suitcase given to her by a Nigerian friend.”[vi] As one can guess, this woman was not granted clemency. Even if she swore that she was unaware of the crime, Singapore has no jury trials, so her outcome is based off of the opinion of judges. When a crime is committed judges listen to the case and put a sentence on the criminal. Not only are there no juries but the government does not give legal assistance except in some capital cases.[vii] For the above, Singapore’s diplomatic reputation is certainly not the cleanest. If that is not clean, think about the politically reputation Singapore has. Although Singapore is known for its high death penalty usage, government officials as high as the prime minister seem to try to cover up the numbers. “In September 2003, in an interview with the BBC, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was questioned about the number of people executed in 2003. He stated that he believed it was “in the region of about 70 to 80”. When asked why he did not know the precise number he said, “I’ve got more important things to worry about.” Two days later he retracted his statement, saying that the death penalty had in fact been carried out on ten occasions so far during the year.“[viii] Is that not ignorant or what? How can the politicians of the country be unaware of the bare facts that they cause to happen? And how can there be more important “things” than a person’s life…especially if a person may be innocent? Singapore’s reputation may be good when it comes to cleanliness and safety, but when it comes to actions towards human rights, compared to other counties it looks horrible. With over 420 people executed since 1991, as reported by TVNZ in January 2007, and the number increasing, Singapore’s image is nowhere near moving upwards.[ix]

Along with a reputation, the high execution rates impacts the citizens and yearly visitors psychologically. Capital punishment deters the locals and expat community from making one wrong move. Today, Singapore remains the only developed country that sentences death penalty for crimes other than murder. As “most death sentences in Singapore follow convictions for drug trafficking,”[x] the Singaporean community and visitors are aware of what the consequence will be for possessing the smallest amount of any illegal substance available. The consequence is death for just 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine or 500 grams of cannabis.[xi] These small numbers were associated with death penalty after drug laws that passed in 1975.[xii] Many people entering Singapore from a foreign country are also afraid of random drug tests that the government has the authority to perform, because “It is a criminal offense to refuse a police request for a drug test” and “a positive test deems drug possession even if the drugs have been ingested outside Singapore.”[xiii] Since previous use is considered drug possession if the government believes it was used to a certain degree it could call for death sentence, which makes it even more intimidating for tourist coming into Singapore. With random drug tests, to the most severe a penalty can get for drug possession, Singapore deters people from doing wrong with the death sentence. But is this the right thing to do? Is killing people, some of whom have only committed small acts of crime, the right way to send a message to the citizens of the country? Along with scaring the people, the high execution rates cause friction between Singapore and other countries.

When tourists or citizens of other countries are arrested and put on death penalty, there is little the person’s home country and government can do to change the outcome. In 2007, two African men were hung and prior to their death, the prime minister of Singapore rejected international pleas for clemency because he said it was “necessary to protect Singapore’s interests.”[xiv] The Singaporean government believes that killing the bad is for the better of the people, and helps prevent further crime and harm from entering Singaporean’s lives. When people are hung in a country other than their own for a minor crime like drug possession, it causes friction to grow between the two countries. In the example from above with the African men, do you really think it was easy for the African government to forgive Singapore for killing two of its country’s citizens, one of whom “was a good football player in Nigeria”[xv]? Although it is understandable that one is not in their homeland and must obey the laws, death is an extreme punishment. Although it is difficult, almost impossible, to get out of death row, there are actions that individuals and countries can take to make a change for the future.

Although “Singapore does not announce execution days in advance,” it is know that “hangings are usually carried out at dawn on Fridays.”[xvi]Although it is unknown as to when the hanging will occur, there is a general idea, and on some occasions, human rights activists, family members, and friends may gather outside of the Changi center awaiting the moment their loved one is hung. One activist, speaking on change for the future, said, “tonight’s not necessarily so much about changing the governments mind…It’s about telling ordinary people you can say no to the authorities. You can voice your opinions.” [xvii]There are many ways for you to voice your opinion and urge the Singapore government to stop the increasing amount of deaths from executions each year. First and most importantly, you can write a letter to the Singaporean government expressing concern. Use specific examples and explain why the actions are wrong and how they affect others. Explain how the trials are not fair, and how they can be made fairer. For example, a trial could be made fairer with a jury and proper representation of the suspected criminal. Next, you can protest either on your own or in a large group outside of a government building or the Changi Prison, where the executions take place. However, in the case that you decide to protest, make sure the date, time, and reasoning are approved by a government official, or else you could be prosecuted for breaking Singapore laws. Media attention is powerful and can work to your benefit. If you live outside of Singapore, spread the knowledge you have gained and allow the media to have a role. One last option is to simply inform. Inform friends, family, or the general public, about the capital punishment in Singapore and how frequently it is used and for what specific crimes. The more people informed, the more there will be a want for change. There are human rights groups you can refer to such as “Amnesty International” for more information and more ideas on how to help the cause. In order to end the deaths of innocent people or people who have committed minor crimes, actions must be taken. One person can create the change, and that one person can be you.

[i] (Economist, The. Singapore, Execution Capital. 1999 йил 1-April. 2009 йил 25-August <http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=E1_TJVQNV>. , 2)
[ii] (TVNZ. Singapore Hangs Drug Smugglers. 2007 йил 26-January. 2009 йил 25-August <http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/970437>. , 2)
[iii] (Goodwin, Tim. Organ Transplant After Execution: Singapore. 2009 йил 13-January . 2009 йил 25-August <http://asiadeathpenalty.blogspot.com/2009/01/organ-transplant-after-execution.html>. , 5)
[iv] (The Government of Singapore. The Cabinet. 31 March 2009. 11 October 2009 <http://www.cabinet.gov.sg/CabinetAppointments/Mr+LEE+Kuan+Yew.htm>. , 3)
[v] (Goodwin, 5)
[vi] (Bernstein, Dennis, and Leslie Kean. “Singapore’s blood money: hanging drug couriers but investing with their suppliers.” The Nation 265.n12 (Oct 20, 1997): 11(4). Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. Singapore American School. 14 Sept. 2009
<http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodld=IPS>. , 1)
[vii] (Embassy, The U.S. Singapore Country Specific Information. 2009 26-August. 2009 14-September <http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1017.html#criminal_penalties>. , 7)
[viii] (Amnesty International. Amnesty International. 2004 January. 2009 14-September <http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ ASA36/001/2004/en/6de04440-d64e-11dd-ab95-a13b602c0642/asa360012004en.html >. , 4)
[ix] (TVNZ, 2)
[x] (—. Amnesty International. 2009 13-January . 2009 14-September <http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA36/002/2009/en/d848510f-e228-11dd-9a65-bba353fc63d9/asa360022009en.html >. , 5)
[xi] (ABC/AFP. Singapore Told Execution Breaches International Law. 2005 16-November. 2009 25-August <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1507557.htm>. , 4)
[xii] (Tan, Amy. Singapore Window. 2002 12-April. 2009 1-October <http://www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020412re.htm>. , 6)
[xiii] (Enter Singapore. Laws in Singapore- Risk Assessment, Economy, and Government Information For Singapore. 2009. 2009 1-October <http://www.entersingapore.info/sginfo/risk-investigation.php> . , see “Drugs”)
[xiv] (TVNZ, 1)
[xv] (TVNZ, 7)
[xvi] (TVNZ, 12)
[xvii] (Aglionby, John. The Observer. 2005 8-May. 2009 14-September <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/may/08/johnaglionby.theobserver>. , 5)










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roxy.hesh 		Latest page update: made by roxy.hesh , Nov 22 2009, 6:10 AM EST (about this update About This Update roxy.hesh Edited by roxy.hesh

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Anonymous Change yourself, dont try to change the laws 0 Dec 12 2011, 10:52 AM EST by Anonymous
 
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Death sentence is a just punishment, there is nothing wrong with it.
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Anonymous SGDEATHPENALTY 0 Aug 28 2010, 6:46 AM EDT by Anonymous
 
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Please see the site below for Singapore Death Penalty news

http://sgdeathpenalty.blogspot.com/
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Anonymous Our country, our laws 1 Jul 18 2010, 7:51 PM EDT by Anonymous
 
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I don't think the capital punishment should be abolished just because a particular group, obviously out of sync with the Singaporean reality, thinks it ought to be the case. Drugs are soul destroying, and in the case of Singapore, detrimental to the existence of the country itself. The author has stated explicitly that the ruling has a negative effect on the public's psyche in Singapore, which in the opinion of this citizen of the country, is grossly misstated at best, and intentionally apocryphal otherwise. If you put the death penalty to the referendum in Singapore, i'm fairly certain that the case for its abolishment will be resoundingly rejected. Please Ms Hesh, stop meddling in our affairs.
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