TR EMERITUS

From our Correspondent Canadian lawyer Robert Amsterdam has continued his tirade against the Singapore government for its "repression" on the U.S.A's number one internet newspaper Huffington Post! Mr Amsterdam made headlines last week with the release of a White Paper condemning the Singapore government for its "repression". The White Paper – “The Repression of political freedoms in Singapore: The Case of opposition leader Dr Chee Soon Juan” documents the repression of political freedoms in Singapore and outlines how the Government of Singapore, under the leadership of the People’s Action Party (PAP), has monopolized the state’s apparatus to its own benefit. The result has been the denial of basic democratic rights and freedoms. The press release by Amsterdam & Peroff was given extensive publicity by major news organisations like MSN, AOL, National Examiner and Reuters as well as global investment and trade organisations like Forbes, Breitbart, EuroInvestor and Bizjournals. Writing on his blog at Huffington Post, Mr Amsterdam implored Mr Obama to meet opposition leader Dr Chee Soon Juan during his visit to Singapore to attend the APEC summit this week "to leaven the president's praise of Singapore's autocracy with an acknowledgment that destroying political opposition should not be acceptable in any culture." Huffington Post is the most read internet daily in U.S.A with an alexa traffic ranking of 44 in the United States and 157 in Canada. The Singapore government has issued a 25-page report on its official website rebutting Mr Amsterdam's claims. Straits Times journalist Jeremy Au Yong attempted to cast aspersions on the character and credibility of Mr Amsterdam by linking him to the British Secret Service in an article published today. Unfortunately, both the Singapore government's website and the Straits Times have limited reach compared to Huffington Post which was widely read by the Americans, Canadians and Europeans. Despite its detailed explanation to demonize Dr Chee and to defend its repressive laws, foreigners with little knowledge of Singapore are likely to be influenced by Mr Amsterdam's damaging assessment of the Singapore government's "human rights records". After all, other developed countries in Asia such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan seldom got themselves embroiled in such controversies and Singapore seems to bear the brunt of criticisms from international NGOs and human rights groups. The Singapore government should proceed to take legal action against Mr Amsterdam and Huffington Post to defend its reputation. Failure to do so will imply that there is some element of truth in the allegations. It is pointless to rebuke Mr Amsterdam only in the local press because his target audience is the international community, especially the Americans and Canadians. The Singapore is fast losing the war of public perception against Dr Chee who has remained a thorn in their flesh. While Dr Chee is almost certain to be kept out of Singapore parliament for a long time, he retains a considerable influence among human rights groups overseas as evidenced by the number of interviews he had granted to U.S radio stations in this week alone. The APEC summit is supposed to showcase Singapore as a modern, cosmopolitan and vibrant democracy to the world. It is a shame that the agenda has now been hijacked by Mr Amsterdam, Dr Chee and other NGOs like Amnesty International which recently sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister urgeing him to uphold Canada's reputation as a human rights supporter while attending the APEC summit by addressing ongoing human rights concerns in the island nation. There is a Chinese saying which goes "There is no smoke without fire." The Singapore government should take the battle straight to their critics by suing them in the courts of their countries rather than waiting passively for them to continue launching their attacks on Singapore whose international image has now been tarnished beyond repair. Related articles: >> Singapore govt rebukes white paper's claims on repression in Singapore >> Singapore's ruling party embarrassed by white paper on its repression >> White paper condemns repression of political freedoms in Singapore  Read More →

From our Correspondent PAP's twice-losing candidate for Potong Pasir Mr Sitoh Yih Pin has been keeping a low profile in the ward in contrast to his earlier demeanour in previous elections. Mr Sitoh used to hold "mega events" to attract Potong Pasir residents such as the famous $2 shark's fin soup and abalone porridge dished out at community events. He had also conducted weekly "Meet-the-People" sessions alongside with the MP for Potong Pasir Mr Chiam See Tong. After his second defeat to Mr Chiam in the 2006 general elections, Mr Sitoh stopped the weekly breakfasts and "Meet-the-People" sessions and retreated into the background. Before the last election in 2006, Mr Sitoh had also installed solar lamps along the path where the covered walkway linking the Potong Pasir MRT station and the town centre is now, after leasing the land from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). But after his defeat at the polls, he declined to repair them after they were vandalised, saying that the land's lease was due to expire. Mr Sitoh is not a visible figure in Potong Pasir nowadays, a fact which has not gone unnoticed by the residents. "Mr Chiam has been doing a good job here but what I'm really surprised about is the lack of engagement from the PAP. You rarely see Sitoh," noted retiree George Lu, 76 in an interview with the state media. Mr Sitoh denied that he is "abandoning" Potong Pasir and said he was now focusing on a "personal touch" which he hopes will win over the residents. He did not elaborate on how he is hoping to achieve this closer "bonding" though. Mr Sitoh may stand a fighting chance in the next general election now that Mr Chiam has indicated that he may leave his stronghold to lead a team in a nearby GRC. According to reports from the media, Mr Chiam's wife Ms Lina Loh, is likely to replace him as the candidate for Potong Pasir. For years, Potong Pasir's residents were denied crucial upgrading of their estate from the government because they have voted for Mr Chiam. The ruling party controlled the purse-strings of housing agency HDB and disbursed the funds based on political affiliations rather than needs though Potong Pasir residents pay income taxes like the rest of Singapore. The "pork-barrel" politics employed by the ruling party to entrench itself in government has not gone down too well with certain segments of the population, especially the young and educated. Mr Chiam is only one of the two elected opposition MPs in Singapore parliament, the other being Hougang's Mr Low Thia Kiang. The ruling party controls 82 out of 84 seats in parliament though 33 per cent of those who had the chance to vote in the 2006 elections voted for the opposition. Mr Chiam risked losing both his seat in parliament as well as Potong Pasir should he decide to throw caution against the wind and helm a GRC. The opposition has never won a GRC since the system was introduced in the 1988 elections. The closest they came to was when the Workers' Party won 49.1 per cent of the votes in Eunos GRC which was subsequently "dissolved" after the 199l elections. With the Electoral Boundary Committee firmly under the control of the Prime Minister's Office, the ruling party can re-draw the boundaries as and where it likes to prevent pockets of opposition "enclaves" from emerging. Despite widespread frustration and resentment on the ground at the unfair system, the ruling party continues to insist that GRCs are necessary to ensure "minority representation" in parliament not withstanding the fact that Malay and Indian candidates were able to win single seats in one-to-one fight against Chinese candidates in the past. Due to a lack of a viable alternative, the ruling party is expected to win the next election again easily hands-down with a overwhelming "mandate" from Singaporeans who are too accustomed to the status quo.   Related articles: >> Chiam See Tong leaving Potong Pasir: Where, when and who >> Chiam See Tong rapped for taking Potong Pasir residents for granted >> SPP rebukes PM Lee >> Chiam See Tong leaving Potong Pasir: a political suicide? >> PM Lee: PAP will not be taken advantage of again in Potong Pasir   EDITORS’ NOTE: If you like our work and would like to support us, please transfer your donations via paypal to our account ([email protected]). Any amount will be greatly appreciated! Alternatively, you can also help boost our advertising revenue by clicking on the ads displayed. Thank you! Join our tweet at: http://www.twitter.com/temasekreview  Read More →

From our Correspondent The Singapore government has responded to the White Paper released by law firm Amsterdam & Peroff which made headlines worldwide a few days ago attacking Singapore's political system and judiciary. In a 25 page report posted on its website (www.gov.sg), the government rebukes some of the claims highlighted in the paper and dismissed them as "recycled" views and comments that Dr Chee Soon Juan has regularly expressed. The report began by proclaiming the Singapore government is voted into office with a mandate from the people. "Singapore is a democratic state with a Government that is elected through universal franchise. It has a clean and transparent government. Its public officials are held responsible against the highest standards of probity and integrity." U.S. NGO Freedom House said in its latest report that Singapore is not an "electoral democracy" as other important pillars of functioning democracy, such as freedom of speech, a free press and civil society are absent. The report then followed to recycle earlier allegations it has made about Dr Chee to smear his character such as his sacking from NUS for "misuse" of research funds, his "ousting" of Mr Chiam See Tong from SDP and "heckling" of then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong during the 2001 general elections which were widely publicized in the state-controlled media. It defended the legal suits government leaders had filed against Dr Chee on the need to protect their reputations: "This Government holds itself to the highest standards of probity and integrity. Ministers, MPs and civil servants found wanting have been dismissed and charged." The International Bar Association (IBA) Human Rights Institute released a damning report last year casting aspersions on the judicial independence of the Singapore judiciary. Neither the Singapore Law Minister nor the Attorney-General Chambers took legal action against the IBA to uphold the integrity of the Singapore judiciary. In contrast, blogger Gopalan Nair was sentenced to three months in jail for allegedly "insulting" a judge. The report even dished out the Singapore Constitution to prove that political freedoms are guaranteed in Singapore: "All Singapore citizens, including Dr Chee and his supporters, are guaranteed under Article 14 of our Constitution the right to assemble peaceably and the right to form associations. The Constitution recognises that these rights are not absolute and allows for necessary restrictions in the interest of the security of Singapore or public order." What was not mentioned is the fact that the writing in the Constitution was seldom put into practice and the ruling party makes decisions arbitrarily to curtail the civil and political rights of citizens in the "interest of the public" without much consultation with the public. The SDP had applied for a police permit to hold a public forum at Bukit Panjang to discuss the wet market issue with the residents and was rejected. Permission to use the nearby community club was also not granted. No reasons were given. It was stated that: "Dr Chee is entitled to express his views freely and has done so. He has also organised, unfettered, numerous public meetings lawfully to discuss his political views, including criticism of the Singapore Government. Neither he, nor those who have attended such activities or meetings, have been penalised or victimised." In April this year, a group of SDP members held an indoor film showing for invited guests only. The film was "One Nation under Lee" made by film-maker and artist Seelan Palay. Halfway through the screening, officials from the Media Development Authority (MDA) entered the room and confiscated the film. Seelan Palay and his associates are still now under police investigation. The report posted by the Singapore government carries nothing new and it certainly has far limited outreach and influence than the White Paper released by Amsterdam & Peroff. It is losing out in the war of "public perception". Regardless of what the truth is, for every one person who read its explanation on the Singapore government website, there will be thousands who have read the White Paper and believe in what it says. The Singapore government needs to take concrete action to show that Singaporeans genuinely enjoy basic political freedoms instead of mere empty rhetoric which is neither convincing nor substantial. With the world's eyes on Singapore now, it will be hard to avoid discussions and criticisms of its dismal human rights records. For all its efforts to portray Singapore as a modern democracy, there will be people who can see through the facade. The sooner it comes to terms with reality that the "Emperor has no clothes", the faster it will take real action to reform the obsolete, archaic and oppressive political system it has perpetuated to serve its own (not public) vested interests.  Read More →