Singabloodypore

Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Singapore Democrats

The PAP Government has stopped Ms Chee Siok Chin from attending a democracy leadership programme at Stanford University in the US.

Ms Chee was one of only 27 candidates selected from 500 applications to attend the Stanford Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development which will take place from 28 Jul - 15 Aug 08.

The Official Assignee's (OA) office rejected Ms Chee's application to travel to Stanford. Ms Chee was adjudicated a bankrupt in Aug 07 after she was ordered to pay cost over a court case challenging the Government on the Constitutional rights of the four persons who had protested in front of the CPF building.

Since then, she has been making regular payments to the benefit of her creditors and has submitted necessary forms and documents requested by the OA's office. As a bankrupted person, she has to apply to the OA's office for leave to travel out of the country.

In the past year, the OA's office had granted her permission to leave Singapore on several occasions when she had to attend international conferences and meetings.

But now the OA says that "none of these travels have translated into a benefit to your creditors" and rejected her application to go to Standford.

Professor Larry Diamond, a director of the programme, had indicated to Ms Chee earlier this year when the two met at World Movement for Democracy conference in Ukraine that he looked forward very much to her attending the fellows programme. Professor Diamond is the author of The Spirit of Democracy of which he presented a copy to Ms Chee.

Ms Chee appealed to Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam, stating that the fellowship was crucial for her as part of her research for a book which she is planning to write. "Part of the earnings from the sales of the book will then be made to the benefit of my creditors,” she informed the Mr Shanmugam.

The Ministry responded thus: "We regret to inform you that the decision to reject your travel application remains. The OA is not persuaded that your attendance at the fellowship program in Stanford University would result is any substantial additional benefit to your creditors."

A few questions arise from the matter:

1. What right does the Government have to restrict Ms Chee's travel to Stanford University for educational and research purposes?

2. Is she allowed to travel out of the country only when it monetarily benefits the Government?

3. Since when does the Government have a right to hold a citizen or anyone else ransom?

Dr Chee Soon Juan has also been prevented from leaving Singapore since Apr 06 and is effectively under city-arrest. All his travel applications to attend conferences overseas have been rejected by the OA's office, including applications to see his ailing father-in-law in Taiwan as well as to attend to a patient in his professional work as a neuropsychologist.

It seems apparent that the PAP is anxious about democracy advocates garnering international support for political reform in Singapore. Ms Chee has been an effective speaker on behalf of Singapore's democracy campaign in the international community.

By imposing travel restrictions on the Singapore Democrats' leaders, the Government is attempting to stymie the party's global networking efforts. The ruling party seems determined to stop the spread of the word of the democracy movement that is growing in Singapore.


Letter from Stanford University

Dear Ms. Chee,

Congratulations!

The IBA report [pdf]has really upset some people.

At the beginning of the meeting in Singapore the IBA sounded impressed with their hosts. A few days day and a look behind the facade changed their impression of Singapore's judiciary.

They came, they saw, they published a report and the rejoinders from the Miinistry of Law and Lee Kuan Yew are all in step. Next the Ministry of Law will be arguing that the International Bar Association is conspiring to do 'Singapore' in...

The Wall Street Journal
July 23, 2008

Your editorial "Judging Singapore's Judiciary" (July 15) perpetuates the baseless allegations and errors of fact in the Report of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute.

The IBA Human Rights Institute's criticism of Singapore's judiciary is contradicted by the International Bar Association itself. Last year, IBA President Fernando Pombo said publicly that Singapore "has an outstanding legal profession, an outstanding judiciary, an outstanding academical world in relation to the law." You have suppressed this, and instead attributed the IBA Human Rights Institute's criticisms to the IBA, when the IBA President had stated the very opposite!

You also repeat the vague allegations in the Institute's Report that defamation suits involving the ruling party lack "impartiality and/or independence." The decisions of the Courts in these cases are matters of public record, and anyone questioning the verdicts can analyze and examine the decisions properly. Yet the Report contains nothing to back these claims.

Singapore ministers and government officials are held to the highest standards of probity and integrity. This has been recognized by international agencies like the Property and Environment Research Center and Transparency International. That is why investors put in billions of dollars into Singapore, and why Singapore is an oasis of prosperity and stability in Southeast Asia with one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world. Thus when scurrilous allegations of corruption are made, ministers and officials defamed will sue to clear their name. We see no virtue in becoming a society where anyone can freely publish untruths without having to back them up in court.

Further, contrary to the Report, all Supreme Court judges in Singapore enjoy "security of tenure" until retirement at 65. There is also no need to "put an end to the transfer of judges between executive and judicial roles" because Supreme Court judges cannot be transferred and there has never been such a transfer.

Western newspapers, NGOs and human rights groups like the IBA's Human Rights Institute prescribe Western norms as the way for other countries to "join the ranks of modern democracies." But not every Western norm is suitable to all countries in the world. Singapore cannot allow those who carry no responsibility for Singapore's future to dictate its political and legal systems. Singaporeans know that they have a noncorrupt government and an independent judiciary. They live in one of the top five most transparent countries in the world, with the freedom to express their views, oppose the government and take part in free and fair elections. Singaporeans will choose for themselves the shape and norms for their society.

S. Radha
Press Secretary to the Minister for Law
Singapore

Singapore’s 4th annual Pride Season is coming again - in August 2008. The list of events is rapidly coming together, and you can watch the list grow through the link “Calendar” below.

There are talks and forums, art and literature, and of course, fun social and outdoor events - for learning, celebrating and building bridges with those outside our communities. So please keep your evenings free in August and come to as many as you can.

All events are free of charge unless otherwise stated.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS (subject to last minute changes)

Register for private events
Indignation venues:

72-13
Post Museum
Play

List of sponsors and donors