KUALA LUMPUR – On the eve of his execution, some 20 people, including human rights advocates, held a candlelight vigil as a final means to protest against Malaysian-citizen Kalwant Singh’s death sentence in Singapore.
Standing in front of the Singapore High Commission tonight, the attendees chanted “save, save Kalwant” and “Singapore, stop the killing” while carrying placards that read messages like “#Putrajaya save Kalwant” and “we can live without the death penalty.”
Even after Kalwant’s appeal for a stay of execution was denied earlier today, all who attended remained steadfast in calling for the island republic’s government to grant clemency to Kalwant.
Among those perturbed by the turn of events was Angelia Pranthaman, a close family friend, who lamented that the 32-year-old was heading to the gallows despite being a victim of circumstances.
Angelia explained that Kalwant had grown up rough, since his mother died when he was 12, and had made many decisions under duress that had led him to a series of events and his eventual arrest in 2013.
He was only 23-years-old at the time.
“We are so depressed. It is as if he is in the darkness and there is no help,” she said.
“He was arrested when he was young, and this sort of problem keeps happening…they should give him appropriate punishment…chance should be given (to Kalwant),” said Angelia as she wept, unable to contain her emotions.
“Behind four walls, Kalwant has no voice, but we stand with him, until the very end.”
The feeling of hopelessness is all too familiar with Angelia, whose brother Pannir Selvam Pranthaman is also on death row in Singapore.
Both Kalwant and Selvam are incarcerated in Singapore’s Changi prison.
Angelia went on to recall the challenges faced by Kalwant’s family, who hail from Cameron Highlands, in visiting him all the way in Singapore, but they made the effort to do so each time they could.
Kalwant’s father died last year, making it more difficult for his only sister, Sonia, to see him in the past few years due to health complications and financial constraints.
“But his family did the best they could for him,” said Angelia.
Among those who attended the vigil tonight were representatives from Suara Rakyat Malaysia, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, Lawyers for Liberty and Amnesty International.
Speaking at the vigil was also Amnesty International’s research consultant Brian Yap who said that the death penalty is not an effective solution to curb drug-related crimes.
Yap explained that the severe punishment was so far used against individuals who are abused by the drug trade rather than those who are actually responsible.
“These executions are not tenable. They do not solve the problem and the people who ended up dead are those who are desperate and victimised and abused.
“We are trying our best to halt the execution tomorrow, but if that is unlikely to happen we will still be here every time the Singapore government chooses to execute someone,” he said.
Previously, on June 30, it was reported that the Singapore government had issued the execution notice for Kalwant, with the execution set to be carried out tomorrow.
He was arrested in the island state in 2013 for possessing 60.15g of diamorphine and trafficking 120.9g of the substance, before being convicted three years later.
He has been on death row since then.
His co-accused, who was charged with possessing the same 120.9g of the drug for the purposes of trafficking, was granted a certificate of substantive assistance by police and sentenced to life imprisonment as well as 15 strokes of the cane.
Singapore’s trial court and Court of Appeal had previously found both men to be acting as couriers. – The Vibes, July 6, 2022
