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By Leonard Lim
The Straits Times
Saturday, Jan 19, 2013
SINGAPORE - Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam has issued a challenge to Workers' Party MP Pritam Singh over a parliamentary question he filed last Monday that linked Singapore's decision to abstain on a UN resolution on Palestine to its vulnerability to terrorism.
Mr Singh (Aljunied GRC) asked if Singapore's decision to abstain on the resolution to elevate Palestine to a non-member observer state last November increased its vulnerability to terrorists sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
As that question was not answered during question time on Monday, Mr Shanmugam issued a written reply.
He said Singapore's position on that particular United Nations resolution has neither made it more nor less vulnerable to terrorism.
"If we had a different position on this issue it would not have reduced the threat to us either. Singapore continues to be vigilant because the threat of terrorism to Singapore, regardless of our voting position on this or other issues, remains a constant challenge," he added.
He challenged Mr Singh to state if he believed a change in Singapore's voting position would make the country more secure, adding that he would take serious note if that was indeed the Aljunied MP's view.
It is not the first time that Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister, has challenged a stand taken by Mr Singh in Parliament.
In October 2011, the minister challenged Mr Singh to state whether he believed the mainstream media was controlled by the Government, during an exchange on a Freedom of Information Act, which Mr Singh championed.
On the Palestine issue, Mr Shanmugam also took the opportunity in his written reply to explain once more that Singapore abstained on the non-member observer state resolution because it believes that "only a negotiated settlement consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 242 can provide the basis for a viable, long-term solution".
Apart from the resolution on Palestine's observer state status, there are approximately 19 resolutions on various Palestine-related issues tabled annually at the UN General Assembly. Singapore has consistently voted in favour of all of them, he noted.
Mr Singh told The Straits Times via e-mail on Tuesday that it is debatable if a change in Singapore's voting position would make the country more secure.
He said Singapore's decision to abstain was in contrast to all other Asean member states, and an overwhelming number of UN member states, which voted in favour.
He added that Singapore's even-handed position, "sharing the desires of the Palestinians for an independent state, and that of Israel for its security", may have been misunderstood by some Singaporeans in favour of the latter because of the abstention.
[email protected]
The Straits Times
Saturday, Jan 19, 2013
SINGAPORE - Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam has issued a challenge to Workers' Party MP Pritam Singh over a parliamentary question he filed last Monday that linked Singapore's decision to abstain on a UN resolution on Palestine to its vulnerability to terrorism.
Mr Singh (Aljunied GRC) asked if Singapore's decision to abstain on the resolution to elevate Palestine to a non-member observer state last November increased its vulnerability to terrorists sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
As that question was not answered during question time on Monday, Mr Shanmugam issued a written reply.
He said Singapore's position on that particular United Nations resolution has neither made it more nor less vulnerable to terrorism.
"If we had a different position on this issue it would not have reduced the threat to us either. Singapore continues to be vigilant because the threat of terrorism to Singapore, regardless of our voting position on this or other issues, remains a constant challenge," he added.
He challenged Mr Singh to state if he believed a change in Singapore's voting position would make the country more secure, adding that he would take serious note if that was indeed the Aljunied MP's view.
It is not the first time that Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister, has challenged a stand taken by Mr Singh in Parliament.
In October 2011, the minister challenged Mr Singh to state whether he believed the mainstream media was controlled by the Government, during an exchange on a Freedom of Information Act, which Mr Singh championed.
On the Palestine issue, Mr Shanmugam also took the opportunity in his written reply to explain once more that Singapore abstained on the non-member observer state resolution because it believes that "only a negotiated settlement consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 242 can provide the basis for a viable, long-term solution".
Apart from the resolution on Palestine's observer state status, there are approximately 19 resolutions on various Palestine-related issues tabled annually at the UN General Assembly. Singapore has consistently voted in favour of all of them, he noted.
Mr Singh told The Straits Times via e-mail on Tuesday that it is debatable if a change in Singapore's voting position would make the country more secure.
He said Singapore's decision to abstain was in contrast to all other Asean member states, and an overwhelming number of UN member states, which voted in favour.
He added that Singapore's even-handed position, "sharing the desires of the Palestinians for an independent state, and that of Israel for its security", may have been misunderstood by some Singaporeans in favour of the latter because of the abstention.
[email protected]
