KUALA LUMPUR – The mood of Malaysian netizens today is one of gloom and despondency as they mourn the execution of fellow citizen Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam in Singapore.
The hanging at around 6am in the republic’s Changi Prison was performed despite global condemnation and last-minute appeals from family and lawyers.
Leading the chorus of condemnations against the execution are political leaders and rights activists.
In a Twitter post in the wee hours of today, just moments before Nagaenthran was hanged, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim questioned if the action taken by the Singapore authorities was one that struck a note of justice.
“Is capital punishment fair for an intellectually impaired person? Does it solve the bigger problem? Is this justice?”
He also tagged several leaders in his posting, including Singapore President Halimah Yacob, its prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Japan’s Shinzo Abe.
Nagaenthran, who was arrested in 2009 for trafficking 42.72g of heroin into the city-state, was certified during his trial to have an IQ of 69.
However, the trial judge ruled that Nagaenthran was on the borderline of having a functional intellect and the court concluded that he was aware he was committing a crime.
A last-ditch clemency application by the Malaysian citizen to overturn his 2010 conviction was dismissed by Singapore’s Court of Appeal yesterday evening.
Last night, about 90 people from civil society groups gathered outside the Singapore High Commission here to hold a sombre candlelight vigil for Nagaenthran.
Amnesty International Malaysia posted on Twitter saying it is “unspeakably heartbroken” at what it describes as an “incredible cruelty” committed by the republic.
“May he rest in peace. May the fight against the death penalty continue in his memory. Life is precious.”
Muda vice-president and lawyer-activist Lim Wei Jiet tweeted that he was baffled at Singapore’s unwillingness to grant clemency to Nagaenthran, considering his intellectual disability.
“Don’t want to set a precedent it (Singapore) is soft on drugs? But Nagaenthran’s case is highly unique; IQ of 69 and mentally challenged.
“How many drug mules are like this? Singapore can easily explain this is a special case.”
In a reply to his tweet, human rights advocate and former Malaysian Bar president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said she agreed with Lim’s assessment, adding that she does not understand the inhumanity committed by Malaysia’s southern neighbour.
PKR vice-president Chang Lih Kang similarly condemned Singapore for having no hesitation in killing a person with an intellectual disability, adding that “our world is so sick”.
Party colleague and Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said Nagaenthran’s execution should renew the debate on the mandatory death penalty.
“During Pakatan Harapan’s time, we tried to reform and make our laws more humane. But we were unsuccessful.”
DAP’s Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto posted: “The death penalty has and will never be a deterrent. May his family find strength and courage to go through this ordeal. Rest in peace, you don’t have to suffer anymore.” – The Vibes, April 27, 2022
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