Malaysian Death Row Inmate In Singapore Pens A Song To Give Hope To Other Inmates

His song ‘Di Sebalik Pintu Besi’ is still in need of a sponsor.

Malaysian death row inmate Pannir Selvam Pranthaman may have penned his last song from Singapore’s Changi prison.

Pannir turned a lyricist behind bars when he was convicted for drug trafficking in May 2017. His 1st song titled ‘Arah Tuju’ was brought to life by Malaysian artist Santesh Kumar and produced by NGO Sebaran Kasih. It was released in April 2021.

His 2nd and current song titled ‘Di Sebalik Pintu Besi’ aims to give hope to other death row inmates. The song provides these inmates hope that there was light at the end of the dark, painful and lonely tunnel of solitary confinement.

Pannir’s sister Angelia Pranthaman, 27, has not seen him in 2 years due to travel restrictions in the past years. She’s currently handling the song’s release on his behalf and is still looking for sponsors for the production of ‘Di Sebalik Pintu Besi.’

Despite not having sponsors yet, they have set the song to hit Malaysian airwaves at the end of March. The song will feature DJ Dave, Kidd Santhe and Pastor Prince Jon.

“What’s unique about the song is that it will feature DJ Dave, Kidd Santhe and Pastor Prince Jon to bridge the intergenerational struggles of pain and loneliness on death row with room for hope.” — Angelia Pranthaman said at a press conference by Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan).

The song was also written in hopes that it would lend to the campaign to abolish solitary confinement and the death penalty in Singapore and Malaysia.

Malay Mail reported in 2019 that Pannir was convicted of trafficking 51.84g of heroin at Woodlands Checkpoint in September 2014. He was not certified as a drug courier but was sentenced to death in Singapore in May 2017. His family has submitted various clemency petitions since then.

According to Malaysiakini, Angelia said the clemency appeal to Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob was the most daunting stage because it was the final avenue to plead for one’s life. If rejected, Pannir’s looming execution would be definite.

She hopes Pannir will be given a second lease of life so he could continue writing songs to create awareness of the dangers of drugs and trafficking.

“He hoped to carry out more projects and write more songs from the prison’s general population.”— Angelia Pranthaman

Malaysiakini reported that there are a few Malaysians facing the death penalty in Singapore, namely, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam and Pausi Jefredin.

Adpan executive director Dobby Chew said psychiatrists had diagnosed Nagaenthran and Pausi to either suffer from an intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning.

Source: therakyatpost.com, Staff, February 26, 2022

Activists Worry Singapore Will Renew Executions to Clear Backlog

After not carrying out any executions for the past 2 years, courts in Singapore are set to consider arguments by four men who have spent more than a decade on death row as families and activists voice fears that there is now a backlog, believed to consist of more than 50 men awaiting execution, the majority of whom have been convicted of drug offenses, that the authorities are attempting to clear, reports The Guardian.

Despite a number of pending court applications that forced the authorities to pause proceedings, sentences of the death penalty have continued to be handed down, even during the height of the pandemic when hearings were held over Zoom.

In 2012, a legal change granted Singaporean judges narrow discretion to sentence convicts to life imprisonment and possible caning if certain criteria are met.

Individuals must prove they were acting only as a courier, and must obtain a certificate of substantive assistance, confirming that they had provided information that significantly helped disrupt drug trafficking activities, or prove they have a mental or intellectual disability that substantially impaired their mental responsibility.

Inmates who appear to meet such criteria struggle to have this accepted by courts that enforce some of the world’s toughest drug laws, which Singapore’s government claims are the most effective deterrent against crime.

Source: thecrimereport.org, Staff, February 25, 2022

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