Singapore stands firm on death penalty as deterrent against drug menace

Singapore will not alter its capital punishment laws, maintaining that the death penalty is a crucial deterrent against drug offences, its Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said.

Speaking at a media roundtable during the 17th Malaysian Journalists' visit programme organised by Singapore's Digital Development and Information Ministry, Balakrishnan said the punishment remains in place with strong public support despite international pressure and human rights concerns.

"There is no change to the law," he said, stressing that drug trafficking presents a clear and present threat.

"The statute remains until our people choose otherwise. Even though I dread reading the cabinet paper, as a life is at stake, we must protect our people and keep our streets safe," he added.

Balakrishnan framed the death penalty as part of Singapore's broader security and social stability framework, aimed at safeguarding lives and upholding the rule of law in the densely interconnected region.

He said that Singapore must defend its approach as long as the majority of citizens view harsh penalties for drug trafficking as necessary for public safety.

The death penalty remains a sensitive issue, particularly when Malaysian nationals are executed.

This year, 2 Malaysians, K. Datchinamurthy, 39, and P. Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, 38, were hanged in Singapore for drug trafficking offences.

Amnesty International criticised Singapore's use of the death penalty for drug-related offences, saying it violates international human rights standards and has called for a halt to executions.

The Malaysian Bar has also sharpened its criticism of Singapore's mandatory death penalty, calling it a blunt instrument that unfairly ensnares expendable, low-level couriers while denying judges the discretion to weigh mitigation.

The Bar called it a non-discriminating sentencing regime that is not tough, but a form of tragic injustice that punishes the small and spares the powerful.

The organisation also urged Malaysia to leverage its role as the Asean chair to press for a regional pivot toward judicial discretion, abolition advocacy, and a fairer drug war that does not end on the scaffold.

Source: nst.com.my, Staff, November 29, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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