Freedom of Assembly in Singapore

This Saturday 28 Apr 2012, BERSIH SG 3.0 will gather opposite Sultanah Aminah Hospital in JB at 1.30pm since the permit for Hong Lim Park picnic was rejected. Hong Lim park is just like any other parks in our neighbourhood with a lost purpose. The Speakers’ Corner is will soon be converted into a playground or a row of BBQ pits. Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be more plausible for a bunch of Malaysians and Singaporeans to gather in a picnic setting at Hong Lim Park rather than knowingly allow them to march into JB in yellow tops? At least we know such an event is happening in designated location in Singapore which can be easily curtailed by the government if security is the main concern.

BERSIH, meaning ‘clean’ in Malay language, is a march for free and fair elections with a firm anti-corruption stance. It is a common knowledge that such events will not be celebrated and encouraged by the Singapore government no matter how ‘peaceful’ as it disturbs law and order. Despite the venue ban, thousands are expected to sit-in Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur Duduk Bantah on 28 April 2012, a much anticipated event will take place concurrently worldwide including Singapore.

Many Singaporeans were alarmed and disturbed to see ‘outsiders’ conduct their peaceful assemblies and demonstrations in Singapore so as not to leave the impression Singapore supports foreign anti-government practices.  The incumbent has claimed to be a world-class government, so they must walk-the-talk and be receptive to peaceful assemblies and ‘picnics’. The society is made up of thinking generation who are not afraid to fight for their rights and freedom of expression. If you don’t play along with the game, the government will lose support from the masses just like what is happening now in UMNO, and a near-miss in the last GE2011. Malaysian government is trying to break away from rigidity as seen in their recent policy tweakings and gradual leniency in freedom of expression. Maybe Singapore should follow suit and take some lessons from BERSIH 2.0 and 3.0.

Lessons from Bersih 2.0

The enthusiasm was also felt here as Malaysians who live and work in Singapore have identified themselves as BERSIH 2.0 Singapore planned a picnic gathering at Hong Lim park on 9 Jul 2011, a mirrored event alongside other major countries worldwide. They called themselves “guests in Singapore and have no wish to do anything that is not within the confines of Singapore law”, turned up in yellow tops to show solidarity and lend their support to fellow friends in KL. There were no speeches and demonstrations. 

After a messy man-handling during BERSIH 2.0, Malaysian Home Affairs Minister, Datuk Hishammuddin recently released a statement indicating the Malaysian government is slowly embracing democracy and freedom of expression for BERSIH 3.0. Hishammuddin professed that peaceful public assemblies was not a security concern as long as demonstrators abide to the regulations. He also announced that there will be an increase  in police presence to administer the assembly. Malaysian government have learned well from their over-reaction during BERSIH 2.0 in KL. Despite many denials, the Malaysian government was directly responsible for the escalation and brought the Malaysians to this deadlock.  

Likewise, the Singapore government has taken the view that this freedom of assembly should be curtailed for the fear of disruption. The fact that we are still fearful of racial riots after 40 years clearly shows the backwardness of thinking and our inability to let go of the past. However, Singapore government has not close its door entirely to all peaceful assemblies. In the past, Free Burma Protest and PinkDot.sg have demonstrated that there is a possibility of public assembly and demonstration with strict adherence to regulations. 

More than 10,000 supporters for the Freedom to Love campaign turned up in pink tops at Pink Dot 2011 picnic and concert at Hong Lim Park on 18 June 2011.  It was a success whereby the public were invited to attend but non-Singaporeans and non-PRs are not allowed to be within the dot formation when the time comes. They were however, invited to watch the formation from a designated observation area. In another case, some 40 Burmese citizens gathered at Hong Lim Park to call for boycott of the elections in 30 Oct 2010 “No To Burma’s Sham Elections” organised by the Free Burma Campaign Singapore (FBCSG). 

Why Singapore should allow peaceful assemblies? 

The UN Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the general assembly in 1948 declares "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers". 


An assembly should be deemed peaceful if its organizers have professed peaceful intentions and the conduct of the assembly is non-violent from a number of individuals in a public place for a common expressive purpose. The term “peaceful” should be interpreted to include conduct that may annoy or give offence, and even conduct that temporarily hinders, impedes or obstructs the activities of third parties. People can gather peacefully for a cause.  Just like how the Christians attend church mass and Muslims congregate for prayers on Fridays. All these are peace assemblies with a purpose to render support for the respective inclination. The right to assemble peacefully, together with freedom of expression and freedom of association, rests at the core of any functioning democratic system. 

Let’s take a look at the GE2011 rallies. Thousands of Singaporeans flocked the designated public spaces. Those were large-scale public gatherings with no disruptions to the law and order. Everyone were there for a same purpose and show support for the respective parties. A series of peaceful assemblies with everyone in safe and sound. 

Despite PM Lee Hsien Loong's call to promote increased political awareness, in reality it is still moving vapidly and unyielding towards new challenges. An open and mature society should have an equally open and mature government. 

Too cool to care for the Old

I know of someone who is suffering from heart failure since he was 42 years old. After 20 years on medication, doctors now diagnosed him with high blood pressure and kidney failure. Consequently, these medications have caused his vital organs to disintegrate, just like wear and tear. Like a COE care, most times the car just refuses to work anymore and requires regular visit to the mechanic, or to end it all at the scrap yard.

But what I worry most is the maintenance part after he retires? Can his savings and his insurance (void after two heart operations) able to sustain the medical cost and expenses? I believe, many Singaporeans share similar take on the rising hospitalization costs that affect not just Singaporeans but on a global scale. Health care issue is not a cheap topic to discuss, and it is painful for the pocket. It could mean a lifetime of savings for some and for others who are born with a silver spoon, it only a constitute fraction of their wealth.

What about the middle-incomers who are always smacked and sandwiched in between? Just like the old man who is suffering package of illnesses.

The topic on elderly care is just as delicate as old age, and the government realized that it is a crux of the issue now. By 2020, some 600,000 Singaporeans will be above 65, which is about 15 per cent of the population. From that point onwards, the society's pace of ageing will start to accelerate. Last year, the fertility rate stood at 1.08 for Chinese, 1.09 for Indians and 1.64 for Malays. The replacement rate is 2.1. In other words the population of Chinese Singaporeans in the next generation, 18 to 20 years, will be reduced by half. LKY blames the education system as women now are more educated and career-driven; hence the decline in fertility rate is inevitable. Why am I not surprise?

So let us take a look now at some of the solutions or suggestions mooted by the incumbent government and their faithful followers:

• 'Singapore needs to accept immigrants' – LKY
• Health Minister Gan Kim Yong will be looking into new elder-care options and to raise the quality and salaries of caregivers.
• NTUC Eldercare general manager Lim Sia Hoe proposed a co-funded model between the Government and service providers that is specifically used for serving elderly in the community.
• MOH Ageing Planning Office group director Teoh Zsin Woon said there are three groups of potential labour that could be tapped on: Retired nurses, housewives between 30 and 60 years old, as well as retirees. In all, these groups comprise as many as 31,000 people.

Forget about exotic resorts and the exquisite tour around the world in 80 days. Seems like we left with no choice but to accede to the obvious choice. Sounds like an ultimatum: Singaporeans will slog till the day we die, or welcome the foreign talents with open arms. Or both as it seems now.

With the announced increase in premiums for Medishield, it seems that the government is insisting that it is on the right path. The current healthcare system is so complex that they even set up an agency called the Agency for Integrated Care, to help them maneuver the maze they have created. Medisave, Medishield, Means testing, Community Health Assist Scheme and the list goes on. And with these government plans, it seems that it is still necessary to buy our own insurance? If yes, how much is adequate?

If this is complicated for those who consider themselves educated then what about those who are in the lower rungs of societies? I think I would even have difficulty explaining to my own mother what is going on. For my mum’s sake, reform and simplify the healthcare system so that ordinary citizens can really benefit from it.  

LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLINE SINGAPORE STYLE

For those of you who are unaware, Google processes most of the requests under local laws. They may decide to take down the content entirely or if the law is localized they may restrict access to the material by local IP address blocking.

The highest number of requests to remove content was from Britain with 93,518. Google said it removed 93,360 items in response to a request from Britain's Office of Fair Trading as part of a crackdown on fraudulent ads. Oh my..poor Brits. Watch out Duchess of Cambridge!

What will Google release to the governments? Google can be required to turn over essentially all account information on receiving a subpoena. That can include a user’s email address, access history, and any details the user has supplied to Google. For folks using free Google services, that might be next to nothing, but for folks who pay Google (or earn money from Google programs like AdWords) it can be a lot more, including a name, address, phone number, and other billing information. No search warrant is required.

Oh My, Singapore.
Between Jan-Jun 2011, 106 user data and 126 users/accounts requests were made by the Singapore Police to Google, and 75% of these were complied. Hold on there, don’t be fooled. If we were to compare these numbers against our small population (5.18 million now, no?), Singapore can easily be topping the charts.
According to Google, the statistics reflected the number of requests by the law enforcement agency for information at Google and YouTube, the percentage of requests that we comply with (in whole or in part) and the number of users or accounts specified in the requests. I guess Singapore government has to start thinking out of the box; Google and Youtube are not the only platforms that people use now days.

Table: Singapore User Data Requests

Noted the increasing trend, and the figure had doubled from 62 to 106 within a year (Jul2009-Jun 2010). Also, Google complied with 88% of 118 requests for content removal from Jul-Dec 2010 alone. The figure dropped slightly, and so was the number of requests complied (75%).

The Singapore government is fully aware and is ultra watchful over the increasing internet influence on its citizens. You can see the increasing number of requests made by the government. But therein lays the issue of privacy and rights of the people. Just what kind of offences would the police ask Google for details of user accounts? Also what laws are used to solicit the details from Google? Sure there are legitimate cases like maybe child porn, illegal sale of drugs and fraud but there are also many dumb laws in Singapore that make even the most meaningful of social action becomes a prosecutable crime. Would Google agree to just about any request from the police? Like Gary Yue Mun Yew who charged for inciting violence when he superimposed Wong Kan Seng photo on a man that was about to be executed by a soldier on Facebook? How many corporations are willing to stand up to government for inconsequential beings like you and me?
Internet is transparent.

It’s common to assume that only people who have something to hide have a reason to be worried. However, it’s important to remember that wanting to keep aspects of one’s life private is not the same thing as doing something illegal, and government’s track record for using information they obtain under ‘lawful’ purposes isn’t all that great. How many people have been barred from flying or detained for long hours at checkpoints because their names appear for no reason on some watch list or another? When we place our information in other people’s hands, the bottom line is that it is out of our hands. And, as Google’s transparency reports show, governments seem to be asking for it more and more.

p.s. yes blogspot belongs to google =O

Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign Message

Just helping to spread the word.

My personal view is that drugs destroy families and lives. The trafficking of drugs is not a small matter, but mandatory death penalty sentences coupled with an uphill task to prove reasonable doubt for innocence is a dicey combination.

Will we see the day where a moratorium (suspension) of all death penalty sentences will be enacted in Singapore?


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22 March 2011

The Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC) wishes to express our utmost disappontment at Shah Alam High Court's decision to sentence Noor Atiqah M. Lasim to death for drug trafficking.

Noor Atiqah, a 27 year old single mother of a 6 year old girl from Singapore, was found in possession of 342.1 grammes of heroin and 30.3 grammes of monoacethyl morphine at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) on Jan 5, 2009. According to her statement as reported by the media, she claimed that the bag containing the drugs did not belong to her.

We will like to reiterate our stand against the use of the death penalty as a punishment against crimes. We implore the High Court of Shah Alam to look into this matter again, especially so when the result of the sentencing will be irreversible, leaving a young child without her mother.

Thank you.

Rachel Zeng,
Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC)

March 18, 2011 14:14 PM

Death For Singaporean Single Mother For Drug Trafficking

SHAH ALAM, March 18 (Bernama) -- The Shah Alam High Court today sentenced a Singaporean single mother to death for trafficking in drugs at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), two years ago.

Judge Noor Azian Shaari delivered the sentence on Noor Atiqah M. Lasim, 27, after the defence failed to establish reasonable doubt on the charge under Section 39B (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

The accused, who worked as a legal assistant in the republic, was alleged to have trafficked in 342.1 grammes of heroin and 30.3 grammes of monoacethyl morphine at the LCCT on Jan 5, 2009.

When delivering the decision, Noor Azian said the prosecution had proven a prima facie case against Noor Atiqah.

After evaluation of the facts and statement, the court found the accused had custody and control of the drugs and called for her defence.

According to Noor Azian, the defendant's statement that the bag containing the drugs belonged to another person was difficult to believe and unreasonable.

Noor Atiqah, mother of a six-year-old girl, was represented by counsel Mohaji Selamat while Wan Zuraida Wan Nawan was deputy public prosecutor.

-- BERNAMA

Year in Quick Review - 2010

Since this is is the start of a fresh new year, though i might try to summarize that main happenings that had coloured 2010.

Of course, it should ideally cover a whole array of incidences, but perhaps with an eye on the GE this year, i thought it would be useful to look at the hiccups faced by the incumbent government.

But then i realized i didn't need to as an old article (below) pretty much summed it up.

Just need to add to the list the lost of our faith in the teaching community (with all the sex offenses and child porn) and our general lose of face :)

Confidence in public sector shaken this year: experts
By Alicia Wong – December 20th, 2010

From the bumpy hosting of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) to the Orchard Road floods, confidence in the public sector may have been shaken this year, according to some political observers.

And in the year ahead, Singaporean residents will continue watching the government closely, in particular its measures toward housing and immigration.

Yahoo! Singapore spoke to several political observers, as they took stock of this year’s significant events and shared their expectations for 2011.

One highlight was the inaugural YOG hosted in Singapore in August. While it was a celebrated event for some, the event was marred by a string of issues ranging from food poisoning to an over-blown budget.

Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Dr Terence Chong, termed the YOG a “bittersweet event”. It celebrated youth and sports but triggered doubt over the government’s strategy of using“mega events” to distinguish Singapore as a global city when the YOG received poor international attention.

“I don’t think (the YOG) turned out the way the Government had hoped for it to be,” commented another political watcher and law lecturer Eugene Tan. He questioned if the plan to showcase Singapore to the world and excite young Singaporeans “backfired”.

“It was a tremendous success to all those involved but to the average Singaporean, the price tag of close to half a billion SGD was perhaps a bit too much for most Singaporeans,” he pointed out.

Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Viswa Sadasivan also highlighted events that collectively ”jolted public confidence” in the public sector usually touted for its efficiency.

He cited, the floods, SMRT’s train graffiti, the S$12m Singapore Land Authority fraud saga, gang violence and the revelation of Mas Selamat Kastari’s escape.

Mr Tan also felt public confidence has been “dented but not severely affected”. Since the government prides itself in being effective and efficient, this dent is “of course a significant setback”, he said.

He acknowledged, Singaporeans could have unrealistically high expectations that will have to be managed going forward.

But former NMP Zulkifli Baharudin disagreed public confidence was affected this year.

“All these events, to me, reinforces the fact that Singapore is vulnerable,” said Mr Zulkifli, citing vulnerability in the country’s physical and social make-up.

He said, Singapore must do things well because it lacks natural resources, but mistakes are inevitable. “The key is to learn from mistakes and not repeat them.”

He urged Singaporeans not to be “armchair critics” but to “do something about it”.

On the bright side, 2010 was also a year of highs in other areas.

The Republic’s economic growth surged an estimated record-breaking 15 per cent.

The land swap deal between Malaysia and Singapore provided closure to a “decades long thorny issue” and paved the way for “deeper trust and substantive cooperation”, said Mr Viswa.

Watchers highlighted the launch of the integrated resorts (IRs), Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, as significant in boosting tourist arrivals and tourist dollars. Yet, the IRs have also given cause for concern for social ills such as problem gambling, they cautioned.

Dr Chong also pointed to the public censure of Christian pastor Rony Tan’s insensitive remarks about Buddhism in February indicating a “self-regulatory mechanism at work in society”.

Going forward, observers predicted immigration, housing and cost of living will continue to be hot topics in 2011 and key issues in the General Election, due by February 2012.

This year, escalating property prices and immigration policy drew some of the hottest debates, prompting the government to introduce property cooling measures. In 2009, the government signalled a slower intake of immigrants.

Mr Viswa cautioned, it would be difficult for the government to “adequately satisfy the ground” even if HDB prices rise at a slower pace as this is an emotional issue.

He added, top civil servants’ salary is likely to be “a hot-button issue” linked to many other concerns as there appears to be a “diminishing tolerance for mistakes by (the) government.” It is a case of being a victim of its own success, he noted.

Mr Zulkifli also predicted some structural adjustments in the economy, for instance, as Singapore looks toward exporting to China, rather than selling mainly to the West.

“We saw terrorism of a different kind (this year),” he said, referring to WikiLeaks. “That is something that may also occupy our time.”

Mr Tan, who expects the GE to be in the 2nd quarter of 2011, and the Presidential Election to be in August, said next year should see “new levels of political excitement”.

“Immigration and the associated issues of high property prices, sense of over-crowdedness and increased competition in schools and at work will feature in the GE,” he said.

Added Mr Tan, “The PAP (People’s Action Party) government has sought to assure that Singaporeans do come first but a deep sense of unease persists. If that unease gets heightened in the GE, we could expect the PAP to pay a price.”

What the WikiLeaks documents fail to tell

A good article that puts the Cablegates controversy in some perspective. But I don't think the Americans will place much weight on articles coming out from the great white north.

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Siddiqui: What the WikiLeaks documents fail to tell
December 02, 2010

We didn’t need WikiLeaks to tell us that Moammar Gadhafi likes his “voluptuous blonde” Ukrainian nurse. He doesn’t hide it or his posse of young sexy female bodyguards. A courtier in Tripoli once told me that he found our prurience over his leader’s female company puzzling, given that the West is so soaked in sex.

The leak of 251,287 cables from America’s 274 diplomatic posts spills no military secrets and doesn’t really endanger anyone’s life. It only makes explicit what was implicit in many instances. It offers titillating tidbits about world leaders, and exposes their hypocrisy of saying one thing in private and another in public.

But even the embarrassment factor is not all that high. Governments, politicians and diplomats routinely lie. Those they deal with know. They all understand each other, which explains the uniformity of reaction to the leaks. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said exactly the same thing as Hillary Clinton, David Cameron, Lawrence Cannon, et al: The leaks won’t affect anyone’s relations with anyone.

The more intriguing thing is this: How come all the cables advance the American geopolitical agenda, with nary a negative comment or the slightest doubt?

Read the rest here: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/900100--siddiqui-what-the-wikileaks-documents-fail-to-tell

Ming Yi: Bad taste is never out of style

The lavish dinner party (see below) welcoming Ven Ming Yi return from prison for misappropriating temple funds is reminiscent of AIG swanky conference/retreat just 2 weeks after receiving a massive $85 billion bailout by Uncle Sam.

Seems like bad taste is never out of style.

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Why is Ven Ming Yi still a monk?

The Buddhist community is abuzz with questions surrounding Venerable Ming Yi's status as a monk.

Singapore's top buddhist organization, the Buddhist Federation, received many complaints from the Buddhist community in the past two weeks.

The federation's secretary-general, Venerable Kwang Phing said many voiced their unhappiness after a dinner was held by Foo Hai Chan Monastery in Geylang in honour of Ven Ming Yi's 20 years of service.

He told the Straits Times that many wanted to know, "'How can he do this?', 'Why is he still a monk?', 'Why isn't the federation doing anything?''

The dinner, organised by the monastery, was held at the Pan Pacific Hotel and reportedly cost $200,000.

The local newspaper reported that the dinner touched off an emotional debate among Buddhists even as devotees of the Foo Hai Chan Monastery called the celebration a 'sheng zuo dian li', or 'rise to power' ceremony; they said they wanted to celebrate Ven Ming Yi's return to the temple.

Senior Buddhists in Singapore - Ven Kwang Sheng, the federation's president, and Ven Kwang Phing - were absent from the dinner although they had been invited.

Ven Ming Yi - founder and former chief executive of Ren Ci Hospital was convicted of fraud, falsifying documents, misappropriating funds and giving false information to the Commissioner of Charities last October.

He was jailed in May this year and released in September.

The Buddhist Federation wants Ven Ming Yi to voluntarily step up to the plate and take responsibility for his actions.

If he does so a temporary disciplinary committee of five or more monks will be set up to demote him.

If he chooses to stay at large, other monks may be advised to shun him.

Mr Lim Bock Guan, the head of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge told the local newspaper that a monk being honoured for his service with a $1,000-a-table dinner in a top hotel has never been heard off.