Awesome Words
“The worst enemy of life, freedom and the common decencies is total anarchy; their second worst enemy is total efficiency.” Aldous Huxley
SDP Annual Dinner
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Event: SDP Annual Dinner Date/Time: 31 Aug 08, Sun (6.00pm) Tickets: $25 per person Dinner: Luau buffet Dress: Something Hawaiian |
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NO AMOUNT OF WARM pronouncements by the PAP about the state of the republic can replace the truth brought about by a transparent and accountable polity. Democracy remains the surest way forward for nations yearning for progress and stability. Singapore is not exempted. To achieve this, major political reform cannot be avoided.
Reform the election system
In the absence of genuinely free and fair elections, the act of voting becomes a treacherous impostor of democracy. In Singapore, the Elections Department is under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Office. Because it conducts its business largely away from public scrutiny, many are as convinced of its impartiality as they would be the act of a ventriloquist over the radio.

The institution of an independent elections commission would be a remedy for all of this. Such a commission would take elections out of the hands of the ruling party and place them firmly in the oversight of civil society. To do this, the commission must ensure that:
- all contesting political parties’ representations are taken into account in the decisions it makes,
- its decisions are announced well in advance and submitted to parliament for approval,
- it has the power to administer the elections, including handling complaints and petitions and prosecuting violators of the PEA,
- it remains accountable to the courts.
An independent election commission will also see to it that:
- the dates of elections are fixed so that the ruling party enjoys no advantage in terms of implementation and preparation,
- campaigning periods be lengthened to a minimum of three weeks to give all parties adequate opportunity to address the electorate,
- contesting parties be have the right to choose the time and sites for their election rallies.
In addition, the Singapore Democrats call for the following:
- abolish the GRC system,
- end the Nominated MP; only people elected by their fellow citizens can rightfully take their seats in parliament,
- conduct by-elections, without fail, in constituencies where representatives no longer hold office,
- remove the serial numbers on ballot slips which compromises the secrecy of the vote.
Respect freedom of speech, assembly and association
These rights are the brick and mortar of any democracy, and without them a political system is as robust as Kleenex tissue. The PAP cannot continue to propagate the nonsense that such freedoms unavoidably lead to instability. The right of citizens to freely congregate, speak, and interact—in other words, to organise and protect themselves from excesses of the state—must be inviolate. No corner of the country should be marked a free-speech zone; all public areas must remain public property and hence available to the people for assembly.
The Political Donations Act must be revised to allow civil society NGOs to work with international foundations. Alternatively, the government should set aside adequate funding for NGOs to be disbursed by an independent and disinterested non-government committee. Such a body can also be empowered to act as ombudsman on behalf of the citizens.
Abolish the Internal Security Act
In an era when openness and accountability are increasingly coveted, giving a government the power to imprison citizens without trial grates against the reasoned mind like sand on silk. To extricate confessions from detainees through humiliation, abuse, and torture cannot be the substratum on which ‘stability’ is predicated. Even those who argue that the ISA, first instituted by the British colonialists in a less severe form as the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance, was needed to stem the spread of Communism will find it difficult to argue that the law has not outlived its intended purpose. Like food long past its expiration date, the use of the ISA is a danger to public health. It must be discarded.
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