Shanmugam says public interest must outweigh personal beliefs on death penalty
On Sunday (19 Jan), Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam emphasised in a Facebook post that public interest should take precedence over personal beliefs when it comes to the death penalty.
He warned that removing the death penalty would “save the lives of drug traffickers” but ultimately lead to an increase in drug activity.
“It will encourage more people to traffic drugs into Singapore,” he stated, explaining that this would result in more serious crime, violence, and drug-related deaths.
Many more innocent people will die in Singapore, including more innocent young children.
Personal beliefs vs. public interest
Reflecting on the gravity of policy decisions, Mr Shanmugam recalled an interview with the BBC last year where he stated that public policy requires “a kind heart but a hard head”.
“You have to be clear eyed in assessing what the consequences of a policy are,” he wrote. “Taking away life is serious; and it does weigh heavily on one’s mind – no one wants to have the death of anyone else on his conscience.”
In his post, Mr Shanmugam cited President Joe Biden’s decision to commute 37 death sentences before the end of his term on Monday (20 Jan), noting that Mr Biden “referred to his personal conscience” in doing so.
Source: Joe Biden on Facebook
He then referenced a 23 Dec Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article that “raised significant questions and highlighted major inconsistencies” in Mr Biden’s reasoning for the commutations.
The article pointed to examples such as serial killer Jorge Avila-Torrez and Anthony Battle, who murdered a prison officer with a hammer.
It also noted that Mr Biden chose not to commute certain death sentences, including that of Robert Bowers, who was convicted of murdering 11 worshippers at a synagogue in 2018.
Mr Shanmugam questioned: “Why was it ok to pardon some cold-blooded killers, while no pardon was given to other cold-blooded killers?”
“I am often asked about my position on the death penalty,” he continued. “For me, the public interest of Singapore is the primary consideration: what is in the best interests of Singaporeans as a whole?”
Tough stance ‘has saved thousands of lives’
Mr Shanmugam highlighted that the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) arrests about 3,000 drug abusers annually, down from 6,000 in the 1990s.
He said: “All things being equal, this number should have gone up in the last 30 years: the supply of drugs in the region has exploded, our purchasing power has increased significantly, and the international environment is increasingly drug-tolerant.”
Mr Shanmugam stressed that Singapore’s tough stance “has saved thousands of lives”, including those of potential drug abusers and crime victims.
He concluded the post with: “As policy makers, we set aside our personal feelings, and do what is necessary to protect the majority of people. And we cannot be at peace with ourselves, if we take a step which leads to many more innocent people dying in Singapore.”
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Featured image adapted from K Shanmugam Sc on Facebook.
