I find it interesting that in your editorial (Death to capital punishment) you have extrapolated the opinions and experiences of a single individual to represent those of an entire country.

It is plausible that in an Anglo-Saxon dominated society such as ours, for some to exhibit a "desire to be Western." However, I can assure you — with many relatives and friends living in Singapore — this is not the predominant attitude displayed by the average Singaporean.

It is a convenient and conceited belief that we have influence over other nations simply because they want to be like us. In fact, Singaporeans are as patriotic as any other nation and find our interference in their law and order process objectionable, especially when our crime rates are much higher than theirs.

Would we react any differently if another nation were to comment on our legal system? Would we allow a reduced sentence for a foreign national if they had committed a serious crime in our country? The answer is surely no.

I should clarify that as an Australian-born, Australian citizen, I share your belief that the death penalty, especially in the context of recent events is abhorrent, however, we should not be so naive as to think we are a model of aspiration for a society [such as Singapore] simply because of its size.