It’s been on the borders of my consciousness up until now, but then a Singaporean named Martyn sent me an e-mail, urging action on Shanmugam Murugesu, a father of twin boys, who has been sentenced to death for attempting to smuggle approximately one kilogramme of cannabis into Singapore. Video of a recent forum debating the death penalty and a clemency appeal can be downloaded.

If you’d like to support the appeal, you can write to President SR Nathan.

Now, bugger it if I sound cruel, but this bloke (Murugesu) must be pretty fucking stupid or arrogant. The harsh penalty of death for drug traffickers in Singapore (or even Malaysia, for that matter), isn’t exactly new. People fucking joke about the skull and crossbones, the ‘Drug traffickers will be executed’ statements on the immigration forms. Yes, the laws are extremely tough. Having read the articles accompanying the e-mail, it is not in contention that he was bringing illegal drugs into Singapore.

Mr Shanmugam says he regrets his mistake and asks why he is not given the opportunity to rehabilitate. He is remorseful about his deed and asks the State not to kill him in cold-blood.

I don’t think he deserves to die, and I don’t think his children deserve to lose their father, but you abide by the rules of the country you live in. He knew very well the risks he ran by running drugs into Singapore, and he got caught. I don’t think he has any right to appeal for clemency now (what other people feel they need to do on his behalf, however, is their right).

Does Singapore needs to reform its policy on the death penalty? Hell yes. Is he the best person to be the poster boy for the ills of the system? No. He is guilty of the crime, there’s no frame-up, there’s no mistaken identity here. He doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on. True, he has young kids who will practically be orphans if he is executed, but he should’ve thought of that before he agreed to smuggle the drugs.