Execution

I was thinking of a title "To hang or not to hang?" but decided against it. Insensitive, and one never knows who's reading in this virtual realm.

Over the past few weeks, Van Tuong Nguyen's drug-trafficking case, that was followed by his execution at dawn 3 days ago, was splashed across our local papers. Nguyen was an Australian. I guess that drew most attention. We don't fuss over Singaporeans getting executed here, it appears. Or...the media choose to eliminate and play down those?

Kenny Sia wrote that Nguyen was "executed because he was helping his brother Khoa to get out of debt." Oh. Did The Straits Times cover that? I read that Khoa himself had been convicted of drug offences and for bashing up someone...

Regardless, should Singapore have gone ahead with the execution, despite pleas for clemency?

Yes.

Perhaps my opinion would change if I'd known Nguyen personally (A neighbour I barely knew was executed years ago, and although I had never spoken a word to him, I actually felt...sad.), but I think Singapore ought to stand by her laws. Putting the social cost that drugs bring aside, what maketh a country or government when it sways due to external forces? Singapore is small and very vulnerable. Is it wrong for our government to protect itself, and its people?

To all those who think that we're under authoritarian rule, what sort of leadership are you expecting?

Most of the time, I find it difficult to stomach complaints from my fellow countrymen about Singapore - freedom of speech, our soccer team, our foreign "imports", education. What haven't
Singaporeans complained about?

...grace...