Changes to Criminal Procedure Code (CPC)

Some changes to the law about interrogation (clause 258) is making the waves online. Its kinda scary and to put it across in layman's term, basically it allows the police to use statements that they cheat or conned out of you, or statements that you made when you are drunk to convict you.

E.g. Someone who is caught drink driving is brought back to the police station. 1km away, there might have been a hit and run. Police questioned if the driver, who is his intoxicated state is understandably not in the best condition to answer but is forced relentlessly to answer all questions or sign a confession before he is allowed to rest. The police might also further assure him that it is not a confession he is signing but just a procedure that he needs to do before he is allowed to rest. Being so worn out and confused, the driver may just have answered wildly or signed any documents placed in front of them just to get some rest. However, the next morning, when he is sober, he is shocked to find out that what he had signed is actually a false confession as he did not commit the crime and tries to get it revoked. Unfortunately, he is unable to do so because of the law and ends up going to jail for a crime he did not commit. Is it fair?

You can say all kinds of bullshit about the integrity of our police force or government etc but I stand by Murphy's law that "whatever can go wrong will go wrong." Fuckups had, have and will continue to occur. No human being or system can be perfect. Can the police or govt guarantee a 100% no false conviction rate? By giving too much power to the agencies, what can the man on the street do to correct a wrong? Remember the case of Dickson Tan, who was caned more times than he was supposed to be? Or Tan Lai Kiat, who was released prematurely in 1999 but warrant of arrest issued again in 2003 because the courts realised that they make a mistake? If even the courts and prison can make a mistake when handling the CONVICTED, I can't see why we should put blind trust in police where the person might be actually innocent.

Rants

I happen to come across this article by Lucky Tan comparing the life of Singaporeans from 4 years ago till now. Interesting read here



I have only one major grouse in all honestly, which I look at it as the root of all the problems, is the fact that Singapore is getting overcrowded. With the fucking wrong kind of people. The govt have basically been doling out PRs and citizenships to many people whom, to put it kindly, are hardly people that qualify as 'talent'. Lets be honest here, by just bringing in just any tom, dick and harry with fucking third world mentality and habits, do you expect to become a first world country even if you have first class infrastructure?

Personal experience, I saw this chinese boy about maybe 5 years old peeing at the void deck of my house. I shouted at him and he still had the cheek to make monkey faces at me before running to his parents, who was sitting a stone throw away at the tables, eating sunflower seeds while spitting the shells on the floor. I was then confronted by BOTH his parents, shouting at me not to scare their kid and there is nothing wrong with the kid pissing there as it was according to them, 'not outside your house'. I was fucking pissed off and wasn't going to let this go so after getting nowhere with them, I decided to call the police. Long story short, the police arrive, did nothing much, no fines or anything issued, just a verbal warning. Now whenever I see this family again, which is pretty regularly since we live in the same block, the mother would make snide remarks against us 'stupid petty Singaporeans' while the father would just glare at me with his fucked up face. Its taking all I can to make me fucking wanna punch their faces in. These are the same people that crowd with you everyday on the train, squeezing in before other comes out, jumping queues, buying up your houses and fucking polluting the land I was born in, the land that I was sworn to protect.

Yeah, I am probably generalizing, but I really fucking hate these people. I can't stand their attitudes, their cultures, their mentality. Fuck the govt about being tolerant and accepting them bullshit. If I am a visitor, I would take care to gravitate myself in accordance to the host's habits and behaviors etc. In no circumstances would I expect them to change themselves to accommodate me.

Yet I don't really blame them, its not exactly their fault that their mindset and culture is such, its normal in their own country to be such. Its very much a "me first' mentality I suppose, that is probably needed to survive in their own country, given the huge population that they have. If I were them, I would have probably done the same thing to go to another country that is willing to have me despite me having no talent and pay me a salary few times more than what I am earning here and allow me to bring my whole family along to live in their govt subsidized housing and do not have to play a part in protecting the country. They even use their people's tax money to throw parties for me, teach me a new language, and maybe even provide scholarship for my kids. Without bonds of course.

If only I can find a country that stupid that is willing to take me in on those terms. I'll pack my bags and be gone on the first plane out.