The United Nations have dedicated this year's theme to upholding the ideal of “Equality: Reducing inequalities and advancing human rights”... The past two years since the pandemic broke out have exacerbated existing inequalities; whatever is left of our fundamental freedoms were also severely threatened... In our 2015 commentary, Think Centre highlighted the extensive and lingering presence of repressive draconian laws... it would have been unimaginable to think the situation could worsen.... the introduction of POFMA and FICA... only reflect the adversarial and suspicious attitudes and lack of faith in the citizenry by the incumbent political leaders...
Keep Reading →The pandemic has also exposed some old myths. With the Circuit Breaker in place, Work-From-Home has become the default norm. Services workers are now seen as very important to upkeep the sanitation and essential to keep the operations of supermarkets running. Even as cheers and claps for health care workers are replicated here, heroes being made out of food delivery workers and cleaners, there is a lag and gap in the national conversation to redress them through better wage structures and policies.
Keep Reading →Jolovan is an active and valued member of Singapore's civil society. He has laboured for years in service of improving the conditions of migrant workers in Singapore and has also fought for the rights of Singaporeans by working on issues such as free speech, freedom of assembly, detention without trial, opposition to the death penalty and other civil liberties. Peaceful assemblies and protests should never be a crime. The Singapore Government in its response to the recommendations made during the second UPR cycle said “Our laws allow our citizens to enjoy the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly while protecting the larger public interests of preserving public order and security” (A/HRC/32/17/Add.1, Para. 49). The prosecution of Jolovan Wham clearly indicates the gap between official rhetoric and the present ground reality.
Keep Reading →Our island state was founded more than 50 years ago on the basis of “one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation”. .. Half a century later, these very ideals have been eroded to the point where the livelihood of citizens are threatened ... wealth inequality has not improved in the last 5 years and income growth has slowed across the board except for the wealthiest. No matter how much assistance the government gives, there will always remain a segment of the population that cannot catch up. This is when social expenditure of the government must increase. .. The current exploitative nature of work is unsustainable where its workers clocked 2,371.2 hours in 2016, the longest in the world. .. It is ironic that the hardworking and old Singaporean workers cannot afford to retire even after a lifetime contributing to the nation’s economy. .. what then is the social contract of Singaporeans with regard to its employers and government?
Keep Reading →A pioneering leader in our struggle for independence against British rule, he was a leader of the Barisan Socialis, co-founder of the People’s Action Party, and an ardent trade unionist. Mr Fong Swee Suan left his mark on the early struggles for Singapore’s political freedom, self-determination and fight for the common workers’ dignity.
Keep Reading →The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and its Singaporean member, Think Centre, condemn the passage of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Bill by the Singaporean Parliament on Monday 15 August. It further restricts the limited right to freedom of expression and press freedom in the country. The new Law deems contempt of court a criminal offence punishable by disproportionate penalties and provides a vague and broad definition of contempt including prejudicing court matters, disobeying court orders, and scandalising the courts. “The Law can be used to silence citizens, civil society, and human rights organisations from voicing their opinions over any judicial process. Speaking out on judicial errors as part of exercising the right to freedom of expression is essential to exposing injustice,” says Mukunda Kattel, Director of FORUM-ASIA. “Given the tremendously difficult situation in Singapore regarding freedom of expression, the new Law can only be seen as another attempt by the Government to restrict the work of civil society,” adds Samydorai Sinapan, Director of ASEAN Affairs, Think Centre.
Keep Reading →We are alarmed that Singapore has rejected nearly half of the 236 recommendations it received. This sets a negative precedence regionally and globally for the UPR process and is a disturbing indication of the country’s unwillingness to cooperate with international human rights processes.
Keep Reading →Without an independent way of verifying the government’s claims about compliance, it is critical that a national human rights institution be established immediately in accordance with the Paris Principles. Prolonged detentions without judicial review under the Internal Security Act and the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act continue with no transparency over the numbers being detained. Executions often take place without adequate warning given to the prisoners or their families. We regret that the government rejected the 25 recommendations that called for the abolition of the death penalty and corporal punishment.
Keep Reading →Forum-Asia and its member, Think Centre are gravely concerned about the legal harassment of two online activists, Roy Ngerng and Teo Soh Lung. They are currently under police investigation for allegedly breaching the election law by posting election related content on their Facebook account the day before the polling on 6 May 2016, widely known as ‘Cooling-off Day’. The investigation of the two bloggers is a clear attempt of the Singaporean Government to create a climate of fear, and to silence any critics, especially in online spaces. We call on the Singaporean Government to immediately cease the investigations of Roy Ngerng and Teo Soh Lung, to return their assets and to respect their right to freedom of expression. We further demand the Singaporean Government to fully implement their adopted recommendations from the first cycle of the UPR, and accept all pending recommendations from the second cycle of the UPR, including the ratification of core human rights treaties, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Stop harassing online activists and allow the freedom of expression.
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