PANNIR Selvam Pranthaman, a 37-year-old Malaysian is set to be hanged at the Changi Prison in Singapore tomorrow (Feb 20).
The question is what has Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim done to save the life of this Malaysian? He has not said anything at all (I believe) and what efforts have his Madani government take in this matter?
The closest assistance this far would be that of four government MPs pleading to PMX to intervene in the upcoming execution of Pannir.
Their spokesman and Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh expressed hope that Pannir would instead be allowed to return to Malaysia to serve his prison sentence while providing information to assist investigations related to his case.
PMX may claims that he has good relations with leaders of other nations but if and when Pannir ends up being judiciously executed by neighbouring Singapore which is a fellow ASEAN member country, we will know that PMX is far from being the respected or influential leader he claims to be.
Did PMX personally appeal to his Singaporean counterpart or even the Singaporean president not to KILL this Malaysian? Did Singapore not listen? Should Malaysians now BOYCOTT Singapore for their audacity of killing Malaysians?
It would have been good if PMX or his Madani government come out in the open to say that we have done our best yet our best is not good enough.
Yes, the crime of drug trafficking is serious but was there any evidence to show that Pannir was really a drug trafficker or a kingpin or a member of an organised criminal group?
Did they not just rely on the legal presumption that if certain amount of drugs are found in your possession, that means you are a drug trafficker?
Well, if you committed a CRIME, you need to be PUNISHED but surely not ended up getting yourself killed in the process.
A Filipino facing execution in Indonesia is alive today because the Philippines managed to save her life by way of a prisoner transfer.
What about Malaysia and PMX? Are you incapable to do the same to save Pannir’s life? – Feb 19, 2025
Human rights activist and lawyer Charles Hector is also the co-founder of NGO Malaysians Against Death Penalty & Torture (MADPET).
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
