Think Centre's journey into a political society kicked off yesterday afternoon at the SIR Building. With the entourage of Christopher Neo, Melvin Tan, Tan Kong Soon and chief advisor James Gomez, Think Centre's Executive Director Sinapan Samydorai led the way up to the Registry of Societies (ROS) located on the sixth floor.
Received by a smiling Duty Officer at the much-improved reception desk (marble-top counter, cushioned sitting chairs et al), Samydorai symbolically handed in the Society Registration Application Package along with a draft Constitution at 12.30 pm.
While waiting for processing of the application, the five-some was joined by ex-Director Yaw Shin Leong, in a show of support. At 12.38 pm, the group was greeted by Ms Conceicao Jeanne Louise, Deputy Head of ROS. She spoke in private with Samydorai, Melvin Tan and Gomez in the adjoining Interview Room with regards to the application. At the private meeting, the trio was informed that:
- the processing period of the application would take two to three months; - the approval of the application was subjected to negotiations and dialogue on the limitation of the society's activities to members only, the prohibition of political party members from joining the society and the prohibition of foreign funding.
The meeting lasted only five minutes after the trio debriefed the rest waiting outside, before the group headed downstairs for the scheduled press briefing at 12.55 pm. The first gravel on the journey forestalled the group at the atrium outside the SIR building.
Whilst taking snapshots with the SIR logo, the group was stopped by a security officer on patrol, who disallowed all photo-taking activities within the premises of SIR building although the signs appear to indicate that no photography was allowed only inside of the building. As law-abiding citizens, the group obeyed the instructions. At 1 pm, the Straits Times arrived and got ready the video camera for the press briefing. The security officer charged up and halted the proceedings again.
Miffed by the intrusion and questioning the grounds for prohibition of video recording, the group was then confronted by a Mr Yong, a security officer-in-charge of SIR Building management at 1.10 pm. By then, three security officers were standing guard as if in anticipation of riotous behaviour. Think Centre members' names were taken down by him and curtly told not to conduct interview recordings at the atrium as it was within the "sacred" SIR premises.
The interview was thus conducted along Kallang Road under the blaring afternoon sun with security officers in tow. The saga ended around 1.30 pm before the group departed under watchful eyes of Mr Yong and the security coterie.
Think Centre remains puzzled by the arbitrary definitions of "building premises" and discretionary "security powers" by the SIR authorities. Surely, the first gravel of our journey has kicked in. Will there be pebbles, flintstones, boulders and humps up next?
