Singapore Cracks Down Even Harder on Civil Liberties

[PeterRS]

Much as one admires Singapore's amazing success as an economic miracle on what until independence was virtually just a swamp, its rulers have never taken lightly any criticism of its governance. Indeed, that government has resorted to more litigation against the media, corporations and even its own opposition MPs than almost any other anywhere.

The city state's founding Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew was admired worldwide. But even he admitted he had to resort to non-democratic methods. Two of his oft quoted dictums were -

“We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don't do that, the country would be in ruins.”

“I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters – who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.”  

Now the present government led by his son is clamping down further on dissent. In what sounds more like a comment from mainland China, it has passed a law aimed at countering foreign interference in what it calls its internal domestic affairs. This permits the government to order social media sites and internet providers to disclose user information or block content it considers hostile. Given the ease which which the courts ruled in favour of the Prime Minister in similar cases involving publications like the International Herald Tribune and The Economist, few consider this new law as anything other than greater personal interference.

"An offence is committed if a person publishes something in Singapore on behalf of a foreign entity to "influence a target to do something that is or is likely to be prejudicial to Singapore's interests, incite feelings of hatred or diminish public confidence in the authorities", according to an earlier Straits Times report. 

"Instead of open court, an independent panel chaired by a judge will hear appeals against the minister's decisions. This is necessary as matters may involve sensitive intelligence with implications for national security, the government said."

In fairness other countries like Australia have enacted similar laws. But added to the 2019 "fake news" law, according to the Deputy Head of Human Rights Watch Asia the new law will be a human rights disaster because it hands arbitrary power to punish anyone on vague allegations of involvement with foreigners.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58798373