The Apolitical Singaporean

Weekend • March 11, 2006
Reported by Lee u-wen

Abstract from TODAY online news reports on the Apolitical Singaporean,

In a recent survey of more than 500 people conducted by the Political Development Feedback Group, a body under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), 63.4 per cent of Singaporeans said they knew little or nothing about the Constitution and the organs of state.

But wait, it gets more worrying.

Two-thirds or more than 66 per cent of Singaporeans believe that they have little or no influence at all on national issues.

A whopping 92.7 per cent have never given feedback to the Government.

94.9 per cent have never written letters to a newspaper.

And 94.5 per cent don't know what it's like to sign a petition..."

The entire report can be read here.

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Questions to ask, "How accurate are the statistics? Are Singaporeans really that apathetic? Fear Factor? etc etc "

Singapore rejects maids' day off

I read in the Jakart Post that the agencies are drawing up plans so the women can have one day off a month. Very generous I am sure. But if they can be given one day off every month then doesn't that render the argument from Hawazi Daipi as redundant?

The maids usually come from other Asian countries

From the BBC.
The authorities in Singapore have rejected calls for foreign maids to be given a mandatory day off each week.
Prescribing minimum terms and conditions for the maids would inconvenience many households, a manpower ministry official said.

Human rights groups have long expressed concern over the way many foreign maids are treated in Singapore.

The 150,000 foreign maids employed in the country mostly come from Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

About one in six families in Singapore employs a foreign maid.

Hawazi Daipi, senior parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Manpower, told Singapore's parliament that specifying a compulsory day off for the maids would lead to "rigidities".

"For example, some households have elderly or infirm members with special needs who require constant attention, and may find it difficult to release the domestic worker for a prescribed period every week," he said.

But Mr Daipi stressed that maids nevertheless had to be given "adequate rest", and employees who did not ensure this was the case could be fined up to 5,000 Singapore dollars (US$3,066) and jailed for up to six months.

Overwork was just one of the abuses suffered by foreign maids in Singapore as highlighted by US rights group Human Rights Watch in a report in December.

The report also alleged that the maids were frequently denied food, pay and social contact, as well as suffering physical abuse.

Singapore's government said the report was grossly exaggerated.

In Hong Kong, where an even larger number of maids work, they are granted one day off every week and a day off on public holidays.

Democratic ideals are not negotiable

The Nation
Fri, March 10, 2006
Last updated 14:44 pm (Thai local time)

Any end to the political crisis is unacceptable if it means Thaksin's transgressions are left unpunished

Thailand appears to have reached a political impasse, with the mass campaign to oust Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra intensifying and the embattled leader showing no intention of loosening his grip on power. With the conflict between the two sides seemingly on a collision course, a call for a negotiated end to this political crisis appears to offer an attractive alternative to a potentially violent confrontation.

On Wednesday, Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont lent credence to the idea that differences between Thaksin and his opponents could still be ironed out at the negotiating table when he said dialogue between the two sides would be the best course of action to end the stalemate. He added that the political disturbance, if allowed to drag on, could cause further divisiveness among the people and hurt national interests.

Reacting to Surayud's suggestion, a beleaguered Thaksin said he was ready to hold talks with his opponents, whom he has described as troublemakers bent on subverting the country's democracy. The anti-Thaksin movement, comprising mainly the middle class and members of civil society, is demanding that Thaksin resign unconditionally, a prerequisite for comprehensive political reform to be followed by a free and fair election.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Thaksin continued his tirade against his opponents, accusing them of causing political turmoil by organising frequent street protests and faulting the main opposition parties, led by the Democrats, for short-circuiting the parliamentary process and vowing to boycott the snap election scheduled for April 2.

Thaksin has tried to portray himself as a man of principle who plays by the rules, pointing out that his decision to dissolve the House of Representatives was made so that the political conflict between him and his opponents could be resolved by voters at the ballot box.

But Thaksin's self-praise and condemnation of opponents must be taken with a grain of salt.

It must be made clear that elections are only one of several key features of a democracy. There are other important elements, such as functioning independent watchdogs to provide checks and balances against the government and a level playing field for political parties to compete in the poll, as well as unfettered civil liberties, including freedom of the media and citizens' rights to freedom of expression.

Through ruthless machinations, including skilful manipulation of populist policies, Thaksin, the richest man in Thai politics, has bankrolled his Thai Rak Thai Party to two consecutive landslide electoral victories and an unprecedented parliamentary majority. As the most powerful elected politician and wielding virtual absolute power, he has proceeded to undermine constitutionally sanctioned watchdog agencies, intimidate the bureaucracy into submission, muzzle the media and bend rules and regulations to his advantage.

His strategies and tactics were designed to enable him to achieve and monopolise political power and then perpetuate his grip on it, so that his self-serving agenda could be pursued unchallenged and his personal gains maximised. His close associates, including some Cabinet members, have also benefited from their alleged involvement in an unbroken string of corruption scandals over the past five years.

The manner in which his family sold its controlling stake in Shin Corp, a conglomerate founded by Thaksin, to Singapore's Temasek Holdings for a tax-free Bt73.3 billion encapsulates his masterful exploitation of legal loopholes, tendency to use political power to advance selfish interest and slight regard for those he vowed to serve.

From this perspective, there really is nothing that can be gained from negotiations between Thaksin and his opponents. Or to be more precise, there is nothing that can be negotiated in the first place unless one is prepared to compromise on such democratic principles as sound governance, the rule of law and public accountability.

In other words, a negotiated end to this political conflict will be acceptable only if it is acceptable to allow a politician like Thaksin to escape punishment for alleged corruption, abuse of authority, conflicts of interest - the kind of transgressions that fly in the face of democratically minded people everywhere.

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This is not an editoral about Singapore but Thai's Opposition reluctance to an election is aptly explained. Can someone see the similarity between what is going on now in Thailand and Singapore? In fact, I think we can replace "Thailand" with "Singapore" in many instances in this piece of editorial... The Thais refuse an election because the system is unfair. Can Singapore take a leaf out of the book?

Imminent threat of detention and imprisonment of Singapore Opposition figure

http://www.singaporedemocrat.org./articlecontemptofcourt1.html

6 Mar 06

Urgent Action
Prompt Intervention Requested

Imminent threat of detention and imprisonment of Singapore Opposition figure

Dr. CHEE, Soon Juan, the Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party was cited for Contempt of Court for comments he made which the court considered critical of the Judiciary in Singapore.

Contempt carries no maximum penalty, and the court is now considering imprisoning the opposition leader for his comments.

This is on top of a suit brought against Dr. Chee by a former Prime Minister, in which Dr. Chee question the policy of loans to Suharto at an election rally. The results of the previous suit prohibits Dr. Chee from standing for any elected seat under the Singapore law system.

I request prompt intervention on his pending imprisonment for speaking his opinion be made by the OHCHR [Office of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights http://www.ohchr.org/english/] immediately.

Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan
International Council Member
Nonviolence International
NGO in Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC

Singapore - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 by US Department of State

Abstracts of The report focusing on events in the year 2005, "

.... The government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; however, there were significant problems in some areas. The government has broad powers to limit citizens' rights and to handicap political opposition, which it used in practice. Caning was an allowable punishment for numerous offenses. The following human rights problems were reported:

* preventive detention
* executive influence over the judiciary
* infringement of citizens' privacy rights
* restriction of speech and press freedom, and the practice of self-censorship by journalists
* restriction of freedom of assembly and freedom of association
* some restriction on freedom of religion
* some trafficking in persons

....

... At year's end, 36 detainees were being held under the ISA as suspected terrorists. Of these detainees, 33 were suspected of belonging to the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, and 3 were suspected of membership in the Philippines-based Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The first arrests of suspected terrorists occurred in 2001; another group was arrested in 2002, additional arrests took place in 2003 and 2004, and on August 5, a suspected Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist was arrested. Some of those detained have been released under restriction orders (ROs). A person subject to an RO must seek official approval for a change of address or occupation and for overseas travel and participation in any public organization or activity. Approximately 19 persons were under ROs as of mid-October; this number included both released detainees and suspected terrorists who were never arrested but who have been placed under ROs ...

... Government leaders historically have used court proceedings, in particular defamation suits, against political opponents and critics (see sections 2.a. and 3). Both this practice and consistent awards in favor of government plaintiffs raised questions about the relationship between the government and the judiciary and led to a perception that the judiciary reflected the views of the ruling party in politically sensitive cases. On January 6, the High Court awarded former prime minister Goh Chok Tong and former senior minister Lee Kuan Yew $300 thousand (S$500 thousand) in damages for comments made by opposition leader Chee Soon Juan the 2001 election campaign...

.... In August 2004 the government relaxed the Public Entertainment and Meetings Act (PEMA), which requires a permit for virtually any form of public speech or entertainment (see section 2.b.). Citizens do not need a permit to speak at indoor public gatherings outside the hearing or view of nonparticipants, unless the topic refers to race or religion. Nevertheless, police continued to invoke the PEMA for minor public protests. On August 28, eight cardboard cutout white elephants were placed outside a subway station to coincide with the visit of a government minister. Area residents complained that the station remained unopened despite being completed and thus was a "white elephant." Police initiated an investigation under the PEMA to determine the identity of the perpetrators, who could have been fined up to $6 thousand (S$10 thousand) for violation of the PEMA...

... In April the government allowed a foreign researcher from Amnesty International to attend a public forum on the death penalty but not to speak. Plainclothes police who were present at the forum demanded to see the forum moderator's identity card to verify that she was a citizen. In May the government denied entry to a foreign national, Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, who had been invited by the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) to speak at a public workshop on nonviolent action. The Ministry of Home Affairs noted that foreigners were not allowed to interfere in domestic politics. The government also reportedly banned the workshop on nonviolence that he was scheduled to attend...

... The Films Act bans political advertising using films or videos as well as films directed towards any political purpose. The act does not apply to any film sponsored by the government, and the act allows the MICA minister, subject to such conditions as he sees fit, to exempt any film from the act. Under government pressure a local filmmaker withdrew his film Singapore Rebel, about opposition leader Dr. Chee Soon Juan, from the Singapore International Film Festival in March. Police questioned the filmmaker about his film on May 16 and August 29. They ordered him to surrender his video camera, courier invoices, and tapes of his film. Although no criminal charges have been filed against him, authorities claimed that his film violated the Films Act, which prohibits films "directed towards any domestic political end." If charged and convicted, the filmmaker could be jailed for up to two years or fined up to $60 thousand (S$100 thousand). In protest of this investigation, an activist filed a complaint against the national broadcaster, MediaCorp, for screening two programs about the ruling People's Action Party leaders. The activist claimed that the Films Act is politically biased in favor of the ruling party. Other restrictions tightly control the types of campaign materials that can be distributed by or about candidates and parties during an election...

...The government prosecuted three individuals for allegedly racist remarks they made on the Internet, accusing all three of violating the Sedition Act. The court sentenced one to one month in jail, another to one day. The third individual, who was 17 years old, was placed on probation and ordered to do 180 hours of community service in Malay welfare organizations...

... On August 11, four protestors assembled outside the Central Provident Fund building to demand greater transparency and accountability in the state-managed pension fund and other government agencies. After more than a dozen antiriot police and several other officers warned the protestors they could be charged with "public nuisance" and ordered them to disperse, the protestors left. On September 30, three of the protestors petitioned the High Court asking that it declare the police dispersal "unconstitutional"; on December 7, the court dismissed the action...

... The government closely monitored political gatherings regardless of the number of persons present. Plainclothes police officers attended and videotaped a July 9 book launch by opposition figure Chee Soon Juan. After his presentation, the police questioned Chee and seized a video of protests by Hong Kong residents that had been playing in the background. The police claimed that Chee did not have a certificate for public display of the video...

....In August police allowed a concert opposing the death penalty on condition that the photograph of a drug trafficker executed in May be removed from all publicity and information materials about the concert. In July police disapproved the permit for the fourth annual gay and lesbian beach festival, after having approved the festival in prior years. On April 27, two female practitioners of Falun Gong were fined $12 thousand (S$20 thousand) and $14,400 (S$24 thousand) respectively for unlawful assembly and distribution of video compact discs about the group. In April police rejected the application of former opposition leader J.B. Jeyaretnam to demonstrate against the decision to license the city's first casino. In March the MICA minister upheld an MDA decision not to allow a concert organized by a gay group to raise money for HIV/AIDs...

... On August 13, the committee decided that the PAP‑endorsed incumbent, President S.R. Nathan, was the only qualified candidate out of four applicants. The election was cancelled and Nathan was inaugurated for a second term on September 1. The government placed significant obstacles in the way of opposition political figures' presidential candidacies...

... On December 6, the international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a detailed report on actual and potential abuses of foreign domestic workers and recommended remedial actions. On December 7, the Ministry of Manpower issued a press statement citing its efforts over the past few years to address the concerns highlighted in the HRW report and reiterating that it does not tolerate abuse or exploitation of foreign domestic workers... "

The entire report can be read here.

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Strangely, there is no mention of the death penalty in the entire report ... could be attributed to the fact that certain states within USA still has capital punishment.

Campaign against Thai PM blasts Singapore

Thu Mar 9, 2006 4:10 PM IST

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Protesters trying to oust Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra marched on the Singapore embassy on Thursday demanding the city state scrap its $1.9 billion telecoms purchase of the business empire he founded.

The demonstration was peaceful, but a small bomb went off outside the residence of the chief adviser to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, slightly wounding a British man.

There was no immediate explanation for the bomb, the latest of several in Bangkok linked to the campaign against Thaksin but the first in daylight and the first to hurt anyone.

The embassy protesters, who accuse Thaksin of selling off national security assets such as satellites and phone networks to Singapore state investment firm Temasek, threatened to boycott Singaporean goods and services if their demands were not met.

The protest by the 2,000-strong crowd, chanting "Thailand's not for sale" and "Singapore shouldn't join Thaksin to rob Thailand", was an off-shoot of the growing push to oust Thaksin.

The campaign has taken off since Temasek bought a controlling 49.6 percent stake in Shin Corp from Thaksin's relatives in January. Other shareholders had until Thursday to accept a 49.25 baht ($1.26) mandatory tender offer.

The tax-free nature of the sale, which Thaksin said was intended in part to answer opposition charges of conflicts of interest, outraged Bangkok's middle classes.

He called a snap election for April 2 to try to neutralise foes who accuse him of corruption and abuses of power.

The three main opposition parties are boycotting the election, saying it cannot be free and fair as Thaksin has taken over institutions meant to be independent.

But, at least on Thursday, the focus of the campaign by the extra-parliamentary People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) switched to Singapore.

BOYCOTT THREAT

Kraisak Choonhavan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, urged Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long to "help address allegations of impropriety from this transaction and clarify any misunderstanding between our peoples".

"I truly feel the relationship between our two countries must not be jeopardised as a result of a single business transaction," he wrote in a letter to Lee.

Consumer rights advocates issued a list of Singapore or Shin-related boycott targets ranging from mobile phone firms to banks.

"We don't oppose foreign investment in Thailand, but we oppose foreign investors who exploit Thai legal loopholes by using Thai nominees to own national strategic assets of Thailand," said lead protester Rosana Tositrakul.

"Who would give a damn if they were buying a cake factory?"

The Singapore embassy said in a statement the deal was a private-sector affair executed "purely on a commercial basis".

"The Singapore government is not involved," it said.

Temasek, 100 percent owned by the Singapore government and run by Ho Ching, the wife of the prime minister, has not responded directly to the call by protesters to pull out of the deal, but has said it is happy with its investment.

Some in the Thai market are not so sure.

"It has become a political issue and we don't know whether there will be any change," said Solaya Sariyalak of Kim Eng Securities.

One veteran Singapore businessman said the boycott threat worried compatriots, who own a wide spectrum of businesses in Thailand from banks to breweries.

"This thing will affect us if it comes to full momentum," said the businessman, a resident of Thailand for 20 years.

"If they boycott the goods, we cannot sell products, deal with customers, so what's the point of being in Thailand?"



© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Singapore rejects calls for maids' mandatory day off

SINGAPORE, March 9 (Reuters) - Singapore's government has rejected calls to give foreign maids a mandatory rest day -- a standard practice for workers covered by its Employment Act -- because such time off could "inconvenience" many households. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) last year urged Singapore to provide better legal protection for foreign maids.

By excluding maids from its Employment Act, Singapore's labour laws failed to comply with international law, it said, urging Singapore to follow Hong Kong's example by protecting maids' rights to a weekly rest day and a minimum wage.

But Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower, Hawazi Daipi, told parliament on Wednesday that prescribing minimum employment terms and conditions for maids would inevitably lead to "rigidities and inconvenience" for many families.

"Some households have elderly or infirm members with special needs who require constant attention and may find it difficult to release the domestic worker for a prescribed period every week," Daipi said.

About one in six households in Singapore employs a foreign maid, enabling couples to work and raise families. About 160,000 such workers -- mainly from Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka -- are currently employed in the city-state.

The Ministry of Manpower, which said the HRW report grossly exaggerated the abuse and lack of rights of maids in Singapore, urged consumer watchdog bodies and maid agencies to produce standard employment contracts to include terms such as rest days.

"Employers are held responsible for the well-being of their foreign domestic workers, including the provision of adequate rest," said Daipi.

Employers who breach these work permit conditions can be fined up to S$5,000 and served with a jail term of up to six months, he added.

Autocracy Backed by Influence, Money and Control of the Media

The following extract appeared in the Guardian Newspaper and the insightful observations are provided by Simon Tay of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Mr Thaksin appears to have been paying particular attention to a fellow member of ASEAN.
[...]

A number of factors have contributed to Mr Thaksin's plight, said Simon Tay of the Singapore institute. "Many reformers and civil society groups feel Thaksin is undermining democratic institutions and free media ... They suspect he is moving towards a new form of autocracy backed not by military force but by influence, money and control of the media."

[...]
Which country could Mr Thaksin be trying to emulate?

While media and democratic freedoms matter to some, many more Thais focus on jobs and economic growth," Mr Tay said. "The different [opposition] groups are not united ... There seems no clear alternative to Thaksin."

To read the article in full.

6,000 Vietnamese women, children trafficked abroad in 2005

From People's Daily Online

Vietnam reported 6,000 local women and children were trafficked abroad mainly for disadvantaged marriage, child adoption, and labor and sex slavery in 2005, a local official told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The victims were sent overseas mainly in the forms of touring and working abroad, and illegally crossing borders through border gates, the official from the Ho Chi Minh City Children Sponsoring Association said, declining to be named.

Many victims were trafficked to Cambodia, some of them, using fake passports, were eventually sent to a third destination like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, she said.

The Vietnamese government has recently adopted four projects on combating trafficking of children and women in the 2005-2010 period, which focus on four areas, namely strengthening propaganda and education on preventing children and women trafficking in the community, intensifying fights against human trafficking, building up legal documents on the issue, and giving stronger support to victims.

Source: Xinhua

Thai protest group calls for Singapore goods boycott

Boycotting is so last year...Well 2nd of December 2005 to be exact. Why is the Australian media paying so much attention?
By South-East Asia correspondent Peter Lloyd

A protest movement trying to force the resignation of Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has called for a boycott of products from Singapore.

The purchase of Mr Thaksin's family-run telecommunication business empire by the Singapore government investment arm Temasek sparked big demonstrations after the Prime Minister's family paid no tax on the deal.

The anti-Government protest movement operates under the name of the People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD.

Today the umbrella group published a list of 100 products or companies it says have ties to Thaksin Shinawatra and called for a consumer boycott.

The list includes Singapore Airlines, several banks and beer companies as well as multinationals with ties to the prime Minister's ruling Thai Rak Thai party.

The PAD is planning another major protest in Bangkok next Tuesday to coincide with the next scheduled meeting of cabinet.

Mr Thaksin says he won't resign and is preparing to fight elections on the second of April.

A boycott of the poll by the three main opposition parties has created a political crisis, and led to calls for Thailand's revered King to appoint an interim prime minister.