Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said the sentence was lenient and he would have effectively doubled it had he heard the case in the first place. He did not because he did not have material before him, such as submissions and case precedents, to inform such a decision. CNA
This case of a mother trying to game the system to get her child into a good school should be an eye opener to wake up any potential criminal thinking of committing crimes in Singapore. Singapore is very high on upholding law and order. A crime is a crime. One week jail for such an offence is very lenient. Could be worse.
The one week jail sentence would now be seen as a benchmark for crimes in Singapore. Anyone committing a more serious crime than cheating and lying about address to gain an advantage would surely stand to be jailed more than one week. Cheating crimes of more than a few thousand dollars are definitely more serious than trying to get admission for a child in a primarily school. Would causing hurt to individuals by foreigners, rape or sexual assault be considered more serious than this? Would corruption of more than a few thousand dollars be more serious than this to require jail sentence? What about cheating and scams involving more than a few thousand dollars? What about cheating on academic qualifications and resumes to get a job? Is it more serious than this case?
Personally I think cheating with fake degrees and resumes for employment are much more serious than this case and should all be jailed. Many Singaporeans are victims to fake degrees. National interests are involved. But many things are subjective and depend on many factors like belief systems and values and where they are coming from. What is serious to A may not be serious to B. Only God is fair and just.
Everyone will now use this as a benchmark in reference to what is considered a serious crime that warrants a jail sentence. A jail sentence is the minimum for serious crimes in Singapore. The mother and child did not cause hurt or harm directly to anyone. The crime is to cheat the system not for money, but for a place in a good school, and this is very serious in Singapore. Get it? More serious than corruption cases involving hundreds of thousands or millions.
Getting a slap on the wrist for crimes more serious than this will now be a thing of the past. The Chief Justice has set the standard. This is Singapore's impeccable standard. Everyone better behave, Singaporeans or foreign talents. No exception. Respect the law, and don't get caught. Justice is blind, no care who you are, mother or child. Time to build more prisons.
No comments:
Post a Comment