THE opinion of the article that Singapore has no right to call itself civilised if it pursues caning as a punishment is purely the writer's (Sunday Morning Post, April 10).
Throughout history we have described Egyptians, Aztecs, Mongolians, British and Americans as highly civilised races of their time. Yet the Egyptians built their monuments using slaves, the Aztecs accepted human sacrifice as a means of pleasing their gods, the Mongolians conquered and subjugated other peoples, and the British had their era of colonialism. As for America, imposing its will on other countries that do not conform to its views of democracy is in itself questionable.
We are at a point in history where developing countries seek the help of more advanced countries but risk having their internal operations as a sovereign state scrutinised, questioned and changed. Perhaps we should seek an amicable solution to the question of right to rule and right to trade.
The human world is unfair, from world powers all the way down to smokers who do not care about the person close by. The excuse? We're all humans! JOSE ALLAN TAN New Territories