Singapore had said there were security concerns about 27 of the hundreds of activists accredited by the World Bank.
The attempts by the Senior Minister and DPM Wong Kang Seng to explain the ban on activists attending the IMF/WB meeting are disingenuous to say nothing more.
Their statements must lead international observers to wonder at the level of intelligence of the Singapore Cabinet - to suppose that the explanations would be accepted.
Should not the government tell us what was agreed and what was not agreed when the proposal to hold the meeting in Singapore was first mooted.
Did the government make it clear then that no public demonstration or public gathering of activists from outside Singapore would be permitted.
Did the government make it clear that the government reserved the right to select which foriegn activist mau be allowed into Singapore.
The blatant ban by the police raises in strong focus the credibility of the government in the eyes of the international community.
If it was the intention to totally ban any public activity, this should have been made very clear to the IMF/WB. Trust is the sine qua non which governs international relations.
If the world now sees that Singapore cannot be trusted, who will want to do business with it. The World Bank's Managing Director is reported to have said in Hanoi that the conduct of the Singapore government would be a factor in deciding the venue for future conferences. It is a clear signal that the credibility of the host government will have to be taken into account.
The government should ponder very seriously the damage the ban is doing in Singapore.
J B Jeyaretnam
11 September 2006
