COMMENT It is déjà vu all over again in Singapore. Anyone with fresh recollections of the diplomatic kerfuffle that erupted following the caning of US teenager Michael Fay in 1994 can attest that it would not be “easy” as it seems when that kind of punishment is meted out to Westerners.
Fay was convicted of vandalism and flogged four times. His punishment at Singapore’s Queenstown prison bruised not only him but also the sensibilities of the US media and their erstwhile hip-shooting, crusading politicians out not perhaps to salve the nation’s conscience but to gain some grandstanding points.
And what many blamed as misplaced, emotional knee-jerk reactions, the then US Trade Representative even sought revenge by urging the global community to move the inaugural World Trade Organisation meeting away from Singapore.
But that was then. Things have moved on and both nations have continued to enjoy cordial relations for the best part of their relationship.
In fact, what has happened since 1994 has been nothing short of what could be called an alliance.
Besides an increase in business activity between both countries, the US military also continues to enjoy close and warm ties with Singapore.
That only became more pronounced after the Sept 11 attacks which culminated in a visit to the Republic by then former US president George W Bush.
Mask of cordiality
Yet over the weekend it happened again and the mask of cordiality that both nations exhibited outwardly was removed.
This time, another US national had allegedly committed a crime for which caning was the penalty.
“The rule of law will (apply) to anyone regardless of the nationality of the person involved, his background or status,” Singapore's Law Minister K Shanmugam told reporters concerning the fate of Kamari Kenyada Charlton.
Charlton was charged with overstaying in Singapore and cheating. But he was also wanted by Interpol for allegedly deceiving people in Australia in a scam, the details of which are still sketchy.
(It seems that Charlton had gone to Singapore with his pregnant wife to seek medical treatment for her. They arrived in the island republic on Dec 15, last year. Charlton’s visa expired on March 15, 2010. He was detained at the Changi Airport on Sept 1, 2010 as he was about to depart. He has been in prison awaiting trial since his arrest.)
Still there is no guarantee that what happened 16 years ago may not revisit Singapore.
Unabashed hypocrisy
The heart of the question is not what punishment per se is adequate, but whether the type of punishment meted out is proportionate to the crime.
For starters, both nations maintain the death penalty though this is only practised in some US states.
Even so, Singapore is not exempt from the criticism that comes laced with the unabashed hypocrisy originating typically out of US-based human rights fronts in the US.
That being said, it remains to be seen how a US reaction to the present flap will pan out.
But if the Fay furore is any clue, one thing is for sure.
Bilateral ties will continue to remain strong whatever pressure may be applied on the US president to act on Charlton's case that is purely outside American purview and definitely out of its domain.
Yet amid all the acrimony that may or may not follow if and when Charlton is caned, the fact still remains that Singapore is a considerably far safer city than its major American counterparts.
And this was borne out by an international survey in September citing the city-state as the place of abode for immigrants as its streets are safe for people to mingle and interact.
Caning Charlton, if and when it happens, poses a question: is safety in the streets and its surrounding environnment all about how many people a nation canes or how many lashes it administers?
Maxwell Coopers is a freelance journalist based in Singapore.
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