http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
common/story_page/0,5744,17060728%255E601,00.html
That’s an article on the hang man at changi prison. He happens to be a former classmates father. At present there is a guy, an Australian man who is on death row for drug smuggling. His age, his prior history his entire record to me is irrelevant, under the law he has arrested, charged and convicted under Singapore law, and he will be hung. My stand on hanging is (as i have stated in earlier blogs), its wrong, its legalized murder. It’s just wrong. The pro capital punishment people have their own reasons for supporting it but I am afraid I don’t agree with them I don’t begrudge them their support but I don’t agree.
The hangman has hung 850people in the last 46 years, read the article and pay close attention to the chivas regal remark.
At the moment the Australian government is attempting to obtain a stay of execution, it doesn’t look good. President Nathan has rejected a plea for clemency and it looks like this guy will hang within a couple of weeks.
I look at it this way our government has no choice but to carry out the sentence, it would be grossly unfair to the 850 Singaporeans who were hung before and those that will be hung soon that this criminal escapes the gallows just because he is an Australian. Politics would not allow such a compromise, in the region we would be looked upon as weak for bending to pressure from “white Australia”.
But maybe just maybe we should make just such an effort; maybe we should lock this boy up and damn the consequences, to hell with the past, to hell with politics. Maybe the Government should use this as an opportunity to effect change to the system and banish the death penalty from our shores forever… alas this is wishful thinking on my part as I assume that most of the people in government are pro capital punishment.
Would locking people up be as good a deterrent as hanging? I don’t know, Singapore together with “the nation that leads the free world” the USA are two nations that practice capital punishment (there are a lot more). How is it that the very “enlightened” “freedom loving” Americans (albeit not all states) allow this I am not sure, but they do. In this very strange group is also China, Burma and Malaysia to name a few, most of ‘enlightened” Europe have done away with what they term the “barbarian’s punishment”.
IF when you read this post and find I am in two minds its because I am, I am torn by this issue as with no other. The law is the law, it must apply to all who fall within our nations sovereignty, bar none. The law must treat each and every individual the same, come what may. However I abhor the death penalty, I find it both repugnant and pointless.
At the moment it’s a 90-10 split with me leaning towards the hope that they give the guy clemency and lock him up instead, and that number is going up daily. To hell with the law, life surely must win out over any law. Even if its just one life.refer to http://doomedtroll.blogspot.com/
2005_07_01_doomedtroll_archive.html
Post heading Every Second Friday Someone is Killed
2 comments:
i made through this one over my fish beehoon! I am for hanging! Do the deed pay for the crime!
In my point, hanging for smuggling drugs or for kidnap would be too harsh a punishment, however, it was to be for murder, I must say that'll only be fair that he Hang for that. I've always believed that if you commit murder, you should be hung and the only one that's allowed to LIFT that would be the immediate family of the Victim and not the judge.....it may sound silly but, what can i say..tht's just me.
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