Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) pledges full support for the Save Vui Kong campaign on both compassionate and legal grounds.

We call upon to the Government to prepare to take the violation of his right to clemency by Singapore Law Minister to International Court of Justice (ICJ) if necessary. As a matter of principle, the Government must fully back Yong Vui Kong’s right as a citizen even though he is a convict.

Legal Issue of Prejudgement

Before even he made his clemency plea to the Singapore President, Singapore Law Minister, Mr K Shumugan, had made a statement in May that Yong cannot be pardoned. Such pre-judgement has violated Yong’s right to seek clemency under the Singapore Constitution and is against the principle of natural justice.

It is therefore heartening that Foreign Minsiter YB Dato’ Seri Anifah Aman has made a pledge on July 5 in the Parliament lobby that Malaysian government “will do everything possible within its power” to seek clemency for Yong.

We trust that “everything possible” includes the preparation of the Malaysia government to file a complaint to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the violation of Yong’s right to clemency plea.

To signal Malaysia’s political will to defend Yong, the Foreign Ministry should send its legal experts to follow Yong’s application for judicial review on the presidential power to grant clemency.

We plea for YB Dato’ Seri Anifah Aman’s urgent attention to the matter as the deadline for Yong’s clemency plea is August 26, 2010. The clemency plea will be his last avenue should his application for the judicial review be rejected.

Yong Vui Kong was only 18 when caught trafficking drugs to Singapore. Coming from a broken family and virtually illiterate, he was forced to find job in Kuala Lumpur to support his mom.

She earned RM 200 a month as a dish-washer and survived on two RM-1 meals per day. His future was denied by poverty and lack of education.

Fully repentant of his past sins, the 22-year-old Yong is only asking for a second chance for redemption. He only wants to share his life lesson with others from similar marginalized background so that they will not replicate his mistakes.

KLSCAH appeals for the wisdom and compassion of the Singapore Government to see that pardoning Yong will only help and not harm Singapore’s anti-drug and anti-crime policy. We call upon the public to endorse the Save Vui Kong Petition.

隆雪华堂基于人道与法律立场,全力支持“声援杨伟光运动”。

我们吁请马来西亚政府就新加坡律政部长褫夺杨伟光的求赦权一事,作好准备将此案带上国际法庭。马来西亚外交部有义务全力维护马来西亚公民在海外的正当权利,包括死囚要求豁免死刑的权利。

凌驾司法,未审先判

在杨伟光向新加坡总统申请宽赦之前,该国律政部长山姆甘今年5月竟已公开声明不可赦免杨伟光。如此“未审先判”的谈话,不但已褫夺杨伟光在新国宪法下的赋予求赦权,也违法程序正义原则。

因此,当外交部长阿尼法7月5日在国会走廊,承诺我国政府“在权力范围内将尽所能” 为杨伟光寻求宽赦时,无疑令人鼓舞。

我们相信,“尽其所能”也包括我国准备就杨伟光的求赦权遭褫夺一事,入稟国际法庭。

为表示我国捍卫杨氏的政治意愿,外交部应委派法律专家到新加坡,跟进有关恢复新加坡宪法下总统赦免权力之司法复核的允准申请。

8月26日是特赦大限之期,我们恳请外交部长阿尼法严正关切。若此案的司法复核申请遭驳回,请求宽赦将是杨伟光的最后机会。

杨伟光运毒到新加坡被捕时只有18岁。他来自一个破碎的家庭,几乎不曾受教育,还被迫到吉隆坡工作,协助母亲维持生计。

杨母每月只能从洗碗工作挣得200令吉,每天两餐、每餐1令吉挨饿度日,而贫困失学的伟光并无前途可言。

他已对昔日罪衍完全忏悔,年仅22岁的他只祈求从第二次机会获得救赎。他只想与同样背景的边缘青少年分享生命历程,让他们引以为戒,不再重蹈伟光覆轍。

隆雪华堂呼吁新加坡政府本着智慧与慈悲,赦免杨伟光,这是对该国反毒与打击犯罪政策有所助益的。我们也呼吁社会大众支持签名运动。

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