PAP spokesman’s article against anti-death penalty activists criticised as ‘low-quality nonsense’ » Singapore News

SINGAPORE: A prominent lawyer who supports the use of the death penalty in the context of drug trafficking has criticised an article in Petir, the official organ of the ruling People’s Action Party.

In a Facebook post on July 17 (Wednesday), Yeoh Lian Chuan described the article as “very low-quality nonsense” and added: “It is quite disappointing that this level of thinking is being advocated by the PAP spokesperson.”

The article, which has no named author, is titled “The delusions of anti-death penalty activists” and was published on May 10 of this year.

He criticised the actions of individuals and groups who have spoken out against capital punishment in Singapore, calling it “virtue-showing”. He also said activists are “either naive at best or plagued by a saviour complex”.

He added: “Singapore may be an outlier when it comes to drugs, but it is a badge of honour that we cherish and part of our exceptionalism.

Perhaps when anti-death penalty activists stop chasing virtue, they will begin to see drug traffickers for what they are: scourges of the earth and hired killers who do not deserve our sympathy.”

Mr Yeoh expressed dissatisfaction with the perspective taken in the article, calling capital punishment an issue of “profound moral significance”.

He added that it is a question that various people may have “honest, reasonable and deeply held beliefs” about whether a state can take someone’s life as punishment for a crime and, if so, which crimes are so serious as to merit that ultimate sanction.

It is important to note that he added: “Taking into account also that all human acts, including the justice system, are necessarily fallible.”

Several Facebook users have commented on her post, including one who said he was curious about the ruling party’s approach to Petir.

He added: “It almost seems as if the Party has deliberately decided to use the party organ to channel its pro-MAGA elements.”

Mr. Yeoh agreed that “Petir has a strong MAGA bent” and wrote that he does not “favor this type of political rhetoric.”

As of this year, of the 193 member states and two observer states in the United Nations, 53 (or 27 percent) have retained the death penalty in law and practice.

Amnesty International reported in May that the number of executions last year rose to its highest level since 2015.

Of the 1,153 executions that took place in 2023, 508 were for drug-related offences, including five that reportedly took place in Singapore. /TISG

Read also: “The death penalty is not a deterrent”: Richard Branson weighs in on Singapore executions this week