No wayang – MPs serve as early warning system

By Chua Mui Hoong from Straits Times

MP after MP stand up and read from scripts. After a dozen or so have spoken, up steps a minister and proceeds to reply to their questions – from a script.

Repeat for nine days.

The above might be how a casual observer would sum up what takes place during the debate on the Budget which ends today. About 80 per cent of the debate is scripted, in that MPs prepare in advance their speeches, and ministers respond to their points with prepared texts. One Parliament newbie was impressed at ministers’ comprehensive and quick responses, but was disabused of her admiration when I said the speeches on the ministries’ budgets were prepared in advance and made known to the ministry so they can prepare detailed replies.

With so much that is prepared, the cynical citizen is often left wondering: Is Parliament just a wayang? Just as half of Singapore today is wondering: Was that faint by Mrs Jack Neo five minutes into their press conference yesterday about his extramarital affair(s) just a show?

I can’t swear to the latter, not being present at that press conference, but I don’t doubt the poor woman’s suffering was genuine. But on the former, I can say as a political writer who covered her first Budget debate 19 years ago that no, Parliament is not just a wayang, scripted texts notwithstanding.

The exchanges that take place towards the end of debate on a particular ministry’s budget is unscripted. Here, MPs ask for further clarifications, and the minister has to deal with them off-the-cuff.

Read rest of article here

Singapore economy to grow up to 6.5% this year: govt

By Mustafa Shafawi from Channel News Asia

Singapore on Friday raised its economic growth forecast this year as countries that buy most of its exports emerge from recession.

The upgrade from 3.0-5.0 percent to 4.5-6.5 percent came after economic growth gathered pace in the fourth quarter, allowing the economy to contract by a slower-than-predicted 2.0 percent for 2009, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said.

But the ministry said the outlook is fraught with uncertainty, especially in the second half of the year with the recovery in the United States, Europe and Japan expected to be weaker.

Debt risks in some European countries are also potential minefields for economic growth, it said.

“The Ministry of Trade and Industry expects the Singapore economy to grow by 4.5 to 6.5 per cent in 2010. This upgrade from the earlier 3.0 to 5.0 per cent forecast largely reflects increased strength in the near term growth momentum,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Major economies around the world have emerged from recession. Financial markets have stabilised and trade flows and industrial production have also picked up strongly.

“Asia should experience a strong recovery, but the pace of the rebound in the United States, Europe and Japan, collectively called the G3 countries, is likely to be weaker.

“In addition, several downside risks remain, including sovereign debt risks (especially in Europe) and asset price inflation in Asia. These factors could weigh on the pace of growth in major economies, especially in the later part of 2010,” the ministry said.

Read rest of article on Channel News Asia

MFA Spokesman’s Comments in response to media queries on developments in the two hit-and-run traffic accidents on 15 December 2009 that involved the Romanian Embassy vehicle S3401CD

Press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, 11 February 2010

In response to media queries on developments in the two hit-and-run traffic accidents on 15 December 2009 that involved the Romanian Embassy vehicle S3401CD, the MFA spokesman said:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned HE Aurelian Neagu, the Romanian Ambassador to Singapore (who is based in Tokyo), to MFA on 11 February 2010 on the matter of the two hit-and-run traffic accidents on 15 December 2009 that involved the Romanian Embassy vehicle S3401CD.

MFA stressed to Ambassador Neagu that the matter is of the highest concern to the Singapore Government and yet again reiterated that it was most important that the Romanian Embassy cooperate fully with the Singapore authorities on this matter.

MFA informed Ambassador Neagu that the Coroner’s Inquiry into the death of Mr Tong Kok Wai will be held from 3 to 10 March 2010. It was explained to the Ambassador that the Inquiry is not a trial, but a fact-finding inquiry to establish the facts where there has been an unnatural death.

MFA handed Ambassador Neagu a diplomatic note seeking the Romanian Embassy’s assistance in requesting Dr Ionescu to return to Singapore to attend the Coroner’s Inquiry. MFA noted that it would appear from Romanian media reports that Dr Ionescu was still maintaining that the car had been stolen and that he was not the driver at the time of the two accidents. MFA pointed out that if Dr Ionescu was maintaining that he was not responsible, it was all the more reason why he should come back to Singapore to give his version at the Coroner’s Inquiry. This will help the State Coroner to ascertain the facts relating to the two accidents. At the Coroner’s Inquiry, Dr Ionescu can also question the witnesses. MFA also pointed out to Ambassador Neagu that Dr Ionescu was welcome to engage a local lawyer to examine the witnesses and put forth his version of the events at the Inquiry. Alternatively, the Romanian Embassy could engage a local lawyer on Dr Ionescu’s behalf.

Noting media reports of Dr Ionescu’s claim in a recent Romanian television interview that there was a witness who could exonerate him, MFA asked the Romanian Embassy to request Dr Ionescu to give the Singapore authorities details concerning the identity of this witness. The witness can then be required to give evidence at the Coroner’s Inquiry.

MFA also handed Ambassador Neagu a second diplomatic note informing the Romanian Embassy that the State Coroner has issued a witness summons for Mr Marius Trusca, Administrative Officer at the Embassy, to give evidence at the Inquiry and assist the State Coroner in establishing the true circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Tong Kok Wai. The witness summons was issued because Mr Trusca’s evidence is directly relevant for the Coroner’s Inquiry. MFA noted that under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Mr Trusca is not obliged to give evidence as a witness. MFA therefore requested the Embassy to let Mr Trusca’s immunity be waived so that the witness summons may be served on Mr Trusca.

MFA referred Ambassador Neagu to Romanian media reports that in his recent interview by a Romanian television station, Dr Ionescu had also alleged that this was a case of a “set-up” by the Singapore Government because he had been reporting on political activities in Singapore. Dr Ionescu had alleged that there had been a similar case in 2007, when he was also accused of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident, but was eventually let off as he had an alibi at that time.

MFA told Ambassador Neagu that if these media reports had accurately quoted Dr Ionescu, then he had made very serious allegations against the integrity of the Singapore Government which MFA categorically rejected as lacking any basis in fact. These allegations were also a gross insult to the victims of the two accidents. Dr Ionescu’s claim that he had been accused of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident in 2007 is entirely false. Our records show that the Romanian Embassy vehicle S3401CD was involved in two traffic accidents in 2007. The first was a minor non-injury accident where the driver was not Dr Ionescu and the other driver did not wish to pursue the matter. In the second case, it was established then that Dr Ionescu, who was the driver, was not at fault and action was taken against the other driver involved in the accident. These facts clearly show that Dr Ionescu’s claims are fictitious and at no time was he ever accused by the Police of being the driver in a hit-and-run accident in 2007.

MFA also asked Ambassador Neagu for more information on the status of the criminal proceedings in Romania against Dr Ionescu, and on the Romanian system of investigations and prosecutions.

The next step will depend on the Romanian Government’s response to our requests and the outcome of the Coroner’s Inquiry.”

. . . . .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
11 FEBRUARY 2010

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

Press release from the Romania Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Romania Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 January 2010

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania has today extended a request to the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Casation and Justice of Romania to investigate the accident on December 15, 2009, in which a vehicle of the Romanian diplomatic mission in Singapore was involved.

The request follows an internal investigation, which led to the conclusion that from the point of view of legal procedures and international regulations, the MFA has neither the competences nor the means to identify the author, the cause and the circumstances of the accident, all such aspects pertaining to penal procedure.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also provided the Prosecutor’s Office with all the information gathered in this case following its own internal investigation.

The MFA is committed to a rapid clarification of, and gives its entire support to, solving this case, keeping a permanent contact with the Romanian Prosecutor’s Office and the authorities of Singapore. Both the Romanian MFA and the authorities in Singapore fully abide by the provisions of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

The MFA has also decided today to recall from his post Mr. Silviu Ionescu, chargé d’affaires a.i. to Singapore, in order to allow for a full and fair investigation of the case by the Prosecutor’s Office. The MFA will carry on its internal verification of the manner in which Mr. Silviu Ionescu complied with diplomatic norms, following the ongoing media allegations in this regard.

Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs deeply regrets the occurrence of this accident, irrespective of its still unclarified circumstances, especially as it ended with casualties and a loss of a human life. The MFA conveys its condolences to the family of the young man who died in the accident.

Background Information

Article 31, 1st paragraph, from the Viena Convention on diplomatic relations (18 April 1961) stipulates that “A diplomatic agent shall enjoy immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of the receiving State”. According to article 31 paragraph 4 of the Viena Convention, „The immunity of a diplomatic agent from the jurisdiction of the receiving State does not exempt him from the jurisdiction of the sending State”. As a consequence, the penal investigation in a case in which a diplomat is involved in the receiving state takes place in the state whose citizen he/she is.

Both Romania and Republic of Singapore are parties to the Viena Convention on diplomatic relations.

Singapore: Offending the sensibilities of government

By Kevin Childs from On Line Opinion

The time must be fast approaching when Australia considers human rights when it gets into cosy deals with places such as the repressive city-state of Singapore. The Singapore government’s reach into our telecommunications is a worry, especially considering the authoritarianism of its government.
Recently Singapore booted out a British journalist, Ben Bland, who had offended the sensibilities of that most touchy of places. The latest Reporters without Borders press freedom index rates Singapore 133rd out of 175 countries, below the likes of Kenya and Congo.

Singapore’s law minister, K. Shanmugam, was quick to rubbish the rating as “quite absurd and divorced from reality”, telling a group of visiting American lawyers that his is not “a repressive state” and does not “unfairly target the press”.

“Our approach on press reporting is simple: the press can criticise us, our policies. We do not seek to condemn that,” he said.

Bland, a freelance journalist, had spent a year in Singapore, contributing to publications such as The Economist, London’s Daily Telegraph and the British Medical Journal. He says his application to renew his work visa was rejected without warning, explanation or right of appeal.

And while the law minister’s comments are clearly hypocritical, to describe them as such while still in Singapore would have meant for Bland the inevitable ruinous defamation suit.

Expelling foreign correspondents, destroying the careers of local journalists, while owning all domestic newspapers and news broadcasters, the Singapore government also uses harsh libel laws to restrict further the freedom of the press.

Recently the about-to-close Far East Economic Review had to pay $300,000 in damages and costs to the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and his father, Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, after being found guilty of defaming them in a 2006 article based on an interview with Chee Soon Juan, an opposition politician. Sam Zarifi of Amnesty International said the ruling further illustrates how press freedom is under threat in Singapore and sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression and journalism in the region.

He called on said Singapore to allow the media to act as a watchdog and bring in laws on freedom of expression in line with international law and standards.

“Laws that allow the authorities to impose restrictions on freedom of expression together with a pattern of politically motivated defamation suits, have created a climate of political intimidation and self-censorship in Singapore,” he said.

Critics, including opposition leaders, say Singapore applies defamation laws selectively to silence criticism. The government says restrictions on speech and assembly are necessary to preserve the economic prosperity and racial stability of the multi-ethnic city-state of 4.8 million people. It says any slight on its leaders will hinder their ability to rule effectively.

The elder Lee founded the People’s Action Party, which has ruled Singapore since 1959 and has 82 of Parliament’s 84 members. Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990, he now has an advisory role in the government with the title of mentor minister.

As for the Murdoch-owned Far East Economic Review, it denied any wrongdoing but said it would pay up to avoid a protracted legal battle.

Journalists in Singapore generally agree that the government’s targeting of libel suits against global news organisations such as The Economist, the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg has had the required chilling effect.

Astonishingly, international news organisations have been largely silenced by the threat of having to pay substantial damages or having their access to the lucrative Singapore market curtailed.

Stories that quote an opposition politician or civil society expert are rare, while hard-hitting investigative journalism is virtually non-existent.

Says Bland, “The real victims of this repression are not foreign correspondents like me, who can re-locate, or large news organisations such as Dow Jones, which can afford to bear the costs of an occasional libel suit, but Singaporeans.”

The government’s regular attacks on the foreign press and its exercise of direct control over the domestic media means a corrosive atmosphere of self-censorship is all-pervasive.

The ruling People’s Action Party refuses to clarify what it is that journalists can and cannot report. By doing so it ensures that most journalists and other commentators err on the side of caution – especially Singaporeans, who have much more to lose than their foreign counterparts if they fall foul of the authorities.

Read rest of article here

Singapore sets December 31 deadline for GST Credits and Senior Bonus

Singaporeans will have till 31 December 2009 to sign up for their 2009 GST Credits and Senior Citizens’ Bonus.

As of 1 November 2009, over 2.37 million (or 97%) of the 2.43 million eligible Singaporeans have signed up to receive their GST Credits. This is comparable to the sign-up rates of recent schemes such as the Progress Package and Economic Restructuring Shares.

The Government would like to urge Singaporeans who have not signed up to do so quickly.

Sign-Up Via Internet or Forms

Singaporeans can sign up using the following ways;

• Through the internet, at www.gstoffset.gov.sg
• By filling up the GST/1 form available at any CC, CDC or CPF Service Centre. All forms should reach CPF Board no later than 31 December 2009.

If you wish to donate your GST Credits, you may do so via the above mentioned website.

Those who do not sign up by 31st December 2009 will still be eligible for next year’s GST Credits, but there will be no retrospective payment of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 GST Credits and Senior Citizens’ Bonus.

To find out if you have already signed up for GST Credits or for more information on the GST Offset Package, please visit www.gstoffset.gov.sg, or call 1800-2222-888.

Source: The Government Monitor