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Chairman of EBRC should publish minutes of deliberations

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electoral boundary

The five-member Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) has erased three constituencies from the face of the electoral map in its report which was released on Friday.

The closely fought single-member constituency (SMC) of Joo Chiat, in particular, is the most conspicuous absence from the redrawn boundaries. The other two deleted constituencies are Whampoa SMC and Moulmein-Kallang GRC.

Joo Chiat was contested between Yee Jenn Jong of the Workers’ Party and Charles Chong of the People’s Action Party (PAP). The latter won by 51 per cent of the vote, over Mr Yee’s 49 per cent.

GE 2011 results

GE 2011 results

Moulmein-Kallang GRC also saw a contest between the PAP and WP, with the PAP winning 58 per cent, while the WP took home 41 per cent.

GE 2011 results

GE 2011 results

The GRC has now been wiped off the map, with some speculating that gerrymandering was involved to remove any threats to the two incumbent ministers in the PAP team – Lui Tuck Yew and Yaacob Ibrahim – whose ministries have been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent years.

Lui

Lui

Mr Lui, the Transport Minister, has been heavily criticised for his handling of the transport system, particularly the train system which saw record number of major delays in 2014 and the biggest MRT breakdown in the MRT’s history in June which affected some 250,000 commuters.

Dr Yaacob, the Minister of Communications and Information, has also been widely castigated for implementing stiffer curbs on freedom of speech and expression, with his ministry banning films and publications which were critical of or deemed undesirable by the Government. Only days ago, its Chief of Government Communications was again accused of interfering with a musical production.

On the changes to the electoral boundaries, the Prime Minister only revealed its formation on 13 July – 10 days ago – and only when he was asked in Parliament through a parliamentary question filed by two MPs, including Mr Yee.

The EBRC had been in deliberation for two months before Mr Lee was forced to reveal that the committee had been convened.

It is also worth noting that the Prime Minister did not reveal the identity of the committee members, except for the chairman, or indeed how many members there were.

It only later emerged that there were five members in the EBRC.

Another point worth noting is that the committee not only took a mere two months to deliberate before submitting its report to Parliament on 24 July, it has also kept a total silence over how it arrived at its report, or why certain boundaries were redrawn in such a manner, and why constituencies which incidentally (or coincidentally) saw close contests between the PAP and WP have in fact been erased entirely.

Questions have also been raised about the EBRC coming under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), is appointed by the Prime Minister himself (who is also the secretary general of the PAP), and submits its report to the Prime Minister four days before it was made public or submitted to Parliament. (See here.)

EBRC report

EBRC report

In his parliamentary question on 13 July, Mr Yee had asked if future committees could comprise non-government members, as they were before Singapore’s independence from Malaysia.

In his reply, Mr Lee said the EBRC “has for many years comprised civil servants” and that it will remain so, even though his government would consider “outside expertise” if necessary.

The EBRC for the latest report indeed consists entirely of government-linked members:

Tan

Tan

Chairman, Mr Tan Kee Yong – Cabinet Secretary and secretary to the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Dr Cheong Koon Hean – Chief Executive Officer, Housing Development Board (HDB)

Mr Tan Boon Khai, – Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Land Authority (SLA)

Ms Wong Wee Kim – Chief Statistician at Singapore Statistics

Secretary, Mr Lee Seng Lup – Head of Election Department

All these questions have led to accusations of bias, gerrymandering and that the EBRC has been politically influenced in its deliberations.

Mr Yee, in his follow-up query to Mr Lee’s reply, asked if the committee would publish its deliberations.

“[The] completeness of the EBRC report seems to have been shrinking from the 1960s and the early 1970s,” Mr Yee said.

Yee

Yee

“So, will the Prime Minister direct the Committee to provide better justifications for the changes because many of these changes do not seem to make sense to political observers and to the residents?” Mr Yee asked. “Can the minutes of meetings of the EBRC be published so that they will be open for all to understand the decisions that have been made?”

Mr Lee, in response, said he did “not believe that it is helpful to have every twist and turn in the minutes reported and published.”

However, he also added that the decision to publish its deliberations would be left to the EBRC itself.

“As for the completeness of the report and of the minutes, I think I have to leave it to the Committee,” he said.

Given Mr Lee’s response and that he is not against the publication of the minutes of the EBRC’s deliberations, the committee should in fact – in the matter of public interest – publish them.

Unless there are compelling reasons not to, which the EBRC should also disclose and explain, there does not appear to be any reasons why the committee should not help the public understand better the boundary changes.

For the EBRC to hide behind a wall of silence will only add to the allegations that it is a non-independent committee, whose deliberations and decisions are shrouded in complete mystery.

Worse, it also leaves doubts about whether the civil service was drafted to help the ruling party gain an advantage in this way.

Further, keeping silent would be an insult to the 2.4 million Singaporeans who will be going to the polls to cast their votes. They should not be treated like mere sheep who are herded as and where the EBRC wants them to go, without any shred of justification whatsoever.

In a speech in January this year, the Prime Minister spoke of the importance of transparency in government, and how this is not only important in Singapore but also internationally.

The EBRC should take the Prime Minister’s words to heart and release its report in the spirit of what Mr Lee said:

lhltransparency

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TJC issued 3rd POFMA order under Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods

The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) was issued its third POFMA correction order on 5 October 2024 under the direction of Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods about death penalty processes. TJC has rejected the government’s claims, describing POFMA as a tool to suppress dissent.

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The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an advocacy group opposed to the death penalty, was issued its third Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction on 5 October 2024.

The correction was ordered by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, following TJC’s publication of what the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alleges to be false information regarding Singapore’s death row procedures and the prosecution of drug trafficking cases.

These statements were made on TJC’s website and across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).

In addition to TJC, civil activist Kokila Annamalai was also issued a correction direction by the minister over posts she made on Facebook and X between 4 and 5 October 2024.

According to MHA, these posts echoed similar views on the death penalty and the legal procedures for drug-related offences, and contained statements that the ministry claims are false concerning the treatment of death row prisoners and the state’s legal responsibilities in drug trafficking cases.

MHA stated that the posts suggested the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily, without due regard to legal processes, and that the state does not bear the burden of proving drug trafficking charges.

However, these alleged falsehoods are contested by MHA, which maintains that the government strictly follows legal procedures, scheduling executions only after all legal avenues have been exhausted, and that the state always carries the burden of proof in such cases.

In its official release, MHA emphasised, “The prosecution always bears the legal burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and this applies to all criminal offences, including drug trafficking.”

It also pointed to an article on the government fact-checking site Factually to provide further clarification on the issues raised.

As a result of these allegations, both TJC and Annamalai are now required to post correction notices. TJC must display these corrections on its website and social media platforms, while Annamalai is required to carry similar notices on her Facebook and X posts.

TikTok has also been issued a targeted correction direction, requiring the platform to communicate the correction to all Singapore-based users who viewed the related TJC post.

In a statement following the issuance of the correction direction, TJC strongly rejected the government’s claims. The group criticised the POFMA law, calling it a “political weapon used to crush dissent,” and argued that the order was more about the exercise of state power than the pursuit of truth. “We have put up the Correction Directions not because we accept any of what the government asserts, but because of the grossly unjust terms of the POFMA law,” TJC stated.

TJC further argued that the government’s control over Singapore’s media landscape enables it to push pro-death penalty views without opposition. The group also stated that it would not engage in prolonged legal battles over the POFMA correction orders, opting to focus on its abolitionist work instead.

This marks the third time TJC has been subject to a POFMA correction direction in recent months.

The group was previously issued two orders in August 2024 for making similar statements concerning death row prisoners.

In its latest statement, MHA noted that despite being corrected previously, TJC had repeated what the ministry views as falsehoods.

MHA also criticised TJC for presenting the perspective of a convicted drug trafficker without acknowledging the harm caused to victims of drug abuse.

Annamalai, a prominent civil rights activist, is also known for her involvement in various social justice campaigns. She was charged in June 2024 for her participation in a pro-Palestinian procession near the Istana. Her posts, now subject to correction, contained information similar to those presented by TJC regarding death penalty procedures and drug-related cases.

POFMA, which was introduced in 2019, allows the government to issue correction directions when it deems falsehoods are being spread online.

Critics of the law argue that it can be used to suppress dissent, while the government asserts that it is a necessary tool for combating misinformation. The law has been frequently invoked against opposition politicians and activists.

As of October 2024, Minister K Shanmugam has issued 17 POFMA directions, more than any other minister. Shanmugam, who was instrumental in introducing POFMA, is followed by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who has issued 10 POFMA directions.

Major media outlets, including The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, and Mothership, have covered the POFMA directions. However, as of the time of writing, none have included TJC’s response rejecting the government’s allegations.

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Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

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SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

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