CALD censures Singapore govt in resolution

According to The Father, The Son and the Holy Goh, 'Democracy' is a western thing. So what is going on here then?
27 Oct 05

First spotted at Singapore Democrats.

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) passed a resolution calling on the Singapore Government to stop denying Singaporeans of their political and civil rights

CALD is a regional organization comprising of eight democratic parties across Asia, including the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan, Thailand’s Democrat Party, the Gerakan Party of Malaysia and Philippines’ Liberal Party.

At its biennial General Assembly held on the 13-14 October 2005 in Taipei, Taiwan, CALD member parties voted unanimously to pass the resolution (see below). The resolution was adopted following Ms Chee’s presentation of the political situation in Singapore. She talked, among other issues, about the continued harassment of Mr Martyn See, the police action against the four CPF protesters, and the incarceration remisier Mr Boon Suan Ban. CALD’s member parties expressed their solidarity with the Singapore Democrats in our commitment to ensuring that the Singapore Government reforms its ways.

CALD Resolution No. 6 S. 2005

Noting that the Singapore Government has been investigating Martyn See for making the film Singapore Rebel about Singapore Democratic Party Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan and that See has been called up for questioning by the police on two occasions and that his filmmaking equipment has been seized.

Concerned that Martyn See’s associates, Jacob George and Tan Pin Pin, have also been called up for interrogation by the police.

Aware that the police had broken up a peaceful protest staged by four activists Chee Siok Chin, Monica Kumar, Charles Tan, and Yap Keng Ho on 11 August 2005 calling fror transparency and accountability in Singapore.

Citing the fact that the former remisier, Boon Suan Ban, of the Chief Justice in Singapore has been remanded “at the President’s pleasure” in the Institute of Mental Health after Mr Boon had been alleged to have harassed the Chief Justice Yong Pung How on financial matters before Mr Yong was appointed Chief Justice.

Watching developments of the police harassment of activists at Chee Soon Juan’s book launch when police seized a video disc when it accused the organizers of the book launch of illegally screening a video.

Alarmed that the Singapore Government had stopped Amnesty International spokesman Mr Tim Parritt from speaking at a public forum in Singapore on the death penalty.

Perplexed at the deportation of Mr Yeshua Moser from Nonviolence International when he arrived in Singapore to conduct a nonviolence workshop for Singaporean activists and the banning of the workshop itself.

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Council of Asian Liberals & Democrats (CALD) registers its disapproval of continued undemocratic actions of the Singapore Government and calls on it to stop its harassment of democracy activists and opposition parties, and to henceforth respect democratic principles and accord Singaporeans their political and civil rights.