Friday, June 12, 2015

Respecting the law and fearing the law

Singapore's legal-judicial system is said to be one of the most efficient in the world. Justice is delivered rapidly and fairly, and some might argue, stringently.  Leniency is not to be taken for granted and penalties for violations are severe and therefore rather strong deterrents.

This lack of leniency might be precisely the reason why Singapore is one of the safest and most law abiding countries in the world. Crime rates of any category are among the lowest anywhere.

Contrast this situation with a country like India where, not only are conviction rates suspiciously low, but the penalties imposed are price indexed to 1947. An actor was convicted a couple of years ago under the Arms Act for being in possession of an unlicensed weapon, an AK47 assault rifle, no less, and he was fined Rs 25000 for the deed. Another actor was convicted for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI) but the sentence was suspended a couple of days later.

Brings us to the question: Can we as a society really respect the law unless we learn to fear it?

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