“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.”
“Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace,
for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man." “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
Have they killed Nagaenthran, yet? - Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Malaysiakini : “Remember Yong Vui Kong”, my friend texted. They let him live. For
readers unfamiliar with this case and the work of anti-death penalty
advocates, you can read about the legislation here written by Kristen Han:
“As
it stands, Singapore’s death penalty for drugs means that any low-level
courier or drug mule convicted of trafficking above a certain amount is
bound for the gallows, unless he/she is of use to the prosecution. It’s
a philosophy that sees an individual’s right to life not as a
fundamental right, but as a privilege that can be taken away unless the
authorities are appeased – hardly a reflection of minister
Balakrishnan’s claim that ‘all human life is sacred’, or that the death
penalty is used only ‘in the proper context and in strictly limited
circumstances’.”
I have always had a problem with executing drug
mules. Most people who are hung for this offence are so low down the
criminal food chain, that their effects on society are minimal at best.
This idea that drug mules destroy families is complete horse manure.
What
destroys families are not drugs but rather the way the state has
declared certain diseases (addiction) as worthy of sanctions and created
a war on drugs in which entire families are treated as enemy
combatants.
Now you are free to believe that any drug problem
begins and ends with the execution of drug mules. You are free to
believe that Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s death was just and Singaporeans are better off with his execution.
Candlelight vigil for Nagaenthran Dharmalingam at the Singapore Embassy.
Drug entrepreneurs live in luxury
Meanwhile, drug entrepreneurs are living in luxury. Most of them are politically connected.
When not busy corrupting the state security apparatus, they are corrupting the political process.
Does
the death penalty really seem appropriate for those people who are so
low down the food chain while the real masterminds are probably propping
up the banking institutions and the economy of the country?
Most of them launder their money through institutions that law-abiding citizens use.
Drug
money becomes part of the system, used for all manner of purposes, some
of it illicit, so the cycle of capitalistic life continues.
Of
course, the sanctimonious pay no attention to this reality but are
satisfied the “law” is meted out to the often ignorant and desperate
people, is worthy of admiration.
As reported in the press, Nagaenthran wanted to hold his family’s hands:
“I’d like to make a last-minute request to spend some time with my family members,” he said via a translator.
“I’m
placing this request so I can hold my family members’ hands. Here in
court, your honour, I would like to hold my family members’ hands, not
in prison. May I please have permission to hold their hands here?”
As someone who has actually witnessed such farewells, you never really grasp the finality of the situation.
We take for granted everyday contact with loved ones. We never stop to think, this may be the last time.
You
are at the mercy of an uncaring system that only seeks to carry out a
mandate efficiently without any remorse or understanding.
“There
must come a time when the last word of the court is the last word,”
proclaimed the highest court of the land in Nagaenthran’s final appeal.
When
you are a desperate mother fighting for your child’s life and from a
socio-economic background that does not afford you privileges that come
with money, you have no choice but to grasp every little hope there is.
“I am Nagaenthran’s mother, I want my son back alive, your honour. We are in dire straits now,” said Panchalai Supermaniam.
Why execute someone like this?
I
understand if the damage done by the condemned had impacted Singapore
in some grave way that the only recourse, the only closure for the
population was the death of the condemned.
I would not support it but I would understand. Nagaenthran's death, like countless others, is merely a boast.
A talking point for severe retributive punishment, welcomed only by the most vacuous and simplistic of people.
