Yushui Village in Lijiang, Yunnan, with snow mountain backdrop and cascading waterfalls.
11/05/2010
The Singapore Death Penalty Blog
I read an article posted in the Singapore Death Penalty Blog and I must said that I am not pleased. In fact I am terribly worried. The discussion was centred on the killing of Darren Ng in Downtown East. And the Blog took to questioning the cries to hang the assailants of Darren Ng. It gives the impression that if there are good reasons to the killing, like there is no intention to kill but to harm, or that it is not just a staring incident, then perhaps it is wrong to hang the killers.
Below are some of the reasons raised and I quoted from the Blog.
'There are many questions left unanswered from the incident:
* Was Darren Ng murdered or mobbed (with weapons), which resulted in his death? (The implications are important as they decide the charge and sentence of the accused persons)
* Was it really a simple random staring incident resulting in a cold blooded murder?
* Did Darren try to stand up for his friend, which resulted in a confrontation and the mob attack?
* How many of the dozen or so assailants were carrying weapons?
* Was there a real intention to murder Darren, or were the knives use with the intent to cause serous injuries?
* How many other suspects are still at large?
* If 10 men mobbed and caused the death of one person, should all 10 be charged for murder, a crime which carries mandatory death sentence?
* Out of the 4 arrested and charged for murder, who attacked Darren, how many were doing so because their peers were doing it?'
Do all these reasons or questions make any difference to the vicious killing of Darren in a public place? To me it does not. A young man was killed. It was not a case of simply two persons fighting or self defence. It was a mob attack. Or a mob attack deserves lesser punishment? Oh, perhaps they just want to give Darren a few cuts without any intent of killing him. The knives were just another tool and not meant to be for killing. Oh, there are other reasons...So? And 10 people killed one man. Maybe no need to hang 10 people, only one for one?
The questioning and doubts cast sound pretty sick.
What do you expect a blog that tries to abolish the death penalty do? Why, find excuses on why those perps should not hang of course!
ReplyDeleteI have my reservations on the death penalty for drug cases where guilt is not conclusively established. In crimes of violence, my stand is definitely pro capital punishment. While we are not the victims, the perps are not only hacking away at the man, they are also in a way, chopping away at our social fabric and destroying our belief in the safety with law and order in this island state.
Going after someone with intention to grieviously hurt at first and then kill, whether alone or in a group is premeditated murder pure and simple. The intention to hurt is exacerbated by the intensity of the injuries sustained by the victim. There was no restraint whatsoever. They just hacked and chopped.
The only thing that I may agree with this blog is that this is not just a starring incident. It was a vendetta bloodbath in Mafia and Hong Kong triad style.
The Country, as a whole with the Government and the People need, to sincerely and seriously look into how we have run our live and our society.
ReplyDeleteMaterialism, individualism, loud and haughty flaunts have replaced the Oriental Culture of shame, propriety, filial piety, integrity, respectability and other social values.
Leaders boast unashamely of their talents and achievements, plebeians flaunt their vanity and material wealth and students bath in glory of good results. Vaunt, flaunt and taunt are typical of the orders of the days. Why and how have we lost our humility, integrity and propriety???
The Leaders and the Elders have some duties to fulfill and hopefully it's not to late to start all over again.
patriot
Agree.
ReplyDeleteAt the rate humans are changing and at the rate they are discarding all moral values and adopting all the decadent lifestyle values, there is only one ending and it will not be good.
I won't be around to see that anyway, so not for me to worry about.
It is good that S'poreans, together with a handful of bleeding-heart westerners, are taking the judiciary, the law and capital punishment to task.
ReplyDeleteA healthy cuntry (of which S'pore is lagging, but there is hope!) is where diverse views are tolerated and there is a sort of "national dialogue" going on.
I am pro-death penalty but in a strictly limited context: only for MURDER which can be proved beyond any doubt. To me that is the only moral use of absolute and ultimate government power.
To me both sides of the debate - pro and anti - are in error in their reasons for supporting whichever side they take.
Both sides never ask the BASIC question: "How much power do you want to give your govt who then has the right to wield that power LEGALLY?"
We've given the "immoral' powers to the govt for them to use for "moral" purposes, perfectly legally:
(Chart: IMMORAL POWER=====>MORAL AUTHORITY)
1 THEFT ====> TAX
2 THREATS & EXTORTION/ ARMED ROBBERY ===> FINES
3 KIDNAPPING/ SLAVERY/ INDENTURED LABOUR ====> CONSCRIPTION
4 MURDER OF FOREIGNERS ===> THE MILITARY
5 HOMICIDE ===> THE POLICE
6 CONTRACTUAL BREACH ===> Take your pick
7 THOUGHT CONTROL ===> CENSORSHIP
Now, do we really want to hand over MORE POWER to the govt -- the right to MURDER within the territory?1?
I say, "yes" but the context must be strictly limited, and the power to take away someone's life -- perfectly legally be tightly constrained in law which is ABOVE the authority of the government...i.e. the constitution.
I absolutely do not support the death sentence for drug offenses. I also don't support the prohibition of drugs by the state.
Drugs can be prohibited and controlled through private contract. e.g. "If you: choose to attend this school/ work in this firm/ be a part of this family/ be my friend, then you will respect my no-drug policy." In the case of school/ work/ family: "You will be drug tested and there will be consequences for you to bear if you fail any drug test".
If individual citizens took responsibility to control each other's drug habits by voluntary contracts, we wouldn't need any govt intervention, and no one need be murdered. Sure, some people will still die form drugs, but that is their problem, because it is their choice.
I am against violent crime and sympathise with the victim's family .
ReplyDeleteMurderer should be punish but I cannot agree with many of you calling for capital punishment at this time.