K Shanmugam: No soft approach to drugs

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam told world leaders at the United Nations that the city state will not soften its drug policies, pushing back against calls from some nations to change its approach to dealing with drugs.

Mr Shanmugam said he was unmoved by the rhetoric he had heard at the meeting. He stressed that Singapore would stick with its approach until there is evidence that a different model works better.
"We are not very impressed with rhetoric alone. Good speeches are one thing. Enjoying safety and security, to the level I have identified - letting your 10-year-old child take public transport alone - that is different."

"I say to anyone with a different view - come forward. I am prepared to compare our experiences with any city that you choose. Show us a model that works better, that delivers a better outcome for citizens, and we will consider changing. If that cannot be done, then don't ask us to change," he added.

Mr Shanmugam rejected the dichotomy presented between human rights and oppression.

"Maybe this rhetoric is based on the experiences in some countries. To us, it sounds like a lot of straw man arguments. Because it's not based on facts."

He stressed that there was a middle road between "locking everyone up, treating them as criminals, and feeding them with drugs".

"It is possible to work with drug abusers to rehabilitate them. This is difficult and resource-intensive. But because every life is important, we do that. Legalising and giving abusers drugs is the easier option. But not the better one," he added.

"You wouldn't knowingly and happily give drugs to your teenage children, would you? You might accept it and deal with it if they abuse drugs. But you wouldn't voluntarily give it. So let's be clear about the harmful effects of drugs," he said.

And while Mr Shanmugam noted the need for a global consensus on how to tackle the drug problem, he also said that every country has the right to choose the approach that works best for it.

"For us, the choice is clear. We want a drug-free Singapore, not a drug-tolerant Singapore," he said.

Source: ST