for people who opposes the death penalty for assault, yet
approve death sentence for drug traffickers, i find it rather
ironic.
for drug traffickers, they are involved in influencing the mind
of only the addict, the one who consume drugs, and his or her
immediate family and friends.
but for gangsters, they have more far-reaching influences which
affects everyone in the society.
e.g. 1) Drug syndicates are usually run by gangsters, which i
should not mention further.
2) Illegal moneylending has lead to many broken homes, by
providing easy credit to gambling addicts. this has lead to many
tragic stories of people commit suicides, prostitute their wives or
daughters etc.
3) Illegal prostitution is one of the root cause of rising STD
and HIV infections. Many illegal brothels are also ran by
gangs.
4) Underground gambling syndicates, often work in tandem with
loansharks.
5) Turf wars. fighting between gangsters, often lethal. But
ordinary folks dun give a damn as long as it doesn't concern
them.
6) Slashing of innocent civilians. for the downtown east
incident, im not so sure that the victim is innocent. but for the
bukit panjang gang slashing, it is ridiculous for a gang of 7 to go
around slashing 20 innocent street-soccer players in broad
daylight, in the HDB heartland. You might be the one getting slash
at tomorrow, no one knows for sure.
___
yes, we always perceive drug addicts and dealers to be
unproductive to the society, but how about gangsters?
Unless you acknowledge the "underground GDP" that they generate
from their illegal activities, they are also essentially
unproductive members of society. And it is more difficult, if not
impossible to quit gang than to quit drugs.
to quit a gang, you must go through a terrible beating by fellow
gangsters (sometimes lethal). Not to mention that feuds might still
exist even after one has quitted on a gang, and gangster seeking
revenge for past misdeeds can still hunt you down even after
quitting.
therefore, i think that gangsterism is a more serious social ill
than drugs, and therefore should have harsher sentences to deter
people.
but this seems not to be the case. as reported in the Newpaper
1-2 weeks back, there were past incidents involving multiple
gangsters ganging up on individuals, with weapons. People were
killed, maimed or rendered permanently disabled, but the aggressors
had in the end been charge with the lesser charge of manslaughter,
20yrs in prison. some of
the accomplices have even gotten off with 6years
sentences.
6 years prison for 1 life. how ridiculously lenient our laws
are, while innocent drug mules caught transporting a few grams of
drugs are sentence to death... its a joke out there.
