MARUAH Singapore

Panel discussion – “What’s Up In Little India?”

5 February 2014

Little India is a hot topic right now.
There is a new Bill that might go into effect for a year in Little India.
Is Little India’s culture going to change? What about its landscape?
How will this Bill ensure security?
What is the impact of what is going on in Little India for all of Singapore?

Our panel of experts will share their insights on Little India.

Dr Kevin Tan, a law academic, publisher and an adjunct professor at National University of Singapore
Dr Lai Chee Kien, an architectural historian
Mr T Sasitharan, a theatre educator and the co-founder and director of Intercultural Theatre Institute

Event Details
Date: 12 February 2014
Time: 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Venue:
9 Penang Road
#13-19 Park Mall
Singapore 238459 [map]
Take Dhoby Ghaut MRT Exit B

To register for the event please click here
Please help us spread news of the event by sharing it with those in you network.
You can find the Facebook event page here.

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Submission of wish list for Budget 2014

30 January 2014

MARUAH has submitted a wish list of recommendations to the Ministry of Finance/REACH, as part of the Pre-Budget 2014 feedback exercise.

This year, we have focused on 3 broad areas – education, healthcare and retirement – as we hope to advocate for better social protection for Singaporeans.

Please see below for a PDF document of our submission.
WISH LIST FOR SINGAPORE BUDGET 2014- SUBMISSION FROM MARUAH

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MARUAH reply to Ministry of Law on repatriations

23 December 2013

MARUAH first wrote to TODAY Voices regarding repatriations relating to Little India riot:
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/due-process-should-not-be-subordinated-expediency

The Ministry of Law replied
(“Singapore’s legal system is firm, just and fair” Ms Praveen Randhawa, Press Secretary to the Ministry for Law, TODAY, Dec 21, 2013):
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/singapores-legal-system-firm-just-and-fair?singlepage=true

Our response to the Ministry of Law is set out below:
The Government’s position, as articulated by Ms Randhawa, is essentially that foreigners are allowed into and to remain in Singapore at the Government’s pleasure, and that they have no right to challenge the Government’s decision on whether they can stay or should leave. We believe that many Singaporeans would respectfully disagree as we do believe that everyone – Singaporean or foreigner – should be given due process to justice and fairness.

Due process fundamentally refers to a requirement that the state respects all the legal rights of a person, in particular when seeking to sanction or penalise that person. The Government argues that foreigners being subject to repatriation are not entitled to due process. This may be the technical position under Singapore law today. But is it the right position for a society that upholds the rule of law? Read the rest of this entry »

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Details relating to change in venue for “Foreign Workers, Justice and Fairness” event

22 December 2013

MARUAH had to change the venue for our public forum “Foreign Workers, Justice and Fairness” to be held on Dec 23rd, at extremely short notice. We apologise to the speakers and those who had confirmed their attendance for this event. This posting sets out the events resulting in the change in venue.

The original venue was the hall on the second floor of Ananda Bhavan Restaurant at Syed Alwi Road (opposite Mustafa Centre). MARUAH had already paid for the venue. Publicity posters were released on Thursday.

Yesterday evening (Dec 21st), we received a call from the restaurant’s management to inform us that the police had called them, asked them about the event, and spoken to them about the foreign workers in their employment. Read the rest of this entry »

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Letter to TODAY Voices – Repatriations relating to Little India riot

20 December 2013

MARUAH’s letter to TODAY Voices has been published.

Due process should not be subordinated to expediency
We refer to Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam’s statements defending the Government’s powers, under the Immigration Act, to repatriate foreigners outside of the judicial process on the basis of the time and expense of prosecution.

He added that these are issues for society to decide. (“28 charged as police complete riot probe”; Dec 18)

MARUAH is troubled by the implications, as there are principles we believe our society should uphold.

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Panel discussion – Foreign Workers, Justice & Fairness [change of venue]

20 December 2013

In the aftermath of the riot at Little India, we as a society need to ensure that we understand the full picture and that the under-lying causes are identified and addressed.

Fairness, Access To Justice, the reality of life of a Foreign Worker in Singapore – These are all issues that we need to work towards improving.

Join us for an open and honest discussion on the issues.

This event is organised by MARUAH in partnership with TWC2 and Workfair Singapore.

Date: 23rd Dec 2013 (Monday)
Time: 7pm to 9pm
Venue: Marketing Institute Of Singapore [please note change of venue]
Room 303
410 North Bridge Road
Singapore 188726
(Opposite National Library Singapore)
Nearest MRT: City Hall
[Map]

Please register at the link below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/166PkytNj4erRBADR7IGiqSr9JqIr3g9so1cjix9npIA/viewform

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Letter to ST Forum – Registration requirements can have a chilling effect on free expression

17 December 2013

This letter was sent to ST Forum on 12 December 2013, but was not published.

To:
The Editor
Forum Page
The Straits Times

Dear Sir

MARUAH is deeply concerned at the closure of Breakfast Network’s website as a result of their decision not to submit the registration forms required by the Media Development Authority (MDA). Read the rest of this entry »

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Event report – panel discussion on Freedom of Expression and Democracy

17 December 2013

MARUAH organised a thematic discussion about Freedom of Expression & Democracy on 15 Dec 2013 at Robertson Walk. Engagement, discussion, sharing of information and voicing of concerns are all necessary components in a functioning democracy and the event was a platform for a discussion on these areas. This was all the more important in light of recent events such as the charges brought up against blogger Alex Au and the closing down of Breakfast Network. The event featured an accomplished line up of experts who shared past incidents and also critical insights into the topic.

The speakers were:
• Dr Thum Ping Tjin, Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore & Co-ordinator, Project Southeast Asia, University of Oxford
• Mr Martyn See, Blogger and Documentary Film-maker
• Mr PN Balji, Editor of The Independent Singapore
• Dr Cherian George, Associate Professor, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University
• Mr G Raman, Veteran Lawyer

Dr Thum started by giving a historical insight into freedom of expression and democracy in pre-independent Singapore. Filmmaker Mr Martyn See then continued from 1965 onwards, highlighting narratives of restrictions on freedom of expression by the government on various persons and groups. He shared some of the challenges faced by those who spoke out against government policies.

Mr PN Balji discussed on the regulation of alternative media outlets and inconsistencies in the governance of online media. Dr Cherian George highlighted the ideological obstacles to freedom of expression in Singapore. The final speaker for the evening, Mr G Raman shared insight into laws that protect and curtail freedom of expression in Singapore.

The Question & Answer segment prompted various questions on how the landscape would look like in 10 years time, whether the youth are concerned about issues relating to freedom of expression, and whether the education system was responsible for apathy in issues like politics and human rights.

MARUAH thanks all the speakers and participants who attended the panel discussion.

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TODAY article on MARUAH forum on Freedom of Expression and Democracy

16 December 2013

TODAY has written an article on our forum.

The robust rejection on social media of the xenophobic vitriol that was spewed following the riot in Little India should give confidence to the Government and Singapore society that the online community is capable of regulating itself, said academic and political commentator Cherian George at a panel discussion on freedom of expression and democracy yesterday.

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MARUAH’s statement in response to rioting at Little India on 8 Dec 2013

9 December 2013

MARUAH’s statement in response to the rioting at Little India on 8 Dec 2013.

It is sad and tragic that there was a riot in Little India last night where people were hurt and property destroyed. We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the worker who died and we hope that justice will be done for him. We are confident that the Coroner’s inquiry will be open and fair and will help bring some relief to his family.

What happened is wrong and attacking civil defence and police officers who are doing their jobs is unacceptable by international human rights norms. Read the rest of this entry »

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