Nagaenthran’s execution, a mum’s anguish and a lesson on drugs

 

In the highly emotion-charged environment that was seen a few months before the execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam and days after that, many appear to have forgotten that the crux of the protest was against the death sentence imposed on a man said to be of “low IQ.”

His conviction for carrying 47.2gm of pure heroin across the Causeway seemed to have been completely ignored by most. It was way above the 15gm minimum weight that carries the mandatory death sentence in the republic.

The street value of the drug is nothing to shout about as it is very much lower compared to the millions that are stolen through corruption. But this is the current law in Singapore and also Malaysia, so execution is mandatory.

The messages highlighting the dangers of drug trafficking are loud and clear on huge billboards or announcements before flights land. One does not need a moderate or high IQ to understand the message.

While the public protests against the hanging stole much attention, I believe there was much less publicity on his mother expressing her sorrow and pleading for her son’s life, followed by how she grieved at his funeral.

It was commendable that many NGOs in Singapore and Malaysia stood up to protest against the death sentence of a man who might be mentally unstable. However, the Singapore court would not buy any of that.

The case of Nagaenthran may be the end of a legal chapter but I believe the fight to abolish the death sentence will surely continue.

Some believe that it would not have grabbed global headlines if another sentence was imposed and not the death penalty. This is because there is a big move towards abolishing the death sentence in many parts of the world.

In the emotional scenes and debates over the Nagaenthran issue, many have subtly ignored the mental torture and anguish his family members were subjected to because of his indiscretion. Whatsapp messages were mainly focussed on the torture he went through.

However, the pain and emotional torture endured by his mother, family members and close friends would have been much more painful.

The pain would be similar for all mothers of prisoners on death row. The same fate awaits Datchinamurthy Kataiah, another Malaysian waiting to be executed in Singapore for drug trafficking.

According to affidavits prepared by Singapore-based human rights lawyer M Ravi, there are nine more Malaysians waiting to be executed in the republic including Datchinamurthy.

Since 2010, a total of 14 Malaysians have been on death row for drug offences there, 11 of whom are Indians. The others are two Malays and one Chinese.

At the same time, we are seeing thousands of drug addicts in our country’s rehabilitation centres with the government spending RM500 million annually on their upkeep. It costs RM45 per person per day.

We also have about 160,000 hardcore drug addicts in Malaysia most of whom are not detained and being cared for by parents and relatives in the hope of changing them.

I personally know the parents of a few who tell heart-wrenching stories that they go through at home daily. It’s a real challenge every day for them to manage anger and love at the same time.

These family members, too, bear a really heavy burden.

So who do you blame here? The traffickers, addicts, parents or the courts? Of course some will be quick to blame government policies that have marginalised some segments of the society, driving them to such a dangerous crime.

Or do we blame the Malaysian enforcement authorities for allowing drugs to slip through in such huge amounts? You just have to google “Malaysia drug haul” and you will be shocked at the huge amount of drugs that have found their way into the country.

It’s best we move away from the debate of whether Nagaenthran should have been executed and instead use it to teach our kids to stay away from drugs altogether.

Let the anti-death penalty fighters take up the cause while we teach our children to spare the family members the tears, anguish and emotional torture that they could cause them if they diced with danger.

If the Nagaenthran execution is used to fight the death sentence, I don’t think it will be a victory for him if it gets abolished.

Like it or not, his face will remain in legal history as someone who was executed for drug trafficking and not a hero whose case led to the abolition of the death sentence.

Let’s accept the fact that Nagaenthren did make his family suffer.

And let’s always remember that it could be one of our family members ending up as a hardcore drug addict.

When there is demand, the traffickers and their kingpins who make millions in this illicit trade will surely capitalise on it. How they do it easily in the country is another matter.

It’s best that the authorities put in more effort and spend more money to kill off the trade instead of spending taxpayers’ money on rehabilitation. Otherwise, we will see more Nagaenthrans in future. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.