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Editorial

The Alex Au v AGC debate raises some pertinent points about contempt of court laws.

Abstruse as it sounds, the ongoing debate between activist and writer Alex Au (of the Yawning Bread blog) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) over the latter’s use of “contempt of court” charges is an important one that raises key issues about scrutiny of the judicial system and the parameters for political debate in Singapore.

It began with a blog post in June 2012 in which Mr Au noted that there had been questions circulating about the AGC’s treatment earlier in the month of a prominent doctor found guilty of lying to the police about a traffic incident the doctor was involved in.  Criticising what he thought were the AGC’s poor explanations over the matter, Mr Au argued that the “reason netizens took interest…was because it resonated with a widespread feeling that there is one law for the rich and powerful and another for ordinary blokes” and that the AGC was unlikely to “disabuse anyone of his belief that…the police, prosecutors and judges are indulgent towards the well-connected.”

Editorial

Why the Population White Paper is a missed opportunity.

Contrary to the vitriolic reception it received, the government’s decision to prepare and publish its Population White Paper should be seen as a brave, if foolhardy, move. Few people seemed convinced by its arguments, not surprising given that the citizenry’s growing scepticism about the merits of rapid population growth through immigration had been clearly telegraphed in the last few years.  Thus the government’s determination to push for a paper advocating reducing the proportion of Singaporeans to close to half of the population in the next two decade is, if anything, indicative of the measure of its belief in the necessity of such measures.

Editorial

Why appointments to positions such as the Chief Justice should be more closely scrutinised.

That the announcement on 29th August 2012 of the appointment of Mr Sundaresh Menon – a Judge of Appeal and a former Attorney-General – as Chief Justice (to be effective from 6th November) came and went with minimal fanfare seems rather unbefitting of one of the most powerful public jobs in the land.

As the head of the judiciary, the position comes with sweeping influence over judicial appointments and authority over the courts, giving the incumbent the singular opportunity of effecting far-reaching changes in jurisprudence or the administration of the courts if he so wills it. Independent Singapore has only had three Chief Justices so far in its nearly five-decade history.  Hence, chances are that Mr Menon will have a lengthy period in which to leave his mark on the judicial landscape.

Editorial

The Land Transport Authority must be empowered to fulfil its promises of becoming a better regulator.

The release on 3rd July of the Committee of Inquiry’s (COI) lengthy report, detailing its investigations into last December’s multiple breakdowns on the MRT lines, came as something of an anti-climax after months of heightened public scrutiny of the COI and the two main objects of its focus, SMRT (which runs most of the subway system) and its regulator, the Land Transport Authority (LTA).  Concluding that the incidents were preventable, the report mostly faulted SMRT’s maintenance regimes and crisis response procedures, with LTA culpable to a significant extent for failing to monitor SMRT closely enough.

Editorial

The government’s proposed reforms of the mandatory death penalty are welcome, but they are far too timid.

The government’s unexpected proposals to reform the mandatory death penalty, announced on 9th July, by imbuing the courts with some discretion when passing sentence in drug trafficking and homicide cases, represent an overdue step in the right direction.  In a move that partially addresses longstanding concerns raised by civil society groups about the lack of judicial discretion, the death penalty will no longer be mandatory in such cases if certain conditions are met.

Editorial

As Pink Dot goes from strength to strength, it’s time for the government to relook the 377A issue.

The undoubted success of Pink Dot, an annual public gathering at Hong Lim Park in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Singapore, in attracting crowds and media attention last weekend would scarcely have gone unnoticed by the general public.  Since its inception in 2009 the event has grown steadily in attendance and profile, culminating in this year’s record gathering of 15,000 folk, among which were many straight people who were there simply to support their LGBT friends.

Editorial

Don’t treat the ‘Sticker Lady’ as a run-of-the-mill vandal

The alleged perpetrator of spray-painted signings on roads and stickers on the posts of traffic lights which appeared in various parts of the city last month, a 25-year-old woman who founded an online magazine, was arrested by the police last week as part of its investigation into the “irresponsible actions”. While at present the lady has not been formally charged, there are fears that she will be prosecuted under vandalism charges, which carries a possible jail term.

This has unexpectedly drawn heckles from many Singaporeans who feel that the authorities are being too tight-fisted. It has sparked an unusual online petition to the authorities pleading for a lesser public nuisance charge – which only carries a fine – that has garnered over 12,000 signatories so far.

Editorial

The government’s criticism of an American report on human rights in Singapore glosses over the flaws of the ISA.

The annual US State Department’s country report on human rights practices in Singapore (a Congressionally mandated exercise that it undertakes for all UN countries) provoked the usual rebuttal by the Singapore government on 16^th August.  In particular, the authorities took issue with the report’s criticism of the Internal Security Act (ISA) for permitting “preventive detention without trial” for the maintenance of public order, pointing out that the Americans were applying “double standards” with their continued use of detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay that operate outside of the jurisdiction of US law.

Editorial

The country needs the PAP to introspect and renew itself.

While the unexpectedly comfortable win for the opposition Worker’s Party (WP) in the Punggol East by-election of 26th January has rightly been hailed as a significant political development, the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has so far reacted to it with a conspicuous lack of introspection.  Ministers and party leaders have publicly played down the loss as an outlier that does not presage a wider loss of affection for the PAP or its long-term agenda.  That is disappointing, because it is likely that the fiasco came about less through the growth of the WP than by the missteps of the PAP itself.

Editorial

Why there are doubts over the National Conversation, and how it can be improved.

The government’s National Conversation on Singapore’s future, launched earlier this month and to be spearheaded by a committee consisting of ministers, academics and ordinary citizens, has drawn predictable heckles and from a good section of the public.

In justifying these doubts, many have pointed to the supposed lack of lasting impact by a similar initiative, the Remaking Singapore Committee of 2002-2003. There are some similarities: both helmed by new Cabinet ministers that are supposed to bring a fresh perspective to national issues, and meant to facilitate a rethink of the existing system.