With his execution imminent in Singapore, 12 Malaysian MPs plead for Pannir, a Christian
The son of a Protestant pastor, the young man has been on death row for years following a drug trafficking conviction. A group of Malaysian MPs from the prime minister's party are calling for urgent intervention by their country’s Home Affairs minister. Singaporean courts have rejected the clemency request as well as the latest request for a stay of execution.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – For nearly seven years, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman – a Malaysian pastor’s son – has waited in Singapore’s Changi Prison, facing the gallows after being convicted of importing 51.84g of heroin in 2017.
His appeals have failed, his clemency petition has been rejected, and his last application for a stay was dismissed only two weeks ago.
Now, as the clock ticks towards execution, a group of Malaysian MPs is making one final plea to save him. Twelve lawmakers from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) have urged Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to act immediately.
They say Pannir was not the mastermind but a recruit of a larger Malaysian drug syndicate - information recently corroborated by a witness who lodged a police report in March.
“We urge the minister to write to Singapore for a stay of execution while our police investigate the syndicate leaders,” the MPs said in a joint statement. “If the leaders are arrested, it could persuade Singapore to grant Pannir a certificate of substantive assistance, sparing his life.”
The appeal was signed by Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Wong Chen, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, Rodziah Ismail, Bakhtiar Wan Chik, and six others.
For Pannir’s family, the MPs’ call offers a fragile sliver of hope. His life now depends not on the courts, but on whether diplomacy, justice, and compassion can prevail across the Causeway.
Last year, there were nine executions of convicted offenders for various capital offences - a substantial increase from previous years, with the majority being for drug-related offences.
Execution rates in Singapore for drug offences have historically been high, and they remain a significant concern for human rights advocates.
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 divides controlled substances into three categories – Classes A, B, and C. Under Section 44, the minister has the authority, through a Gazette order, to add, remove, or reclassify drugs within these schedules. The Act also carries some of the harshest penalties in the world, prescribing lengthy prison terms, caning, and even the death penalty.
Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, the son of a Christian leader, allegedly acted as a courier to import drugs; however, the magistrates did not take into account the defendant's cooperative behaviour when sentencing him.
Furthermore, during the 2020 trial, prison authorities allegedly provided confidential information on 13 inmates to the Attorney General's office.
In his Evangelical community, the young man played drums in the choir of the church where his father is a pastor; for this reason, he was nicknamed "The Little Drummer Boy," a tribute to the title of his favourite Christmas song.
In prison, Pannir wrote the lyrics to two songs with pro-life themes, which were later performed by two popular Malaysian artists.
One of the latest executions carried out in Singapore took place on 7 February, when a “50-year-old Singaporean, who was convicted of having in his possession controlled drugs for the purpose of trafficking,” was hanged.
Finally, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, a 34-year-old mentally disabled man, was the last Malaysian to be hanged in Singapore under its strict anti-drug laws, on 27 April 2022.
Eight other Malaysians are currently awaiting execution.
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