There is no such thing as one law for the rich and one for the poor, so says Singapore’s Attorney-General Walter Woon.
Now I know of some people who laughed when they read Mr. Woon’s comments, but I think Mr. Woon meant well when he said this. After all, he can’t actually say that there is a law for the rich and a law for the poor right? Yes I know that’s the true of the matter but you can’t expect the Attorney-General to say so. To be realistic, this can only be expected. When you are rich, or well-connected, the laws work differently for you.
A prefect example of my view is the case of a rich man who tried to buy an organ from Indonesia. The man in question only spend only hours in jail; while the middleman and the seller of the organ got far longer sentences. I know I’m not the only one who felt that the sentences were wildly different due to the money that can be thrown around. And mind you, the family of the rich man was unhappy even with the 1 day jail sentence. The family was so confident about the power of money that they were unhappy with nothing less than total victory.
That’s the way it is, the way is always has been, the way it always will be. From ancient times to now, Singapore is no different from any other country out there.
So for those who laugh and smile at Mr. Woon’s comments…oh please; what do you expect him to say?
1 comment:
Yep, we're not living in a Utopia, though the environment in our little island state is much better than many developing Asian countries.
The thing is, whenever a politician or a civil servant is posed such questions, they usually come up with idealistic or theorectical answers. The practical truth, however, often does not square with the ideal.
Think about what's gonna happen if the Attorney-General were to say things like, "Well, money talks." or "The dollar is mightier than the law."
This is the unwritten law that favours the rich and powerful, whether we like it or not.
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