ST doctored my letter
We should allow peaceful public demonstrations
(Original version sent to Straits Times - Mar 20, 2008)
Dear Editor,
I
refer to Paul Antony Fernandez's letter ˜Advice to Chee: Don't
waste taxpayers' money" (ST, Mar 20), which was in response to the
article ˜SDP holds illegal protest against rising consumer prices;
12 held™ (ST, Mar 16).
I
agree with Fernandez that no government can appease all.
Nevertheless,
a government should be willing to hear out the concerns of
citizens, as expressed through various modes of non-violent and
non-threatening communication.
Citizens
should not only be entitled to praise the government, but also
criticise it. Criticism also does not deserve to be excluded from
the media domains in which praise inhabit.
While
most of us are living a relatively 'trouble-free' life as suggested
by Fernandez, we should not quickly dismiss those who are saddled
with problems such as the rising cost of living.
Fernandez
may believe that a good government "will do its utmost to ensure
that the majority are taken care off, but I believe a good
government strives to take care of all its citizens, whether
belonging to a majority group, or a minority group.
If minority groups or aggrieved peoples are unable to express their
concerns or be heard, they should at least deserve fair
representation. The Chee-led demonstration is such a
representation.
We
should rethink the notion of demonstrations in Singapore in the
21st Century, and not let the ghosts of the turbulent 1960s haunt
us or legitimise draconian control mechanisms on public
demonstrations. History in that sense should be a lesson for us to
learn, not a yoke or a pair of blinkers citizens are obliged to
wear.
We should also problematise the oft-quoted notions of "public
interest" and ˜public safety" as Singapore is multi-layered and of
diverse interests. If at all, peaceful public protests deserve
police protection rather than police intervention. This
symbolically and practically defends the rights of the citizen to
voice his/her concerns.
I feel that peaceful public protests and demonstrations are an
alternative to other state-sanctioned feedback channels. If views,
criticisms and feedback get edited, censored or even thrown out,
how else can the message be transmitted?
Maybe instead of mobilising huge police and riot squads to contain
him, we should let Chee carry out his protest and be heard. Chee
wants people to think about their condition and positions as
citizens, not stir up violence and hatred.
Ho Chi Sam
(Parts
in red were deleted in the letter published in The Straits
Times.)
what else is new?