Best of the Transparent Hummingbird
I don’t think criminalising suicide is right as a matter of principle, but at the same time, I take issue with the way that particular journalist tried to imply that this is somehow something Singapore came up with and an example of our barbarism.
Suicide was a crime in England until as late as 1961. When the Indian Penal Code was drafted in England in the 1850s, suicide was codified as an offence (reflecting English law.) This was the same Code that was exported to many British colonies, including Singapore. If you compare modern Penal Codes across jurisdictions, you can still find that this suicide provision, word for word, even down to the section number (309), in some former colonies. These are old laws which have remained on the statute books for 150years.
In practice, attempted suicides in Singapore come not under the jurisdiction of the Criminal Court but under the jurisdiction of the Community Court, which also handles cases related to youth, the elderly, the mentally-ill, and family violence. Mental health professionals and social workers are consulted during pre-Hearing conferences. No one will send you to jail; you will probably get mandatory counselling.
It’s true that the Penal Code has undergone many amendments since independence and the fact that this provision was never removed suggests that Parliament wants to keep it on the books. But on the other hand, I don’t recall any MP proposing that it be removed, and that may say something about how no one really pays any attention because it isn’t an issue.