17 January 2009
Mr Wong says current laws are not adequate in dealing with civil disobedience. -- ST PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW
THE Government is reviewing existing public order laws, and may craft new legislation to deal with civil disobedience acts such as illegal protests.
In the works could be a new law to give the police pre-emptive powers, for instance, to act earlier to prevent people from congregating in certain places, such as Parliament House and the Istana.
DRAWING THE LINE
'You say you are peaceful, but we have seen all kinds of such acts of civil disobediences turned nasty. And now we have people who learnt from people overseas, and are getting them here to teach classes on tactics to maximise media attention. You can see some of these tactics in overseas marches and protests - such as chaining themselves to traffic lights or lamp-posts, and sit-ins to cause a traffic gridlock. These are not what we will allow.'
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The review is in tandem with a possible liberalisation of regulations affecting public gatherings, especially social and recreational ones.
Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, who is also Home Affairs Minister, revealed these moves in an interview with The Straits Times this week.
The legislative changes will be tabled in Parliament 'in the next few months', and passed in time for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit here in November.
The mega conference which Singapore is hosting is likely to attract protesters, both local and foreign, as happened during the World Bank-International Monetary Fund conference here in September 2006 and the Asean summit in November 2007.
Currently, activities such as protests and public speeches are regulated under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (Pema) and the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act (MOA) - alongside other public activities ranging from arts performances to beauty pageants.
This should not be the case, said Mr Wong. 'In managing public-order risks, we should not have a one-size-fits-all approach,' he said.
'We should not continue to have politics treated as entertainment. We should distinguish between social or recreational activities, and cause-related or ideologically-related activities.'
The distinction would allow Pema and MOA to be liberalised so that there can be greater self-regulation when it comes to social and recreational public gatherings, he said.
'For cause-related or ideologically-related activities, including those pertaining to race and religion, we should address them squarely as higher-risk.
'For this category, we must empower the police to deal with public-order problems more effectively, especially when mega-events are held.'
Current laws, which date back many decades and have evolved in 'piecemeal fashion', are 'not adequate' when dealing with those who engage in civil disobedience, he said.
Citing instances of civil disobedience such as those by Falungong followers, Myanmar dissidents and some opposition activists, he said:
'They make a show of breaking the law; the police watch and do nothing and can only follow up with investigation after the show is over when they pack up and leave,' he said. 'This cannot go on.'
Giving a sneak preview of what could be in the new law, he said his ministry had studied laws introduced in Australia in recent years.
These included powers given to the police to prevent protesters from gathering at designated spots and to compel them to 'move on'.
In Singapore, Parliament House, the Istana and the Supreme Court could be among the designated areas, with others added according to 'situational' circumstances.
At the same time, Mr Wong acknowledged the need to 'calibrate' the police's powers, and 'ensure access by those aggrieved to seek redress' from the minister or the Attorney-General's Chambers'.
The proposed new law comes after a series of acts of civil disobedience here.
Members of the Singapore Democratic Party have been charged with participating in illegal assemblies and speaking in public without a permit.
A group of Myanmar nationals also took part in a protest march against their country's junta during the Asean summit here in 2007.
Asked if the change marked a tightening up, Mr Wong said: 'For a group which wants to pursue civil disobedience, this would indeed be a tightening of the laws. But for such people, no matter what we do, it is never enough, short of letting them break laws at will and stage marches where and when they please.'
For those who wish to demonstrate, he noted the Government had liberalised laws concerning the use of Speakers' Corner. Outdoor demonstrations have been allowed there since last September.
There would be people who will perceive the review as politically motivated, the minister acknowledged.
'But for those who look deeper into the issue, I don't think they will really think we're out there to suppress political dissent. You can't - not in today's context anyway. On the Internet, you can find all kinds of political dissent. Have we suppressed them? No.'
Ultimately, the Government will 'evolve and adjust the public space for activism in tandem with how we evolve as a society', he said.
'But we must also remind those who want greater freedom that they must bear greater accountability for their actions. If they want to change things, they must work within the law, in which all have equal access and protection, regardless of the loudness of their voice or the size of their numbers and their threat to wreak disorder.'
prataman was reputated to be another one. however, very little was reported.
