The following video was created by students for the Singapore American School’s Modern Asian Perspective course.
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I find this video very insulting to Singapore. What does the author mean by “Without fair trial”? You mean Singapore give out death penalty sentence without proper court procedures? Was anyone hanged without fair trial? If so, who?
There is a proper judicial system in Singapore. Everyone has the rights to be represented by lawyer in court. And yes, Singapore does not have a Jury system. So what is wrong with that? Is Jury system the best method?
I agree with Solo Bear. There is no need a foreign voice here. If we want to abolish the death penalty, we should do it ourselves. I’m disappointed that TOC choose to publish a video by a foreigner that is insulting to MY COUNTRY.
Good grief. Posting the video doesn’t mean we agree or support it. We post videos of govt ministers on the news all the time. It does not mean we agree with what they say.
Sometimes such videos are just for discussion’s sake, just as what you guys are doing now.
Maybe TOC TV can write a short note on its take of the above video and some of it’s views for discussion, why it was posted, as well TOC’s disclaimer statement.
The same goes for the Quotes section. It seems to post any quote or soundbite for sensational effect.
Firstly, the video highlights ‘Singapore execute criminals who commit crimes other than murder’. Statement makes it sounds like the country kills innocent people on many different categories of crimes. It’s wrong. The video is misleading because it shows different kinds of drugs and if you count the number, it seems we execute people on many different grounds.
Murder is one category. Drug trafficking is another.
Killing by knife or drowning… still means murder.
Drug trafficking cannabis, heroine still the same. All consider drugs. Drugs kills innocent people quickly (overdose) or slowly (torturing process). Of course, penalty for trafficking drugs depends on amount carry for various drugs. Not a one-size-fit-all weight.
Drugs in those form serves no purpose other than harm. Do you use them to administer to someone with the right dosage as pain killer for toothache? The effects of drugs on teens or adults can have devastating effects of families and society. LOOK AT certain cities of UNITED STATES where drug abuses are common.
Statistics based on per capita can be misleading at times. Can this kind of statistics be used meaningfully for big countries like China?
No system is perfect. If you say having MORE people deciding on the fate of a suspect is better because there are more heads and therefore produces more rationale decision. Let’s look at the stock market, stock investors comprises of millions.
When putting an idea on table for debate, it’s easy to say what is wrong.
BUT it’s hard to say WHAT (alternatives) is right and WHY (reasoning).
hmm. i would think that yeah maybe its time to rethink the death penalty in singapore.. but its not fair to say that the people hanged were very innocent either..
While I agree with some of the points brought up in the video to a certain degree, I can’t help but think that they’re making a huge sweeping statement. America’s so call “justice” aren’t any better.
To keleevin,
“Drug trafficking cannabis, heroine still the same. All consider drugs. Drugs kills innocent people quickly (overdose) or slowly (torturing process).”
That is not true at all. You can’t generalise all drugs as having the same qualities,effects and dependencies as each of them are clearly DIFFERENT. There have been no confirmed deaths directly from cannabis overdose but there are from heroin overdose.
Alcohol & cigarettes more harmful than some illegal drugs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17760130/
Marijuana Myths
http://www.askmen.com/sports/health/20_mens_health.html
This kind of lousy video for school project also can make it to TOC. *Clap clap*
From http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/archive/drug_abuse.shtml:
[In USA]
Between 2000 and 2001, the frequency of marijuana use among past year users was similar. In 2001, 11.9 percent of past year marijuana users used the substance on 300 or more days in the past 12 months. This translates to 2.5 million persons using marijuana on a daily or almost daily basis over a 12-month period. Among past month users, about a third (32.0 percent, or 3.9 million persons) used marijuana more than 20 days in the past month.
The cost that society pays, is huge when we hang or don’t hang. Unfortunately it seems to be more effective at curbing drug abuse when we hang.
Dear DK,
Foreign “interference”? Wahaha… Pride can be a source of motivation and also a source of inertia. In this case, the selective rejection of foreign criticism serves no more than rejecting the case to move away from retributive justice to reformative justice. Yet we Singaporeans welcome foreign criticism that serve to better our economy.
I agree with gwenlyn that it is misleading for the video to say that innocent people are being hanged when they are actually being punished for serious crimes.
1) DK on December 6th, 2009 12.39 pm
There is a proper judicial system in Singapore. — ?????
????? “pi”
Very unfortunate to see a one-sided video that do not show the facts of the situation. In every country, there is a rule of law. Death penalty for drugs is what we Singaporeans so desire for many good reasons. and as such it must be implemented consistantly & fairly across the board without the intereference of special waivers etc. If the same practice is rolled across the world, it will contribute to the cleaning up of the drug industry once and for all.
“Good grief. Posting the video doesn’t mean we agree or support it. We post videos of govt ministers on the news all the time. It does not mean we agree with what they say.
Sometimes such videos are just for discussion’s sake, just as what you guys are doing now.”
There are hundreds of videos and commentary about Singapore out there about its harsh laws – critical or otherwise. Why pick this one?
I think the TOC can be a more credible platform, if it takes the trouble to provide more context about its choices (and non-choices) of content.
Let the discussion be about the inhumanness of the death sentence, rather than the intent and method of the editorial team.
Singapore has the reputation of having one of the lowest crime rate in the world because of the law system. Every Tom, Dick and Harry know that YOU WILL BE HANGED if you commit certain crimes in Singapore. But if you choose to challenge our law then FACE THE CONSEQUENCES and if not, dont do it. We might be a small country, but we meant what we say.
Singaporean (#14):
You said:
“Every Tom, Dick and Harry know that YOU WILL BE HANGED if you commit certain crimes in Singapore.”
Any proof? Almost 7 billion people in the world and “every” one knows S’pore’s laws?
Or is hot air coming out of your behind?
I love how patriotic us Singaporeans get when someone decides to say anything about the coun… city. We’re usually having coffee with our friends, talking about how MIW need to step down, stop their nonsense, but as soon as there is foreign criticism, we turn into the best citizens a nation can have. Hypocrisy? Yes, nobody likes foreign criticism, and nobody likes people who agree with foreign criticism. But lets think about it this way, if they can see it, then whats wrong with us if we can’t?
Do i support the death penalty? I believe that there has to be a panel to review every case closely because situations may vary. The death penalty may be argued as being inhumane, and yes, taking a life in exchange for another life makes us no better than barbarians, but nobody can deny that it works. Crime rates are low, but it is that way no because of respect for the law, but out of fear. And good governing does not produce fear.
As for the jury system not being employed in singapore, there is a simple explanation. We don’t own the courts. If we did, there would be a jury. Needless to say, the owners of the courts have decided that they want to call the shots, so we are in no position(yet) to oppose.
Does life-time imprisonment not work just as well? Offenders will be isolated from the general population, and security measure may be taken to further ensure that no contact is allowed with the outside world. This keeps offenders alive, and at the same time keeps human rights activists happy. Though they might claim further violation of human rights.
There are ways to maintain low crime rates without the use of the death penalty. But, and i hate to admit this, but the idea is ingenious. Fear is a powerful, powerful tool in politics, and the MIW have exploited it to perfection. A little more money and alot more effort should be put into improving the current judicial system (which by the way, DK, is neither “proper” nor fair, nor just, nor reasonable).
Do not be upset that foreigners have such comments and opinions about our country. Do we not occasionally criticize the Americans for their education system, or the Aussies for their lifestyle, or the Brits for… Russell Brand? If you have, and they receive it well, be sure to do the same because your reaction to this video will be used to decide whether Singaporeans and educated and civil enough to take criticism.
I believe one of the best attraction in Singapore is it’s “low crime rate”. I am a foreigner and I must say that we(foreigner) envy Singaporeans for having a good government/governance. From my opinion, this video is misleading.
since singapore=miw and i’m opposed to miw policies, i knew i should have just kept quiet when foreigners attack singapore without concrete reasoning, thanks for reminding me.
It’s barely an attack, niagara. More like an observant opinion. Its a school project thats only in the limelight because of how uptight we are. Would you call the New York State Bar Association’s comments about our lack of rule of law an attack as well? Or our ranking on the press freedom index from RWB? They’re all foreign and they’re all negative, surely they must be attacks, no?
I too felt a little injustice when I noticed the phrase “have been hung without fair trials” Is there any evidence that supports this claim?
That being said, I think everyone should look at the bigger picture – is the death system appropriate? does 2 wrong make a right? Who else but God should decide whether a man lives or dies. Yes, a man may have commited murder. Doesnt executing the murderer put us in the same category?
You can go on and on about how captial punishment is necessary and blah blah. Why are there countries in the world that do not believe in the death penalty? Is it because of our mentality? Is it because of our lifestyle? All these can be changed.
So is captial punishment necessary? Probably, probably not. But have we given the ourselves, our nation to explore the possibility of not having the death penalty?
We are all human, and in humanity there is compassion. And if I may ask, where is the compassion in all of this?
the crux of the problem is the govt doesn’t dare to release more statistics on capital punishment.
Come on, we want a transparent first world governance. we want a voice in when to hang people in our name!
whether or not the govt hangs/has hanged innocent people, show us the stats and case facts, and we can decide. let the collective voice of the singaporean people be the jury in this system.
of course it not an attack theinkhorn, oh i forgot to mentioned how i love the subtleness in the video.
so i guess you can now call me a hypocite if i agree with the New York State Bar Association’s comments about our lack of rule of law and our ranking on the press freedom index from RWB?
but hey, it’s just a video by some students right? who cares if it is misleading or not.
Subtlety? I think the students did a pretty decent job of being extremely straightforward. Statistics, examples and the works. It wasn’t an incredibly detailed video, and they may have neglected to mention certain facts, but its pretty decent work for a bunch of adolescents. Misleading or not, I would encourage it. If we can’t even take criticism well, how different are we from the MIW?
niagara, hypocrisy is one of the most innate and natural characteristics. You don’t need to be called a hypcrite to be one. All of us are hypocrites. The only variation is where our hypocrisy is applied to.
theinkhorn, point taken, i gotta agree with you on that :)
I have a query. If someone consumes marijuana outside singapore and marijuana is detected in his/her urine on the arrival to singapore, will he be punished or deported( if outsider) for it?
I am surprised myself that as a singaporean, i do not know until the students from the Singapore American School educated me that singapore is the NUMBER 1 in the world for Hanging people to death. 40th second mark onwards.
yoo … DK….look. if you , in the situation where you already sittinq in the electric chair and ready to die coz you did sumtin fuck….. maybe thats the time you will fuckin realize that your own govn. was a fuckin freak,,,,, if i were there watchinq you… haha….. Lmfao…
humans love each other…. animals kill each other,,,
nevermind…. just enjoy ur lifestyle and depends on our own holy govn. haha
when time comes. jah will rise above you all and throw you all in the hell of dust,,,
no one has a right to judge the one’s life…. but jah,,,,,,
and i forgot,,,, come and go out wit yo numb and robot friends,,, u suck,,,,
yooo… rizal,,, haha i love you,,,,, i love people who makes there mind open with such things like weed…. not like the 2 fucki’n ignorant( keleevin DK) you 2 must suck each others dick…. and keleevin,, do some research about something you didnt really know… your just pretending you know everything about drugs.. damn ….. i think my head will explode cause of u 2…. weed is a plant … plant is created by jah/god… then what gives a govn. a right to say that god is wrong,,,???? think fo yo self… maybe ur a satanisn… haha better luck fo you….
I wish the u.s.A. had caining, and look at the great achievement in Singapore, they raise their children with great love! I mean as the bible says, he who spares the rod corrupts the child! In the u.s. you spank your child and you may end up in jail! If we enforced caining, crime would drop over night, and that would be love! I’ve never been to Singapore, but I heard the people are wonderful, very respectful, and caring!
About the death penalty and drugs. How many have died from Heroine? Would you let your child play around with a poisonous snake? Of course not! And if your child kicked and screamed, DON’T KILL THE SNAKE IT’S MY FRIEND! Would that stop you, from saving other people?
Marijuana on the other hand, I feel should be legal! In my early teen years, I smoked out of peer pressure but by the age of 16, I said no it offends God so I stopped. 20 years later I met a devout Catholic priest from Zimbabwe. I told him of 2 priest who taught smoking Marijuana was a mortal sin (a sin unto death)! He said. it wasn’t a sin at all, where I come from, when people invite you over for dinner they can’t afford wine so they pass around Marijuana!
Dr. Ron Paul, former presidential candidate said, Why don’t they make alcohol Illegal and Marijuana legal? Many die from alcohol, but few from Marijuana, and I’m a doctor and I know!
So stupid of you to say Marijuana is a Drug. It is a plant and just like someone mentioned above it was created by God. People who are against Marijuana are more of a danger to this world than Marijuana itself. Ponder on that.
Its upsets me that people like “keleevin” still choose to voice their opinions regardless of how uneducated it is. Firstly, classifying every drug under the same category proves how sheltered your life has been. I generally just read what people have to say on matters that should really be obvious human rights issues. However, when I read an opinion such as his, I feel the urge to be one of the people are I read on these threads. However, as I write this I realize that some people are not going to change their opinion because it is their only source of protection. It forms their identity, often due to the lack of one. But to keep a long story short. I’m sure if you wake up with a toothache one of these days, use some hash oil in a correct dosage you’ll find that tooth doesn’t ache as much. And by the way. You can never overdose on marijuana, it’s physically impossible. But I’m sure you knew that.
I’m from the US, a university student, and smoke cannabis moderately.
“Drug trafficking cannabis, heroine still the same. All consider drugs. Drugs kills innocent people quickly (overdose) or slowly (torturing process)”
This statement is MASSIVELY uninformed. It is symbolic of most people’s misunderstanding of cannabis. Many prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs are more addictive and more dangerous (in high doses) than marijuana!
This ignorance from the government of Singapore is discouraging bright intellectuals such as myself from coming to Singapore to study and work, and essentially support the country’s industry and international affairs.
I don’t blame the people, because the government (the real culprit) has taught you to behave like sheep without seeking scientifically and socially proven information for yourselves. However, I encourage you to open your mind past the wives-tales of your parents and society.
Gotta say… Scary thing when the people believe in executions over cannabis..
It is laughable that so many folks in the comments above stand ready to assert the supposed dangers of marijuana without having even tried marijuna. If you have not tried it, how do you really know it is dangerous? Are you really so naive as to simply believe what the govt tells you? Seriously, marijuana is far less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol. Also, rather than narrowing the mind like alcohol, marijuana has the effect of opening up the mind to new perspectives. Maybe that is the reason why govts are so keen on labeling it as dangerous. Think for yourself for once, and you will soon realize that many of the things they fed you are simply lies.