British Billionaire Richard Branson Invited To Debate With Shanmugam Over Drugs & Death Penalty

Richard Branson Invited To Debate With Shanmugam After Making Blog Post Critical Of Singapore Policies

The death penalty is one of Singapore’s age-old issues that people seem to have strong opinions about either way.

This is especially when it’s applied to drug traffickers.

One of the latest critics is British billionaire Richard Branson, who shared his concerns in a blog post.

In response, he’s now been invited to have a debate with Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on this topic.

Branson not entitled to impose values on others: MHA

In a press release on Saturday (22 Oct), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Mr Branson “is entitled to his opinions”, which might be widely held in the United Kingdom (UK).

However, they don’t accept that he or others in the West are entitled to impose their values on other societies.

The ministry also had a biting comeback, alluding to British hypocrisy by adding,

Nor do we believe that a country that prosecuted two wars in China in the 19th century to force the Chinese to accept opium imports has any moral right to lecture Asians on drugs.

MHA invites Branson to Singapore for debate with Shanmugam

Nonetheless, it seems Singapore’s open to hearing Mr Branson’s views.

The MHA said they have invited him to come to Singapore to speak at a “live” televised debate.

The topic will be Singapore’s approach towards drugs and the death penalty, and his opponent will be Mr Shanmugam.

If he accepts this opportunity, the MHA added,

Mr Branson may use this platform to demonstrate to Singaporeans the error of our ways and why Singapore should do away with laws that have kept our population safe from the global scourge of drug abuse.

To sweeten the offer, MHA even offered to pay for Mr Branson’s flight and accommodation in Singapore.

Shanmugam hopes Branson agrees to debate

Mr Shanmugam referred to the invitation in a Facebook post on Saturday, saying that he hopes Mr Branson agrees.

That’s if he “believes in free speech and in the truth of what he says”.

The minister also said the tycoon has been setting out “untruths” and that the MHA has pointed out his “multiple falsehoods”.

Branson questions Singapore’s use of death penalty

The invitation was prompted by Mr Branson’s blog post on 10 Oct.

The 72-year-old tycoon, best known for being the boss of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, titled his post, “World Day Against the Death Penalty: What’s the matter with Singapore?”

He then praised Singapore’s “highly educated and diverse population, impressive infrastructure, and efficient public services”, among other things.

However, he took issue with our “stubborn use of the death penalty”, which he described as a dark stain on our reputation.

Among his points was the allegation that Malaysian drug trafficker Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, executed on 27 Apr, was intellectually disabled.

Mr Branson also raised his concerns that he found something similar about all the men executed in Singapore this year, adding,

Leaving aside the plausible suspicion of racial bias against a population that is disproportionately represented on Singapore’s death row, all of those executed in recent memory were on the low end of the drug supply chain, small-scale drug traffickers who were victims of the drug trade themselves, threatened, coerced, and bullied by large-scale dealers who prey on their economic vulnerabilities.

MHA says Nagaenthran wasn’t intellectually disabled

In their press release, MHA responded to many of Mr Branson’s allegations in his blog post.

Firstly, they said Nagaenthran was not intellectually disabled. A psychiatrist called by the defence had agreed with this, and the courts held that Nagaenthran knew what he was doing.

This information was also provided by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) to the public shortly after his execution.

Singapore’s approach to drugs has saved many lives: MHA

MHA also said Singapore’s laws and enforcement saved many lives and families — a point Mr Shanmugam brought up in a BBC interview in June.

They’ve also “significantly reduced” the amount of drugs entering Singapore and caused the number of drug abusers to decrease steadily.

The ministry added that the death penalty, especially, has deterred drug traffickers in Singapore and prevented major drug syndicates from establishing themselves here. As evidence, they cited first-hand accounts from drug traffickers.

Citing statistics from across the world on the “significant toll on lives and society” exacted by drugs, they emphasised that their priority is to protect Singapore and Singaporeans from the scourge.

As for the allegations of racial bias, MHA pointed out that:

1. Our laws and procedures apply equally to all, regardless of background, nationality, race, education level or financial status.
2. Every person who faces a capital offence is accorded full due process under the law.
3. Their trials are transparent and open to the public and media.

Read the full response from MHA here.

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Featured image adapted from Richard Branson on Facebook and K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook.