Yong Vui Kong, the 22-year-old Malaysian who is facing the gallows in Singapore for drug trafficking, has received more support from his countrymen today – with Dewan Negara senators backing a campaign to plead for Yong's clemency from Singapore President Sellapan Ramanathan. At a Press conference in Parliament lobby this morning, Opposition senators Syed Husin Ali and Datuk Mustafa Kamal Mohd Yusoff of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), as well as Democratic Action Party's Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim and S. Ramakrishnan, urged the public to support the newly-launched 'Save Vui Kong Campaign' (SVKC).
SVKC is a petition campaign seeking to gain as many signatures as possible from Malaysia’s elected representatives and the general public by Aug 23, as Aug 26 would be the final day for Yong to petition for clemency.
"Ever since young Vui Kong was convicted 4 years ago, he has repented and radically transformed to be a good person. It will be a tragedy for Vui Kong if he had to be hanged for a mistake he had made," said Syed Husin, who is also PKR deputy president. "We want him to be given another chance to contribute to society. We urge Singapore to provide clemency for Vui Kong," he added.
Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Amah had said the government will do everything its power to lobby for Vui Kong's clemency.
"If I save one life, it will give me great satisfaction," the minister hadsaid.
Also present at the news conference was Ngeow Chow Ying, the coordinator for SVKC. She said plea cards will be given to all 222 Dewan Rakyat members, 69 sitting senators and 60 Sabah state assemblymen for it to be signed.
Ngeow, who is from the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Civil Rights Committee, added that members of the public can endorse the petition by going to www.petitiononline.com/SaveVK/petition.html.
An 18-year-old Yong was arrested by Singapore police on June 13, 2007 at Orchard Road. He was charged for trafficking 47 grammes of diamorphine into the island republic, which the only sentence for it is the death penalty.
He was sentenced last November and was to be hanged the following month, but his lawyer M. Ravi successfully sought a stay of execution from the High Court there.
Yong's appeal against the death penalty was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in May, and his fate now solely lies in the hands of the Singapore president.
Source: Malay Mail, July 21, 2010
The Save Vui Kong Campaign Request Clemency For Sabahan From Singapore Government
The 'Save Vui Kong Campaign' is appealing to the Singapore government and its president S.R. Nathan for clemency for Yong Vui Kong, 22, who was sentenced to death last year for drug trafficking in the island state.
The campaign is co-sponsored by the Civil Rights Committee of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).
Yong, from Sabah, was convicted on Jan 7 last year for trafficking in 47gm of a controlled drug, diamorphine, a capital offence under the Singaporean Misuse of Drugs Act.
Last year, Yong filed a petition to the Singapore president for clemency but it was rejected on Dec 1 on the same year.
Ngeow Chow Ying, the Save Vui Kong campaign coordinator, said Yong could be hanged anytime after Aug 26, if his plea for clemency was rejected, unfortunately, his right to seek clemency under Singapore's constitution had been compromised by statement of Singapore's Law Minister, K.Shanmugan.
She said before his clemency plea was officially filed, Shanmugan was quoted to have told the press on May 9, 2010: "Yong Vui Kong is young but if we say, we let you go, what's the signal we're sending? We're sending a signal to all drug barons out there, just make sure you choose a victim who's young or a mother of a young child and use them as the people to carry drugs into Singapore".
"We understand Singapore, like Malaysia, has a strict policy against drug trafficking which carries a mandatory death penalty.
"However, given that the constitution allows clemency plea for persons sentenced to death means that no sentence of capital punishment is by default excluded from reconsideration for a second chance," she said in a press conference held at Parliament lobby on Wednesday.
Also present were members of the Dewan Negara, Senator Prof Dr Syed Husin Ali and and Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, Senator Datuk Mustafa Kamal Mohd Yusoff and Senator Mumtaz Md Nawi.
Ngeow said, Yong's case was a non-partisan issue therefore every Malaysian should support his clemency and now they were collecting signatures from the public including Malaysia's members of parliament to give Yong a 2nd chance before Aug 23 next month and it would be presented to Singapore President, S.R. Nathan to grant a pardon to Yong.
Click here to sign Yong Vui Kong's only clemency petition.
Source: BERNAMA, July 21, 2010
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