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Charles Tan
Law and justice are
not always the same. When they aren't, destroying the law may be
the first step toward changing it.
-
Gloria Steinem
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Vantage
Legalise
peaceful assembly
Charles Tan
12 Sep 07
It
is time the Singapore Government recognises the people's right
to public assembly and to stop harassing those who exercise
their basic rights to come together peacefully to advocate a
cause.
A recent flurry of events have seen activists and
ordinary people coming physically together to stage protests or
organise public outings which have been deemed illegal.
They
include:
I. a procession involving 23 Burmese nationals
who were believed to be protesting against the fuel hike in
their home country;
II. an anti-Odex protest in which
the ISPs disclosed the identities of the "illegal
downloaders". A mock demonstration of "People's Action
Figures Party" by 8 people was harshly dealt with by the
presence of the riot police squad;
III. A permit was
rejected for the Worker's Party cycling event to be held in
conjunction with its 50th anniversary;
IV. Two social
events on the IndigNation (Singapore's gay pride month) events
calendar were banned - a picnic at the Botanic gardens and a
jogging endeavour.
These recent activities, over the
period of a month, indicate that people are slowly but surely
waking up to the idea that peaceful protests or public
assemblies are inalienable rights that cannot be taken away in
spite of the PAP's draconian laws. Moreover, the right to
peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, Article 20, of which Singapore is a
signatory.
Despite being a signatory of the Declaration
and a member of the United Nations, the Singapore Government has
violated our rights by banning peaceful protests without giving
any satisfactory reasons. The police often cites "maintenance
of public order" to support their claim. This is a
ludicrous argument and baseless considering that peaceful
protests is one of the means through which people come together
to express themselves.
The often used argument that
public assemblies degenerate into violent scuffles or riots is
one that the PAP Government advances to perpetuate this
illegitimate law. Whether a protest becomes violent or otherwise
depends on situational factors that is unrelated to the nature
of protests itself.
In countries where protests are
legal, the police often act as road marshals. They are present
to facilitate the protests and to keep peace and order.
Public
assemblies and protests are a vital indication of the health of
a democracy and its civil society. More often than not, they
reflect community and grassroots sentiments. Protests are
organised because activists feel strongly or empathise with a
certain cause. To ban it as a form of public expression is to
deny the legitimate concerns of these people. Protests are also
important, for they may highlight simmering current
socio-political dilemmas and issues which the larger society and
the government may have neglected.
Banning public
assemblies is also a sign of governmental insecurity. Within
Southeast Asia, only closed societies such as Burma have banned
protests. Even in Thailand, which is still under martial law,
protests are common occurrences.
It is time that the
Singapore Government reacts rationally and logically to the
"public assembly debate", whether as an indication of
moving towards a more open society; to encourage increasing
grassroots participation; or growth of a more robust civil
society.
To this end, the police should also drop all
pending investigations and charges against those who have been
involved in peaceful public protests or assemblies.
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