Richard Branson ‘pontificating from a distant mountaintop’, his reasons to decline debate don’t hold water, says Singapore

Singapore's MHA gave a point-by-point counter to Richard Branson, one of which was that a televised debate would reduce “nuanced discourse into sound bites”, with the ministry noting that no suggestion has been made that he should only engage in sound bites. - Bloomberg

SINGAPORE, Nov 5 (The Straits Times/ANN): Reasons given by British billionaire Richard Branson for declining Singapore’s invitation for a live televised debate on the death penalty do not hold water, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday.

“Pontificating from a distant mountaintop, and then avoiding a serious discussion when challenged, does not suggest any respect either for principle, nor for the people whose well-being he claims to champion,” it said.