He said broad public acceptance was a key reason why the country will not amend its laws to eliminate the death penalty from its statute books.
“When we ask our people, capital punishment is a terrible thing, but do you still believe it should remain on our books as a deterrent to drug trafficking?
“There is overwhelming support,” he said during a media roundtable with Malaysian journalists.
An online survey by Singapore’s home affairs ministry which ran from September to November last year found that about 84% of respondents believe the death penalty deters serious crimes, including murder, drug trafficking and firearms smuggling.
Balakrishnan, who has held the foreign affairs portfolio since 2015, said capital punishment has helped keep Singapore safe.
“Let us take a macro view. Is drug addiction a clear and present threat to society? I think the answer on both sides of the Causeway is yes, without a doubt.”
“The next question is: what are you going to do about it? And here, you will get multiple answers. Malaysia has chosen answers that differ from ours.”
In July 2023, Malaysia moved to outlaw the mandatory death penalty, giving judges the discretion as to whether to impose capital punishment. Singapore, however, has continued to enforce capital punishment strictly, including for drug trafficking.
The city-state came under scrutiny recently for executing two Malaysians, K Datchinamurthy and P Pannir Selvam, after rejecting their clemency pleas.
Datchinamurthy, who was 25 when arrested in 2011, was convicted of trafficking about 45g of heroin into Singapore, while Pannir Selvam, 27 at the time of his 2014 arrest, was found guilty of trafficking 51.8g.
Both men were sentenced to death despite insisting they had been coerced into being drug mules.
Balakrishnan acknowledged that enforcing the death penalty is among the Singapore government’s most difficult responsibilities.
“It is one of the issues from which I take absolutely no joy. Even appeals for clemency go through the Cabinet. It is the Cabinet paper I most dislike, but I force myself to read it because a life is at stake,” he said.
The minister said the current policy reflects both public sentiment and the government’s duty to protect citizens.
“For now, we do what we believe is right, and what our people believe is right. This (drug trafficking) is a terrible scourge on our society.
“We are all human beings; we all have hearts, and we are trying to do what is right for our people,” he said.