Bringing Back The Guillotine

A Modest Proposal for Capital Puishment Reform

The Guillotine is a noble invention that has received a rather unsavory reputation from associations it had nothing to do with. Invented by Antoine Louis at the suggestion of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin an opponent of capital punishment who seeing that abolition was futile instead compromised with making it more humane and egalitarian. Previously the nobility were executed by Hangsman who they could generously tip to assure themselves a quick and painless end while commoners suffered from short-drop hangings that would slowly choke them. It was not uncommon for death by this means to take more than half-an-hour punctuated with agonizing spasms from the condemned. The idea of creating a simple mechanism to end this inequity and guarantee a quick death to all was admirably achieved with the creation of the guillotine which through a simple weighted blade would allow for quick decapitation regardless of one’s social status or generosity with one’s executioner.Executions themselves were public affairs with large crowds gathering to watch the condemned, prize spots often sold for considerable sums and a general festive atmosphere prevailing alongside with them(Stimulating a local economy that might otherwise be suffering from the condemned infamy). Perhaps it is time for Singapore to consider the benefits of these approaches and bring back public executions for those condemned by the guillotine.

Much of the negative association with the guillotine comes from a particularly british backlash to the revolution with particular focus paid on the Reign of Terror where the bloody spectacle of the heads being ripped in front of blood-thirsty crowds baying for their blood became fixated in the artistic imagination regarding the revolution. The fallacy here is obvious, the guillotine had no such causative role in the terrors. It was an easily replaced instrument which contributed nothing to the excesses of execution and even saved the condemned from some final needless suffering. Regardless of the fallacy of such bias, when Britain wished to adopt a more humane method of execution they neglected the obvious solution and instead calculated a complicated table of weights and heights such that a skilled hangsman could choose an appropriate length of rope to guarantee a quick death. The long-drop method of execution is said to be painless and avoids the mutilation of the corpse that comes with the guillotine. The issue is that it requires a skilled hangsman to prevent blotching and as condemned have become far less generous with their executioners; it has become harder to recruit skilled personnel for this task. Though capital punishment has long been abolished in the UK; through its colonial legacy singapore has retained it as the main method of capital punishment.The french who possessed no such association chose to retain it as a method of execution through the countries various regimes changes until the year 1979(post-dating the star wars movie, meaning one could have watched the movie and subsequently been beheaded)

Current State of Capital Punishment In Singapore

Singapore is extremely liberal with its usage of capital punishment of the three High HDI countries that have retained active capital punishment executed by far the highest number per capita. Japan recorded no executions while the US had 24 while Singapore had 5 with a population a small fraction of the size. It has retained the mandatory death penalty for several crimes but the primary cause of the high execution rate is the Misuse of Drugs Act that prescribes the death penalty for drug trafficking with a presumption of trafficking attached if one is caught with more than a certain quantity of narcotics.

Despite criticism from western media outlets the government has retained its support of the death penalty; and the topic inspire little passion. Critics of the death penalty assume the same marginalized position as the rest of Singapore’s left opposition confined to a few artsy and outlying venues trying to inspire a mostly disinterested public who are best apathetic towards the issue. Online most comments about the death penalty seem to view criticism of singapore’s death penalty as attached with the rest of western critique of singapore which is reacted with institicual hostility. After all, with many foreign societies struggling with the effects of an opioid outbreak and widespread addiction, Singapore’s approach has been a clear policy success. In utilitarian terms its clear that drug prohibition of opioids have prevented more opioid overdoses than those it has executed.

Given both the public support and moral calculus it seems clear that Singapore should retain the death penalty; but the current approach where executions are conducted quietly in the private prison yard by the long-drop method does not let the full benefit be leveraged. A quick death from hanging does provide an emotional outlet towards bloodlust and the collective desire for punishment; furthermore given the secrecy that the death penalty is shrouded in its unclear if any executions have been botched. It will become increasingly challenging to recruit skilled personnel for this task. The private approach also doesn’t let Singapore recover from the reputational damage its execution streak causes in the foreign press which can hurt tourism as well as foreign investment into the city.

Instead Singapore should move with the times and adopt a guillotine; which can be erected into a suitable public space such as hong-lim park. An ad-hoc fair could be arranged to sell snacks and other knick-knacks to spectators with the executions being a possible draw for international tourists seeking unique opportunities that are hard to find elsewhere. The public's collective anger at the condemned can be satisfied with the spectacle of blood spurting from their headless corpse as their head is presented to the crowds; far better than it could be with a quick hanging that leaves little cosmetic damage on the body of the condemned.

When Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff was executed for the crime of having brought 1.6 kilograms of weed into the country; risking the social stability and health of the entire populace if he had not been caught. It would have benefited the nation far more if it could have been an opportunity for economic stimulus as well as public entertainment. Instead of devolving into the usual condemnatory western articles that serve little more than to provide a creative writing exercise for Singapore's diplomatic personnel.