Pannir Selvam Pranthaman has spent the last nine years – a quarter of his 36 years on earth – in prison. Seven of those have been on death row.

The son of a pastor in Ipoh, Pannir had come to Singapore to work and made friends with the wrong crowd. They convinced him to carry packages from Malaysia to Singapore.

Pannir (standing, centre) with his siblings and parents. Every week, they take turns to travel by bus from different parts of Malaysia to Singapore to visit Pannir in prison.

In September 2014, on the third of such trips, Pannir was stopped at Woodlands Checkpoint. He was carrying nearly 52g of heroin. Trafficking just 15g of heroin would make a person eligible for the death penalty.

In Part 1 of his story, Pannir was sentenced to be hanged on May 24, 2019. His story continues here.

During the investigation of Pannir’s case and even after sentencing, his family worked hard to assist in the investigation in the hope that he would receive a Certificate of Cooperation from the Public Prosecutor of Singapore that would spare his life. None was given.

Pannir (extreme left) and his youngest sister Angelia (right, seated).

In February 2018, Pannir’s appeal was dismissed.

A petition for Presidential clemency was submitted. That was rejected as well. One by one, their hope was extinguished.

But even as his physical situation looked increasingly dire, his spiritual state was improving.

In November that same year, Pannir asked to be baptised in prison and was given a new name – Paul Silas. Although he had grown up a pastor’s son, Pannir had never wanted to be baptised until then.

Of his decision, Pannir wrote: “I feel blessed and my heart can feel the joy that came from God salvation [sic]. I knew it is [sic] my time to get baptised because my heart really ‘want to’ [sic] and there [sic] is not because I ‘have to’.

“I was still praying to God to help me get the Co-operation Certificate from DPP [sic] but what God gave me was – Certificate of Baptism from Prison Fellowship Singapore.

“I thanks [sic] God and praise Him.”

Two lawyers, one major win

Two years after the sentence, the family received the news they had dreaded. Pannir’s date of execution was set: May 24, 2019.

A week to the date, his family travelled to Singapore to discuss the sobering issue of what to do with his body after the execution. The next day, they visited Pannir.

Pannir at his kindergarten graduation. The son of a pastor, he grew up in church serving in the music ministry.

They described the visit on the website dedicated to him: “The feeling we had was unexplainable [sic] – grief, powerlessness, frustration. We were only able to touch Pannir’s hand through the thick glass that was parting us.”

At that visit, Angelia recalled that her brother had brought his meal to eat in front of the family.

“It had been so long since we had a meal together. He said, ‘This is probably the last time you will be seeing me eating. That’s why I brought my food here.’

“We were tearing in the room – mum, myself and my brother Isaac.”

But there was also joy. At Pannir’s request, the family sang Christian songs while he beat out the rhythm on the table.

“The visiting cell filled with hopeful songs and prayers. Tired of worrying and feeling scared and anxious all the time, we decided at that moment to let go of the grief we were feeling,” wrote older sister Sangkari on the Save Pannir website.

In a last-ditch effort to save his own life, Pannir filed a criminal motion and was due to represent himself in court.

“Pannir told us that he had little to no sleep for the past week. Today, he was to face the judge at the court and had started preparing for it from last night.

“He managed to catch some rest for a few hours, but woke back up at 3am to practise how he was going to talk at the court, in front of the judge, to defend himself.”

Crisis has healed the rift between Pannir and his family, who takes the bus weekly from Malaysia to Singapore to visit him in prison.

But that day in court, two lawyers appeared and offered to represent Pannir to plead his case for a stay of execution. They had found out about him via social media. Not only did they manage to get a stay on the execution, they also promised to file a challenge on the clemency process. They were just two days shy of the execution date.

Pannir’s siblings wrote in the website the family had created for him: “This was the moment we realised that God had never abandoned us.

“At the end of the court’s session, my family and I were given a chance to touch Pannir’s hands, and feel the warmth they emitted, after years, through a small opening in the glass barrier, before he was brought back to the prison once again.”

On the day that would have been his last on earth, Pannir did his morning devotions.

The title of the devotions that day was God Saved My Life. It felt, to him, a confirmation that God had spared his life.

Wrote Pannir of his feelings that day: “I praise God, thank Him and surrender everything to Him.”

The waiting game

It has been over four years since that courtroom drama unfolded. Now Pannir lives every day waiting – waiting to live, waiting to die, waiting to know how his story ends.

“He is not afraid to die,” Angelia told Salt&Light.

“In 2019, he was already ready. When preparing the affidavit, it was 80% chance of loss and 10-20% chance of winning. So he was preparing to go.”

Carefree childhood days with his brothers.

While his family has been fighting to save his life, they are realistic about their expectations.

“Our hope is for Pannir to get a life sentence. As long as we can still see him,” said Angelia.

Meanwhile, Pannir is trying to invest meaning to his days in prison. He reads – the Bible, political books, historical accounts, autobiographies – and writes letter after letter to his family, encouraging them.

Once too busy for them, he now looks forward to their weekly visits. Crisis has also mended the rift between him and his father.

In one of his reflections, Pannir wrote: “My relationship with my family and God is being healed, and it gets stronger these past two years.

“Yes, there’s lots of time I have been down and get back, fail and stand again [sic]. But all that, I realise, was a process which I have to go through to be a better person, to grow in faith, to see God’s will and what is His purpose in my life.”

Two Father’s Days ago, Pannir penned this reflection: “There came a time when I returned to my faith in God as I was a lost son – The Prodigal Son.

“I am grateful to God for blessing my life with my father, for all his struggles and sacrifices, and for all the experiences and struggles I went through. I learn [sic] something from everything that happens in my life.

“I am thankful for the loving family that God has blessed me. Happy Father’s Day.”

Pannir has also written songs to shed light on the life of a death row inmate. They have been recorded by a Malaysian artiste and released by Malaysian NGO Sebaran Kasih. Meanwhile, Angelia is working to publish some 75 of Pannir’s poems he penned while on death row.

Pannir is befriending others in prison as well, helping those who are illiterate to read and write family letters.

“If given a chance, I want to help to save life, too [sic],” he wrote.

As much as this tribulation has transformed Pannir, it has also changed his family.

Pannir, aged 16, with his brother Isaac.

Said Angelia: “Initially, Pannir took away all the happiness and peace in us. But along the journey, we started to think of him as a blessing. Because of his situation, it drew me to the Bible.

“We learnt to work together, take responsibility together. In our busyness, we still come back together to discuss, listen to each other and exchange ideas.

“And we always go back to God, always lean on Him and trust Him.”

What if, despite their prayers and best efforts, Pannir is still executed?

“I will say: The ultimate goal of human beings is to be a new creation in God.

“The Pannir now isn’t who he used to be. Now he is so much closer to God; he has repented, he has forgiven, he is not angry.

“God has a better plan than what we can think.”

Pannir himself is inclined to agree: “I have joy in my heart that I have Jesus in my life.

“He is my Friend and I am on a journey to learn more.”

If you missed Part I of Pannir’s story, you can read it here.

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