Singapore reads Branson the drug history

The Singaporean Ministry of Home Affairs has responded to British billionaire Richard Branson's blog against a Singaporean court imposing the death sentence on Nagaenthran A/L K Dharmalingam for trafficking drugs, and his execution on April 26. Branson had blogged on Oct 10, which is marked as the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

Responding to his blog on Saturday, the Singaporean ministry denied that the man had mental problems or that there was any racial discrimination. The ministry's statement was most hard-hitting when it said it didn't believe that a country that waged two wars on China "in the 19th century to force the Chinese to accept opium imports has any moral right to lecture Asians on drugs".

The two wars referred to the First Opium War (1840-42) and the Second Opium War (1856-60). There might be a debate on whether the wars were launched to promote the opium trade, but it cannot be denied that the opium trade from the then British India to China flourished after the wars. The opium wars are symbolic of the humiliation China underwent, being invaded and forced to open its door to drugs. However, China was not the only victim. The opium sold by British drug dealers, protected by cannons, was grown in the fields of Indian farmers.

Opium trade was a common tool the colonialists adopted in their expansions in the 1700s and 1800s. That's why Singapore, just as China, strictly prohibits drug trafficking by imposing penalties as high as death.

Drugs have once again emerged as a new challenge for many countries. From 2019 to 2021, Chinese police forces nationwide cracked 1,010 drug cases, found 64,700 persons who were involved and confiscated 7.87 tons of drugs.

It should be noted that drug abuse is bad not just for the addict, but many more because of the other crimes that are linked to it. China's safe social condition has a lot to do with strict drug control. It is time those in the West stopped showing mercy to drug dealers.