Richard Branson declines public debate with SG law minister

British billionaire Richard Branson (pictured) has declined Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) invitation sent to him earlier this month, to a debate on the nation’s approach towards drugs and the death penalty. Branson added that such a debate would “reduce nuanced discourse to soundbites” and turn it into a “spectacle”. Rather he urged the ministry to engage advocates, lawyers and journalists.

He added that a television debate, given its limited nature in time and scope, risks prioritising personalities over issues and “cannot do the complexity of the death penalty any service”.

“I can’t imagine that is what you are looking for. What Singapore really needs is a constructive, lasting dialogue involving multiple stakeholders, and a true commitment to transparency and evidence,” he said.

While he thanked Minister Shanmugam and the Ministry for Home Affairs for contacting him, and stated that he has “enormous respect for Singapore” for its achievements, he shared that  it is because of this respect that he feels compelled to speak out when “things go as horribly wrong as Singapore’s use of the death penalty”.

“I am not a lone voice raising this. There are many Singaporeans, including lawyers, human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and others, who have consistently expressed the same concerns,” he said.

The invitation to the debate first came around as MHA claimed that Branson made false assertions about alleged racial bias. It added that Branson also suggests untrue claims that Singapore had breached international commitments to protect people with disabilities by carrying out the capital punishment on Nagaenthran A/L K Dharmalingam.

In a release, MHA reiterated Singapore's stance on drugs adding that the capital sentence has had a clear deterrent effect on drug traffickers in Singapore. It has also helped prevent major drug syndicates from establishing themselves in the nation.

"Branson is entitled to his opinions. These opinions may be widely held in the UK, but we do not accept that Branson or others in the West are entitled to impose their values on other societies. 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,” said the statement.

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