We want a drug-free not drug-tolerant Spore

JUST say “no” – that’s what Mr K Shanmugam did at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday (April 20) to push back calls for a less draconian approach towards drugs in Singapore.

“Show us a model that works better… and we will consider changing. If that cannot be done, then don’t ask us to change,” said the Law and Home Affairs Minister. “We want a drug-free Singapore, not a drug-tolerant Singapore.”

In 2015, Singapore arrested 3,338 drug users, up about 6 per cent from the number of arrests in 2014. Of these, 1,311 were new cases, representing a 20 per cent increase from 2014’s figure.

Many countries have over the years softened their stance against drugs, believing that a drug-free world is unrealistic and that the way forward is to minimise the harms associated with drug-use. In Switzerland, heroin is prescribed to addicts, and in the United States, the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes is legal in Washington and Colorado. Uruguay has plans to legalise the drug completely, and Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau has promised to do the same.

The UN special session on drugs was the first in almost 20 years, and was scheduled after lobbying by Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia, who said hardline policies on drugs have led to violence in their countries.

For the first time since it came into law, the Personal Data Protection Act has landed some companies in the soup – four were fined and seven warned by the Personal Data Protection Commission for mishandling their customers’ private information, the commission said yesterday.

Karaoke chain K Box took the biggest hit with a $50,000 fine for a September 2014 incident that resulted in more than 300,000 customers’ details being posted online. Companies who were warned included those you’d think would know better: Challenger and the Singapore Computer Society.

After signing up former Arsenal and Liverpool dream player Jermaine Pennant, the Tampines Rovers appear to be facing cash-flow problems and have asked the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for up to $1 million in financial aid.

Its operating costs this year could exceed $3 million, almost double the budget of most S League clubs, which spend about $1 to $1.6 million. Pennant is believed to be the highest paid player in S League history with a salary of $45,000 a month; the average player is paid about $3,500, said TODAY.

Tampines Rovers chairman Krishna Ramachandra declined comment when asked about the club’s finances: “It is strictly confidential. I can talk about the team’s performances but not finances.”

The iconic singer and performer Prince died yesterday. He was 57. The international star known for his hits that included Purple Rain and Bohemian Rhapsody died at his home in Minneapolis in the US; no cause of death was given.

Musicians and celebrities went online to express their grief: Boy George said Thursday was “the worst day ever”. Katy Perry tweeted: “And just like that… the world lost a lot of magic.”

 

 

Featured image by TMG File.

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