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IBA
delegates aware of repression in Singapore
16 Oct
07
As Chee Soon Juan's protest in front of the Istana goes
into its second day, people continue to take note of not only his
message "No Arms, No deals to the Burmese junta" by the
PAP government but also how freedoms of speech, assembly and
expression are denied to the people.
In fact, some
International Bar Association (IBA) delegates, now attending
their annual conference at Suntec City came to see for themselves
how ridiculous the restrictions on protests are in Singapore.
Some of the delegates who are in Singapore for the first
time became aware of political repression and denial of the rule
of law through an eight-page flyer that has chronicled decades of
executive abuse of power by the PAP government.
One of
the delegates from Europe, holding a copy of the flyer said:
"it's preposterous. In spite of all this, the IBA is holding
its annual conference in Singapore."
Another
delegate from Switzerland, noting "how difficult it was for
the opposition in Singapore" said she understood the plight
of dissidents and admired their courage.
Referring to
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, a delegate said: "Why did they
(the IBA leadership) ask him to open the conference?
"I
know a thing or two about dictatorship and I'm from Colombia,"
he asserted.
Some delegates and officials from IBA have
contacted and will meet with SDP leaders.
Meanwhile, Mr
Philip Jeyaretnam, president of the Law Society in a press
statement has made an oblique reference
to the SDP by saying that the rule of law symposium scheduled for
Friday, 19 Oct should not be politicized.
The SDP has
absolutely no intention to do this. In fact Mr Jeyaretnam himself
chose to politicize this event by inviting Minister Mentor Lee to
speak at the opening ceremony. By doing so, he has given the PAP
a platform to spew its propaganda that must be rebutted
resolutely.
This will be done during the rule of law
symposium. To this end, we encourage all Singaporeans who are
interested in the rule of law, not the PAP style, to attend the
symposium. To register click here.
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