Tan Kin Lian says ‘we should have the mercy’ for some offenders on death row tricked into conveying drugs

SINGAPORE: At the National University of Singapore Society Kent Ridge Guild House event last Saturday (Aug 26), Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian weighed in on offenders who have been given the death penalty.

Under the Constitution, the President may grant clemency upon the Cabinet’s advice to offenders who have received the death sentence, although this has rarely been granted. Mr Tan said, “The law is quite clear. The President must follow the decision of the Cabinet,” but added that he would also provide his “private advice.”

He added, “If the Cabinet decides against me, which they have the power to do, it will be not so respectful. I will ask the Cabinet to respect the President.”

Many of those sentenced to judicial execution come from very poor families, pointed out Mr Tan. These drug mules are “often not aware” but were “just tricked into conveying the drugs. We should have the mercy,” he said.

The candidate, however, acknowledged the concern that pardoning one offender might bring in an influx of traffickers, in which case, “then we (would) have to be more strict.”

“If I forgive one, l will not automatically forgive the others. If there is a big flood (of traffickers), you will see that I’m not so forgiving,” he added.

Mr Tan live-streamed the video of his speech and the question and answer portion that followed on his Facebook page, which can be viewed in full here.

In recent weeks, three people scheduled for judicial execution were given the death penalty, including the first woman to be executed in Singapore in almost twenty years since the last time a woman received the death penalty was in 2004.

Saridewi Djamani received a death sentence in 2018 for having trafficked about 30g of diamorphine. /TISG

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