Richard Branson won’t argues the death penalty in Singapore on TV

• Richard Branson turned down Singapore’s request to participate in a televised debate about the death penalty.
• The Singaporean government invited Branson to speak with the country’s home affairs minister.
• Branson has been an opponent of the death sentence since the execution of a man for narcotics trafficking.

Richard Branson, a British businessman, turned down the Singaporean government’s request to participate in a live televised debate about the death sentence.

The execution of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 33, for narcotics trafficking in Singapore in April of this year drew criticism from Branson, a longtime opponent of the death penalty.

In a blog post at the time, Branson called the news “heart-breaking,” and spoke out against Singapore’s “relentless machinery of death.”

Branson doubled down on his criticism in another post on October 10. “The truth is that Singapore’s government seems bent on executing scores of low-level drug-traffickers, mostly members of poor, disadvantaged minorities, whilst failing to provide clear evidence that it has any tangible impact on drug use, crime, or public safety,” he wrote.

In response to this criticism, the Singaporean government stated that it had invited Branson to the country to speak with K. Shanmugam, the minister of home affairs, about Singapore’s stance on narcotics and the death penalty.

“Mr. Branson may use this platform to demonstrate to Singaporeans the error of our ways and why Singapore should do away with laws that have kept our population safe from the global scourge of drug abuse,” the government said in a statement published on October 22.

“We do not accept that Mr. Branson or others in the West are entitled to impose their values on other societies,” the statement continued. “Nor do we believe that a country that prosecuted two wars in China in the 19th century to force the Chinese to accept opium imports has any moral right to lecture Asians on drugs.

Branson declined the Sunday debate offer.

In an open letter posted on his blog, Branson said television debates are “always at risk of prioritizing personalities over issues” and “cannot do the complexity of the death penalty any service.”

“It reduces nuanced discourse to soundbites, turns serious debate into spectacle,” he added.

The “local voices” would be of greater significance than his own, he added. The TV discussion invitation was condemned by local activists as being more of a publicity gimmick than a sincere attempt to discuss the subject.

“What Singapore really needs is a constructive, lasting dialogue involving multiple stakeholders, and a true commitment to transparency and evidence,” Branson continued.

He rejected the claim that he was imposing Western values on Singapore, saying the issue is about “universal human rights.”

The death sentence “is not consistent with the right to life and the right to be free from torture or cruel, barbaric, or degrading treatment or punishment,” according to the United Nations.

Branson is not the only individual who oppose the death penalty for Nagaenthran.

2009 saw the arrest of the Malaysian guy for bringing 42 grammes of heroin into Singapore. Despite international calls for mercy, he was hanged in April of this year after spending two years on death row.

Nagaenthran’s case received a lot of negative attention because a medical expert determined that he had an IQ of 69, which is considered to be intellectually disabled. A wave of protests was started when a Singaporean court ruled that he was not disabled and approved his execution.

The government maintains that “the capital sentence has had a clear deterrent effect on drug traffickers in Singapore.”

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