| Home > South-East Asia >> Singapore | |
Singapore says IHT article on government critic 'inaccurate'
Straits Times - April 22, 2011
Selina Lum, Singapore – Singapore's Law Ministry has written to the International Herald Tribune to point out alleged factual inaccuracies in its report on British author Alan Shadrake's appeal against his conviction for contempt of court.
The newspaper had reported in an article published on April 12 that Shadrake's case was "the latest in a long line of defamation cases" brought by Singapore's leaders.
In a letter to the IHT published on Friday, Law Minister K. Shanmugam's press secretary, Chong Wan Yieng, said that Shadrake, 76, was not being sued for defamation.
Instead, the author was charged with contempt of court for alleging "quite baselessly" that Singapore's courts conspired with state agencies to suppress material evidence and convict the accused.
"Such a statement would be in contempt of court in many common law jurisdictions, including England, Australia, Ireland, Canada and Hong Kong," the letter said.
The newspaper's article had also said that Singapore does not disclose statistics on capital punishment. But Chong pointed out that the number of executions is published by the Singapore Prisons and the death penalty is openly and vigorously debated in Singapore.
"The death penalty is a criminal justice issue for Singaporeans to decide, not outsiders. The majority of Singaporeans support it. Were this not so, it would have become an election issue in Singapore," she wrote.
The case against Shadrake centers on statements he made in his book, 'Once A Jolly Hangman: Singapore's Justice In The Dock,' about the death penalty in Singapore.
The Attorney-General's Chambers brought contempt proceedings against Shadrake for statements in his book that allegedly impugned the independence and impartiality of Singapore's courts.
The AGC argued that the statements insinuated that the Singapore courts bowed to pressure from foreign governments, favored the rich and privileged and were used as a tool by the ruling party to muzzle political dissent.
Last November, Shadrake was convicted and sentenced to six weeks' jail and a $20,000 fine. He appealed. The Court of Appeal, which heard the appeal on April11, will give its decision at a later date.
Chong's letter added: "Political discourse in a healthy democracy does not call for lies, smears and scurrilous allegations. Singapore holds public officials to the highest standards of probity and integrity. Accusers are required to prove their allegations. Ministers who are defamed will sue to clear their name and take the stand to be cross-examined, while those who have committed offenses will be charged and jailed."
She also noted that the WEF Global Competitiveness Report rated Singapore first out of 133 countries for public trust of politicians and transparency of government policy-making, and 19th out of 133 countries on judicial independence.
See also:
 |