Comments on: Akmal Shaikh and China’s zero-tolerance policy on heroin

By: Oscar Melamed

Oscar Melamed — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 07:10:46 +0000

Rod wrote: “Oscar Melamed – I find the idea of Shaikh being mentally ill very unconvincing.” 1stly, where is your argument for this? Are you a psychiatrist? And secondly, if you find it unconvincing, then why use it as a premise for one of your arguments? There is a difference between executing him b/c he is in fact NOT mentally unbalanced, and executing him b/c – even if he IS mentally unbalanced – it will serve as a deterrent. You seemed to be making the latter point (o/wise why even bring up his mental insanity?) I was arguing against this latter claim. Obviously if he is not mentally unbalanced, the issues change.

And X Cepting – your comments about children are totally irrelevant as a response to my comments. I don’t even understand the point you are trying to make.

By: X Cepting

X Cepting — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:35:56 +0000

Apologies: Typing should never be done in too much of a hurry.
Insidence should read incidence and it is the children, not the drug lords that is too young to be allowed to choose their own way to self-destruct.

By: Rod MacKenzie

Rod MacKenzie — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:46:30 +0000

I was also referring to SB saying I have contempt for human rights in my last two comments on DeltaM and Oscar Melamed. I do not have contempt for human rights. Look at what I say about children in the blog and in the above comments.

By: Rod MacKenzie

Rod MacKenzie — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:43:58 +0000

Part 2: When I see all the children in Shanghai, happy, safe, secure… I am so glad they are well protected from drugs.

By: Rod MacKenzie

Rod MacKenzie — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:42:39 +0000

Part one: Michael Trapido – peace accepted,but why uncle Rod, I think you are two or so years older than me ?
Ohhhhhh…. a reference to the fact I sometimes say aunty Lyndall?

Oscar Melamed – I find the idea of Shaikh being mentally ill very unconvincing. Read Lyndall Beddy’s commentary on this above. And th ebiploar issues was presented at the eleventh hour, long long after he was caught with the poison.

I am strongly in favour of human rights, and do nto hold it in contempt. I think the people’s lives the heroin would have destroyed is not given much attention.

As DeltaM put it very well above “I do get the impression that this has more to do with politics and ideologies than the actual case at hand. There is a simple fact in life, and that is “if you go to Rome, you must do as the Romans Do”. Full stop. The Chinese have a law that executes drug dealers, so if you are planning to go to China, you must know it and deal with it. Otherwise, don’t bother going to China.” Agreed.
Different countries have different rules. So just play by the rules of the country you are going to… or suffer the consequences.

I do agree that unfortunately the carrier, the mule, got the severest punishment and the “upline” got away Scot free. But that is NOT the fault of the Chinese.

When I see all the children in Shanghai, happy, safe, secure…

By: MLH

MLH — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:05:09 +0000

Having just spent half the evening reading the TL posts and comments, this was the first that really interested me. Do any South Africans really believe that laws should be upheld?
But the above says more about the repeated use of blogs from the same old people. Please TL, give us someone new to read. There is so much ‘same old’ on this site.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:48:00 +0000

I fully agree with you Rod. I believe that, in so called enlightened justice systems, excuses and leniency on crime are taken too far. Those who commit serious crime should be held fully accountable and punished accordingly. I would love to see the Chinese zero tolerance attitude to crime adopted in SA. Crime here, as you know, is totally out of hand, largely due to ineffective punishment failing to act as a serious deterrent.

By: X Cepting

X Cepting — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:14:45 +0000

Oscar Melamed – the drug lords will only start to use children when they are given the same right to free choice of action that they seem to enjoy in South Africa. Indeed in all the countries where this immense act of stupidity is practiced the insidence of crime by children has escalated. Children and the mentally deficient are not capable of making informed choices, yet and should therefore be protected and guided by adults not given leave to do as they wish. This produce what I call feral children. What type of society will they build when they become adult?

By: Michael Trapido

Michael Trapido — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:27:32 +0000

Peace brother returned herewith uncle Rod.

By: DeltaM

DeltaM — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:53:36 +0000

I do get the impression that this has more to do with politics and ideaologies than the actual case at hand. There is a simple fact in life, and that is “if you go to Rome, you must do as the Romans Do”. Full stop. The Chinese have a law that executes drug dealers, so if you are planning to go to China, you must know it and deal with it. Otherwise, don’t bother going to China.
In any case, why do we even bother? Everyday we are bombarded with the propaganda of how appalling China’s human rights are. Yet, people from those same countries that spread that propaganda are lining up to go to China. Why? You don’t like what China does, stay away. But if you do go to China, then be prepared.
Would we have heard this much noice if this Shaikh guy was from Iran, for example? Me thinks not