The law is only useful if everyone abides by it.
The moment anyone starts taking liberties with it, no matter how
small, the law grows a little bit weaker.
You are right. There is right, and there is wrong. This falls
outside the boundaries of the law. The law is there to make sure we
do not cross too far over the line. It is not the definate
measure of what is wrong.
But let's not be misled by these complicated concepts. If you
know you're breaking the law, and you continue to do so, you lose
all moral highground. Let's be clear on that. The way around bad
laws is to change the law, not break it.
You elect your representatives to parliament. They represent
you. They are the check and balance to the system. Too often I hear
people who say they are useless...they won't put their necks out
for the people. I then question : why did you elect them then?
The way to do this properly is via slow changes to the system
introduced by the representatives who do their job. The system is
not isolated from us, the people. We simply can't be bothered to
use it. I see alot of disgrunted people here. When was the last
time ANY one of you bothered to write to your MP? When was the last
time ANY one of you did anything resembling in depth research
before electing him to office? If the government fails to do it's
job, it is OUR fault. WE don't put in the effort, then act
surprised when the shit hits the fan. Then we try to elect
opposition party members to office just because they happen not to
be PAP. And then we're surprised they don't do a good job.
The law against large groups of people in public areas is an
archaic one, and is perhaps abused in the current situation. BUT IT
IS STILL THE LAW. And a society that does not abide by it's laws
does not deserve, and cannot for long remain a peaceful society.
The correct approach is to elect competent people to office. People
who will look into these small details, ever ready to tweak things
as situations change.
So if you don't agree with how the law is being carried out in
this incident, WRITE TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE. Go door to door to
campaign for someone you feel WILL give a crap about these small
matters. Vote for competent candidates, not just because they
belong to a specific party. But for crying out loud, do not defend
the actions of these protesters. For make no mistake, they DID
knowingly break the law. And everytime someone breaks the law, laws
hold less meaning. And I for one do not wish to one day find myself
in a society where laws are reduced to nothing.
Remember, two wrongs don't make it right. Don't confuse one
wrong with another. The protest was wrong. Simple as that. Just
because you feel the law is wrong does not make the protest
right.
