COMMENT | Appeal to Singapore govt: Abandon 'barbarism'

Next Wednesday (Nov 10), Nagaenthran Dharmalingam is scheduled to be executed by the Singapore government on charges of drug trafficking.

The 33-year-old has been documented to have an IQ of 69. Having an IQ of below 70 is considered an intellectual impairment, technically making Nagaenthran a differently-abled person.

I learned the following details from Nagen's family members:

In 2009, 21-year-old Nagen was working in Johor Bahru. He did not come from a rich family, so when his father was going to have a heart operation, he approached a man (let’s call him K) for a RM500 loan.

K agreed to give the loan if Nagen would carry something into Singapore. When Nagen protested, K physically assaulted Nagen and threatened to kill Nagen’s girlfriend.

Nagen entered Singapore with 42g (less than three tablespoons) of diamorphine strapped to his thigh.

The drugs were discovered by the Singaporean authorities, and Nagen was allegedly strip-searched and abused. Nagen was arrested, charged, and eventually sentenced to death under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

In 2012, the Singapore government laudably amended this act to move away from mandatory death sentences and allow life sentences in established cases of drug mules.

Life sentences would also be allowed for people who suffered from "an abnormality of mind" which substantially impaired their mental responsibility for the act committed.

Nagen’s lawyers applied for this provision to be used, and several psychiatrists testified Nagen was indeed mentally impaired. His IQ of 69 was established, and he was also diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The lawyers’ application was rejected.

Giving us a sense of Nagen’s state of mind, prominent Malaysian human rights lawyer N Surendran, who is also working on this case, was quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald as saying:

“He doesn’t really get what is happening. He has some vague idea that something is going to happen to him on the 10th of November but he thinks he is going to go to a beautiful garden and be happy there. It’s beyond words.”

It’s heartbreaking. But the heartbreak does not stop there.

The Singapore government sent a letter to Nagen’s family on Oct 26, which began: “Please be informed that the death sentence passed on your son Nagaenthran A/L K Dharmalingam, will be carried out on 10 November 2021.”

Just imagine, as millions of others celebrate Deepavali, Nagen’s family is being given a date for a funeral. If he is executed, every Deepavali will thereafter remind the family of this tragedy.

Nagen’s sister said they even didn’t dare tell their mother the news, because she was also in frail health, and feared what would happen.

I don’t think most of us can possibly imagine the kind of pain and suffering Nagen’s family is going through.

There is a small handful who might be able to, though.

Sangkari Pranthaman may be one such person.

Sangkari’s brother, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was also similarly sentenced to death for the same reason in 2017.

Pannir’s story is equally heartbreaking. There’s a trove of stories available about this remarkable young man on his campaign website and a collection of songs written by Pannir himself.

Indeed, you can even read his very own words, published four times on Malaysiakini.

On the Nagen case, Pannir’s sister Sangkari wrote:

“Drug mules are not from wealthy families; they are from poor and vulnerable ones. Singapore, where is your heart? Where is your conscience?

“I wonder if Singapore has caught someone like Pablo Escobar or Dario Antonio Usuga David before? You know, the individuals at the top of drug cartels.

“These two men were caught by Columbian authorities. Singapore could not do this, yet punish those who were innocent and were manipulated into becoming drug mules.

“I urge the public to come forward and say “No” to this injustice and to prevent the unlawful execution of Nagaenthran under international human rights conventions. Let’s come together and end crime, not lives.”

There is very little I can possibly add, except to re-emphasise the point about Dario Antonio’s arrest - where the authorities went for the head of the snake, rather than bullying drug mules who are less than pawns in this massive game.

We hear of drug mules being sentenced to death almost every year, but I cannot recall even a single arrest of a major drug lord in our region.

This makes these executions seem like nothing more than an increasingly brutal way to give the impression that ‘something is being done’, while rich governments take no action against the true perpetrators of drug trafficking - rich drug lords.

Ordinary Malaysians and ordinary Singaporeans are both more than happy to do their part in the war against drugs. But we will never condone the killing of individuals who are victims of this war as any drug addict.

And we do need to come together on this. Brave Singaporean activists have shown more compassion and concern for these victims than their own countrymen, and their kindness and concern will be remembered forever.

It is our duty to resist the ridiculous shenanigans of our politicians who would rather have us fighting about what to name some whiskey, than unite to save the life of one of our own.

Sangkari said it best: Let’s come together and end crime, not lives.

NATHANIEL TAN is a strategic communications consultant who works with Projek #BangsaMalaysia. Twitter: @NatAsasi, Clubhouse: @Nathaniel_Tan, Email: nat@engage.my. #BangsaMalaysia #NextGenDemocracy.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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