Pubdate: Fri, 22 Apr 2016
Source: Straits Times (Singapore)
Copyright: 2016 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Contact:  http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/429
Author: Jeremy Au Yong

SINGAPORE WILL NOT SOFTEN STAND ON DRUGS: SHANMUGAM

Review Needed Only If There Is Evidence That a Different Model Will 
Work Better, He Says at UN

Singapore will not soften its drug policies, Minister for Home 
Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam has said at a United Nations meeting, 
pushing back against calls for a shift in approach to the global war on drugs.

Mr Shanmugam did not mince words in his speech at the UN General 
Assembly in New York on Wednesday, as he issued a strong rebuttal to 
countries pushing for a less hardline approach.

He said he was unmoved by the rhetoric he heard at the meeting and 
would only review Singapore's stance if there was evidence that a 
different model would work better to create the outcomes the Republic 
was able to achieve.

"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 said.

Mr Shanmugam's remarks highlighted a clear rift in opinion at the 
meeting on whether countries should continue to take a hard line on 
drugs or switch to an approach known as harm reduction.

Under harm reduction, a drug-free world is deemed impossible, so 
policies are designed to minimise the harms associated with drug use. 
That includes providing clean needles for drug abusers and safe, 
supervised injection sites.

The UN meeting - the first since 1988 to focus on the drug issue - 
was the result of lobbying by Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia. They 
want an end to the global war on drugs that they say is a source of 
much violence in their nations, and a "humane solution" that does not 
just focus on law enforcement.

But Mr Shanmugam rejected the dichotomy between human rights and 
oppression, stressing there was a middle road between "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 said.

His speech received applause from the delegates in the hall but it is 
clear that there is little agreement on the best way to address the issue.

A day earlier, the Indonesian delegate to the meeting was booed when 
he defended the use of the death penalty to deter drug crimes.

Many Latin American and European countries lamented the resolution 
adopted at the start of the meeting, which outlined various steps 
countries should take to tackle the drug problem, for not shifting 
the approach enough. Countries such as China and Russia had prevented 
the words "harm reduction" and any reference to the death penalty 
from being included.

Mr Shanmugam on Wednesday noted the need for a global consensus on 
how to move forward on the problem but also said this needed to allow 
for every country to pick the approach that works best.

"For us, the choice is clear. We want a drug-free Singapore, not a 
drug-tolerant Singapore," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom