SDP calls off planned talk at Fajar after permit was rejected by police (again)
October 26th, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
The Singapore Democratic Party has called off a planned public talk on the Fajar wet-market furore after its application for a permit to do so was rejected by the police.
SDP did not reveal the reasons behind the rejection on its website except that it “will continue to work in Bukit Panjang to highlight the concerns of residents and stallholders there over the continuing saga of the sale of the wet market to Sheng Siong.”
The Singapore police has usually rejected applications by the opposition parties to hold public talks and events while those by the ruling party are always given the approval.
In 2007, the Workers’ Party’s application to organize a cycling trip for its members at East Coast Park was rejected by the police on the grounds of “security concerns”.
However, another PAP event was allowed to be held a week later which was graced by the Prime Minister himself.
In 2008, 18 SDP members and activists were charged for holding an illegal procession outside Parliament House against rising cost of living while hundreds of members of CASE led by a PAP MP was able to host a protest against “junk food” a day earlier.
The double standards practiced by the police and the criminalization of legitimate political activity is detrimental to the growth of the opposition as well as the civil society in Singapore.
Singaporeans can only complain to one another about the government in private discussions, but are unable to express their resentment and disgruntlement openly in public.
The opposition is prevented from making its presence felt in the community and is limited to making only walkabout sessions where their impact will be minimal as compared to a speech made in public.
Singaporeans must hold the police accountable to their actions: why are such applications to speak in the public rejected time and again? What are real security issues? Why are salespersons allowed to promote and sell their wares in public?
If the Singapore police cannot even handle a public forum with less than a hundred spectators, how can we expect it to take charge of major events like the upcoming APEC summit meetings?
The police must always remember that they serve the citizens of Singapore and not the ruling party. They are servants of the people who are paid by taxpayers’ monies.
The stranglehold exerted by the ruling party on political discourse in Singapore through the use of draconian laws, police and mainstream media has led to a gradual de-politicizing of Singapore society over the years.
The majority of young Singaporeans are politically apathetic and ignorant with few aware of the latest national issues and current affairs.
The ruling party is so used to its political hegemony over the years that it seems to forget the fact that Singapore is a democracy and not a one-party dictatorship.
Despite the odds stacked against them, SDP continues to stage regular walkabouts to reach out to the people and to listen to their concerns. They visited Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC yesterday.
Unless more and more Singaporeans are aware of the unfair and unreasonable practices adopted by the police force to curtail their civil and political rights as guaranteed under the Constitution, we will forever be at the mercy of the ruling party.
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21 Responses to “SDP calls off planned talk at Fajar after permit was rejected by police (again)”
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A minor correction.
“The Singapore police has usually rejected applications by the opposition parties to hold public talks and events while those by the ruling party are always given the approval.”
Should read: The Singapore police is under instructions to ALWAYS REJECT applications by the opposition parties to hold public talks and events while those by the ruling party are always given the approval.
SDP should press harder on other more pressing issues which could seriously dent PAP’s standing with singaporeans like HDB;s overpriced flats and the rising number of Immigrants who are snatching jobs from us..
Instead of focusing on the wet market issue which has already been confirmed that it will not be converted into a supermart..
at least that’s what i would like to see my opposition do..
just my 2 cents..
one question though what about the walkabouts the Reform party held? Does that not require a permit?
What about grassroot events held in Potong Pasir & Hougang? Those will be attended by the MP and other folks not from the establishment. Are those also explicitly rejected as well?
Then there are the rallies. If the police is nothing more than a tool then those should have been not allowed at all too. (Nothing but PAP rallies for you lot!) While it is true that the the other parties do not get their day in the sun and that the police is also guilty of being overly paranoid. I think if the people are so fed up then we really should push for more opposition MPs. Make minor tweaks to the legislation so that permits can be received for events that must stick to the rules of engagement.
The states for example, have very strict enforcement policies. The moment anyone holding a protest breaks the rules, they get severely handled. Basically, you break the rules there you taste police brutality.
I am personally supportive of any movement to make this nation a better run country. As long as no one goes around making wild accusations, I just cannot stand for that.
CSL
Walkabouts DO NOT require a permit and Election Rallies fall under a different class of its own, under the PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT. I stand corrected.
“While it is true that the the other parties do not get their day in the sun and that the police is also guilty of being overly paranoid. I think if the people are so fed up then we really should push for more opposition MPs. Make minor tweaks to the legislation so that permits can be received for events that must stick to the rules of engagement.”
That part, I ABSOLUTELY agree.
Especially for those who cry foul that there are no credible opposition around: With this kind of double standard from the Police in regard to giving permit for opposition events, even there is a super-capable opposition leader, you don’t get to see them.
The only way to find credible opposition candidates is to vote any opposition during election and capable ones will perform in the parliament.
The plan to stub opposition from any appearance is a receding measure on our political development and will backfire on the incumbent eventually.
This is nothing new and is to be expected in this country. Since when has SG police ever approved applications from opposition parties ?. I guess those ever approved are very few and far in between.
The SDP tactic of gathering the masses to protest is not working because of their leader Dr. Chee. He is not a charismatic leader and does not posses the aura to draw a huge crowd. If he is able to draw ten to twenty thousand crowds at each of his protest sittings it will could make a different.
Should it be LKY who is the one who organizes any mass protest, the nation will shake. It is a fact where we can’t deny. Even JBJ could have done a better job than Dr. Chee, yet he did not think it is feasible to go in that direction.
Dr. Chee is at most a technocrat but to be a real politician he needs more than what he is. I wish him luck but I am doubtful of his ability to make any dent against the PAP.
sdp got good response in the walkabout. looks like a mini-tsunami may be expected in the next elections. still, hopes must not be raised too high. anything more than 2 seats is a bonus.
With the SDP and also cyberspace media protests like TR, TOC etc, the Government backed down from wet market headlong thrusts.
Were any of those unelected MPs any relevant in this equation?
I HEAR IT LOUD AND CLEAR – DEFEANING SILENCE.
They should abolish the unelected MPs as they don’t represent the voice of Singaporeans. It is just a DUD to distract and displace public support for true opposition.
The climb-down by SDP was definitely NOT due to the rejection of the permit application by the police. In a earlier article, it had already acknowledged that “the Government’s unconstitutional decree of not allowing such activity will mean that the application will probably be turned down.” As such, its plans were based on the permit not being issued.
Besides, SDP has never previously been deterred by a small matter such as not having a permit. It had persistently gone ahead with its talks, processions or assembly, because its intention was to highlight the restrictions it faced. Why should the lack of a permit be an obstacle in this case?
My conjecture is that the refrain was caused by the party’s realisation that it would be a political folly to proceed. It had originally wanted to champion the wet-market cause for the residents in Bt PJ. Along the way, it could not resist the temptation to escalate matters to include those of human rights and freedoms, its perennial favourite themes. Hence arose the hasty plan to organise an “unpermitted” outdoor talk.
This is affirmed by its statement in the same article that “the denial of the right of the freedom to assemble and speak freely in public means that livelihood issues such as the Sheng Siong takeover of the wet markets cannot be effectively addressed.”
It then later realised that residents would find SDP’s behaviour repugnant. It was tantamount to hijacking the community issue to suit the party’s other grandiose political causes. Most residents were also likely to avoid the planned talk which has become heavily politicised. Bringing such unwarranted attention to their community cause would not only NOT address their concerns, but harden HDB and Sheng Siong’s positions.
SDP is sensibly avoiding alienating potential voters in this constituency which it plans to contest at the next election.
It should be noted that SDP has not formally called-off the plan to host an outdoor talk. It is either hoping that people would not notice its abortive plan, or perhaps it plans to revive it another day.
How come other opposition parties keep quiet only.Only SDP is persueing this matter.Looks like only SDP is credible.
No point asking the police to be fair since they are controlled by PAP man Wong Kan Seng.
Chee Soon Juan was himself a police superintendent (NS) and Sylvia Lim of Worker’s Party was a former staff officer to the director of CID. That didn’t help a lot of their respective parties.
Any police officer who stand up for justice will probably lose his rice bowl anyway and get fixed.
Same for judges, same for lawyers, same for almost everyone.
Is it a wonder then that many who are from opposition circles are private entrepreuners and businessmen who does not depend on PAP for their rice bowl?
This is TRIVIAL!!!! Don’t waste your time. Wait till a few weeks time when the UN arrive (almost)!
SPF does not stand for S’pore Police Force.
SPF stands for Simply PAP Force.
Brendan said,”Don’t waste your time. Wait till a few weeks time when the UN arrive (almost)!”
Is Brendan telling us that there is a bigger protest rigmarole coming up from our forlorn and perennial freedom-fighters (read SDP)?
Perhaps that’s why they climbed-down from this small fight over a puny wet-market, to reserve strength for a more dramatic offering at SUNTEC.
But still, SDP would have known about APEC for quite a while and planned according. If so, why did it bother to plan an abortive outdoor meeting in Bt PJ in the first place and let it fizzle out?
Perhaps…. SDP screwed up! (horrors!.. should our faith in CSJ not be shaken?)
By calling off the talk at Fajar, a very strong message has been telegraph to all relevant consituents – OPPRESSION of legitimate grievances not merely against SDP but the ordinary folks living there. Somethings it works a lot LOUDER by not saying even softly. This is one example of that.
Come next election, voters will know what to do.
considering their past record of gathering and protesting without permits, it is indeed quite strange that SDP allowed the rejection of the permit to stand in their way this time round…
speaking about UN… the 2009 Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme was recently released. and Singapore ranked 23 on the list, ahead of HK and Korea. in fact, the only Asian country to beat Singapore is Japan.
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/
if the UNDP is to be believed, and if we are to trust how the Human Development Report is supposed to be measuring (i.e. more than the rise or fall of national incomes, about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests, expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value, etc etc), then Singapore’s not that after all…
but… can we really believe this UNDP Human Development Report thing?
The only time the Police will ever give permit to the opposition party for public forum is when the opposition becomes the ruling party.
I agree with #ed on Mon, 26th Oct 2009 9:16 am
that there are more pressing issue…please SDP do not commit silly civil disobedience over this…OR YOU WILL LOSE ALL THE HARD WORK that you have put on lately.
BryanT @ Tue, 27th Oct 2009 12:04 am
You seemed to be quite obsessed with SDP of late, tracking postings about them, not only on their site. From your post, perhaps it seems that you are trying very hard to get into the SDP’s mind but unfortunately you have failed miserably.
And then you deploy your favorite weapon – CONFUSION. This has also failed you miserably, I believe.
You could have been more discreet if you had toned down – well you have given yourself away!
The proper thing for all of us to do when Sheng Shiong manages to take over the Fajar markets would be to avoid going to Sheng Shiong but to other outlets. Even the residents of Fajar should avoid the Sheng Shiong market when it comes about. Nothing hurts a business more than a boycott of it. Join in a boycott and watch what happens!