publichouse.sg

By Tan Wah Piow

In his interview with the Straits Times, the  Deputy Prime Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam said “it’s in Singapore’s interest that you do have a dominant party”.

The responses from netizens were predictable. The general mood amongst netizens is probably reflected in a swift response from one netizen - “fat hope”. Another argued that the days of one party domination of parliament by the PAP were over.

Tharman’s “dominant party” remark is consistent with those previously dished out by the PAP to justify its hegemony over Singapore political space. In earlier years, there was Lee Kuan Yew’s 300-elites-in-a-jumbo-jet-crash doctrine arguing that Singapore would perish in such an event. It was then an arrogant advocacy of the indispensability of the PAP.  Four decades later, Tharman, the 2nd Assistant Secretary-General of the PAP does the same, prescribing the dominant party to a population which is now wiser, more vocal, and PAP-weary.

The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has indicated that it has “no objections to being joined as a party” in the case brought by blogger Ms Han Hui Hui involving a statutory board.

Ms Han is being sued by the Council of Private Education (CPE) for libel with regards to two emails Ms Han had sent to various parties alleging impropriety on the part of CPE corporate communications manager Andy Ong. (See here.)

In April, Ms Han applied to the courts to declare that since the CPE is a public and statutory body, it cannot sue for libel. She also claimed her legal right to freedom of speech under Article 14 of the Constitution.

At the pre-trial conference on 8 May, the court’s senior assistant registrar instructed CPE’s lawyers, Allen and Gledhill (A&G), to enquire with the AGC if it wished to be joined in the proceedings.

By Ng Jing Song

It was the following exchange that might have brought Stand Up on May Day more publicity than the organisers could have ever bargained for.

“Labour Day is a day for rest.”

“Ya, like lepak in a corner.”

“Which corner?”

“Speakers' Corner lor!”

One of the organisers from StandUpFor.SG recounted the above dialogue to a group of prospective volunteers.

Recently, this event, which is due to take place on the 1st of May at Hong Lim Park, has come under fire. Less than four hours later on the very same day at the very same venue, Transitioning.org is putting together a protest against the population White Paper.

By Jewel Philemon

From Singapore…

Close to forty participants were seen setting up base at the Speakers Corner on Saturday. These people - from different walks of life, different nationalities, different races, different professions, different income groups, different education backgrounds – had only one thing in common: Silence.

Silence at Speakers Corner? Ironic, but yes.

Organized by a group of concerned individuals, the event – entitled, ‘தமிழில் பேசுவோம், தமிழனை நேசிப்போம்’ (“Speak in Tamil and love the Tamil people”) - involved a peaceful demonstration, where participants undertook an oath of silence in support of displaced Tamilians in Singapore.

This show of silent solidarity was deliberately held during April (the month where the Tamil Language is celebrated in Singapore), and stressed the message that, “where there are no Tamil people, there will be no Tamil language.”