A plea for Pannir Selvam

Pannir Selvam’s early life was not one filled with crime, violence, or anything of the sort says the writer. — amnesty.org

ONE OF my best friends lives in Singapore and when I go down to visit, he’ll often take me cycling.

We often start our ride either around Marina Bay Sands or the Stadium area, being sure to pass the Marina Barrage and the Bay East Garden, before going up the East Coast Park.

It’s an absolutely gorgeous ride, with gorgeous views of gorgeous water. And if you follow the East Coast Parkway all the way to the end, you’re not far from Changi Airport, and Changi Prison.

Inside Changi Prison is a 37-year-old Malaysian gentleman by the name of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, who will likely never experience the beauty of that simple bike ride or anything like it ever again.

Pannir Selvam is currently on death row. In 2017, he was sentenced to death after being caught crossing the border from Malaysia to Singapore with 51.84 grams of diamorphine.

Pannir Selvam’s early life was not one filled with crime, violence, or anything of the sort.

His sister, Angelia Pranthaman spoke of a childhood filled with football, running, video games, music, fashion, church camps and youth activities.

“I remember Deepavali nights were spent in my auntie’s amazing village, surrounded by fruit trees and rivers, waking up to the sweet sounds of birdsong. The night before, we would play cards, sip hot Indian teh tarik and breakfast would always be on the table, ready for us, the next day. It would often be tosai and chicken curry.”

When Pannir Selvam grew older, he started working as a warehouse assistant in Ipoh. He then eventually began working in Singapore, selling children’s educational books and working as a security guard, sometimes taking double shifts.

As has happened far too often with poor and vulnerable people, Pannir Selvam eventually found himself duped by a "friend" into carrying a package across the border.

After his arrest, he did his best to cooperate with the authorities - both on the Malaysian and Singaporean sides of the border. He provided as much information as he was able to regarding who had given him the package, who the bosses were and so on.

The Singapore High Court judge who convicted Pannir Selvam determined that he was a courier. According to Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act, as long as a convict is designated a courier, and has been issued a certificate by the public prosecutor stating that they cooperated with the authorities, the court then has the discretion to not impose the death penalty.

For reasons that remain baffling and extremely unclear, Pannir Selvam was denied this certificate by the public prosecutor.

This case is slightly reminiscent of the case of Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam.

In April 2009, Nagaenthran was caught at the border with 42.72 grams of drugs. He was found to have an intellectual disability, and testified that someone had threatened to kill his girlfriend and his family if he did not perform the task that was asked of him.

Despite a sustained plea for clemency by all kinds of individuals around the world, who emphasised Nagaenthran’s intellectual disability, Nagaenthran was executed in April 2022, after spending 13 years on death row.

After all these years, the primary tragedy seems to be the same: only the weakest, most vulnerable, often unaware links in the drug trade are targeted, and imposed such harsh punishments.

It seems especially tragic that while there seems to be little or no clemency for these drug mules, we can’t seem to recall a single story in which a drug kingpin or mastermind is actually ever caught or prosecuted.

No one who is advocating for clemency and, or, the abolishment of the death penalty is looking to be ‘softer’ on crime. Most are simply pleading for more proportionate penalties, and a greater focus on the true instigators that are driving this ecosystem.

And if the demand for drugs continues to remain so high, perhaps we should be looking more closely at who is driving this demand, and what can be done to stem the problem there, instead on inflicting the harshest possible punishments on the weakest and most voiceless.

At a press conference organised by Amnesty International and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) this last week, Pannir Selvam’s sister Angelia said: “Watching this right now, we feel, so weak right now. And voiceless against the big power. All I can say is, please save my brother.

"He has done all he can do. He doesn’t have to die. He has cooperated. We as a family have been having sleepless nights. We are searching for a way to save him."

Some may not be aware that in his time in prison, Pannir Selvam is still trying to touch and spread beauty in the world, especially through poetry. Here are the excerpts from two poetries composed by Pannir Selvam.

The first is a tribute to his sister Angelia:

“Angel...

Isn’t just her name,

She stays true.

In person and heart,

Just the same,

One and only lil’ sister,

Grace yet fighter,

Of the love of four brothers,

She braces even twister,

Days in, days out,

She fight so hard,

So those cold heart’s.

Can learn to warm up.”

While the second speaks to the struggle of the long, lonely wait on death row:

“In the darkness of night,

I’m bleeding by stabs of silences,

It’s been my loyal companion,

Yet still I stand with resilience,

For me, being alone,

Doesn’t mean, living alone,

I hear whispers in the wind,

Telling me to keep cope,

Voices in my mind,

Telling me to keep hope,

Learn to be strong...

Through all the streams...

In the darkness of night,

Is it possible for the fallen,

To seek the light?

Or are they doomed,

To just sit tight,

To give up without a fight?

I learned, without the dark night,

The moon can’t shine bright,

Without the dark night,

I can’t appreciate the beauty of the starlight...

Even now, they’re out of my sight,

I’ll be there when the time is right.”

Nathaniel Tan is strategic communications consultant. He can be reached at [e-mail]. The views expressed here are solely the writer's own.