cookie-cutter comments

I could hardly believe what I was reading. I got several links purloined off SingaporeAngle’s blog, here. It appears that Singapore’s hangman, recently ‘forced’ into retirement, is threatening to sue to Singapore government for wrongful dismissal. I.. I don’t know: I’ll allow you a few moments to let that sink in. Oh, and you can find the articles here and here.

Amid the debates and the storm of opinions from both countries, we have a situation where one man is making complaints about losing his job, which just so happens to be at the very heart of the controversy. Nguyen’s been hanged, now, but I’m hard-put to think my way through the absurdity: one man’s life hung (sic) on the balance, and the excutioner was having an argument about not being able to perform the execution. It’s worthy of a Monty Python skit, at the very least. [more..]

Section 12 of the Amnesty International report has a series of recommendations for the reform of the Police in Malaysia, starting right at the top with calls for the reform and/or repeal of restrictive laws that help maintain the oppressive regime perpetrated by the police.

Let’s suppose, for a while, that the general reasons for the continued oppression by the police is a function of a lack of transparency and the overt threat of force against citizens.

This overt threat of force is maintained by, among others, the ISA and the various emergency laws still in effect in Malaysia. There is also no oversight, and/or no avenues provided for legal representatives and/or NGOs, for repressive practices such as torture or ill-treatment. [more..]