Singapore’s robust defence of its drug laws that prescribe punishments deemed harsh in other jurisdictions is in focus once again as the republic prepares to hang a man convicted of abetting an attempt to smuggle cannabis. The 46-year-old Tangaraju Suppiah, a Malaysian of Indian descent, was sentenced to death in 2018 after being found guilty of owning a cell phone used to coordinate an attempt to smuggle cannabis into the country.

He has exhausted the appeals process, and is now ready for the gallows, say authorities. The decision has sparked criticism by human rights activists within the country and overseas. They claim that persons accused of drug-related offences are denied due process and struggle to obtain adequate counsel, a charge that Singapore’s government denies, while maintaining that the severe laws are widely supported by the citizenry and have served as an effective deterrent. It cannot be denied that Singapore, which ordinarily would have been a target of drug syndicates because of its affluence, has largely managed to control the use and sale of narcotics. It is also not in question that being a port city, it offered routes for the trade to flourish.

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Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act classifies drugs, and prescribes the threshold limits of possession for each class of drug that would constitute an offence of trafficking. Trafficking attracts severe punishment, ranging from 15 strokes of the cane to the death punishment, and physical possession is not mandatory to establish the charge. While these laws may be deemed harsh, they have been on the statute book for five decades.

Singapore argues that there is high awareness of its severe laws, especially in countries where drug syndicates operate and that it is also well known the probability of being caught is high because of strict enforcement. It is argued that because of these reasons syndicates are loath to target the island republic with large shipments of drugs.

These facts are known to Singapore’s citizens and the strict anti-drugs policy has repeatedly been endorsed by them, the government argues. Singapore, despite being a tiny nation, has always been vigorous about defending its laws. Nearly three decades ago, an American teenager was caned for vandalism, despite an international outcry and an appeal for clemency by President Bill Clinton.

Despite being a staunch American ally, the republic refused to budge, arguing that laws had to be applied uniformly in order to be effective. The protests at the punishments handed out to drug offenders have drawn the attention of people around the world including British entrepreneur Richard Branson, who in a blog last year criticized the government for hanging a drug offender he described as intellectually challenged, and said this breached international commitments. In a robust defence of its actions, the government invited Mr Branson for an all-expenses-paid trip to Singapore to participate in a televised debate with the country’s Home Minister. The entrepreneur backed off.