Activists Concerned over Singapore's "Caning" Threat
Emad Mekay
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (IPS) - Concern is brewing among advocacy groups
and civil society organisations that monitor the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, a staple of protests during
the annual meetings of the two organisations, after Singapore
threatened a crackdown on some of their activities.
A number of international civil society groups are drafting a
letter to the government of Singapore to dissuade the country from
vows that its chief security official made against their
activities.
Singapore's Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng had reportedly said
that certain civil society actions may "attract severe punishment,
including caning and imprisonment" in this southeast Asian country
where a political gathering of more than four people requires a
security permit.
Activists interpreted this as a more or less veiled threat towards
civil society organisations and wrote a letter to be sent to Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong, possibly later this week, asking him to
roll back the warning and allow full access to the groups during
the Sept. 19-20 meetings.
"Many groups are concerned about these threats and intimidations,
but are determined not to let such threats undermine actions being
planned," said Rukshan Fernando of the Bangkok-based Asian Forum
for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) in an email message
to IPS.
The 184-member IMF and the World Bank will hold their annual
meeting amid what is expected to be highly tight security in the
wealthy city-state, where public demonstrations are banned and the
last police licence for a demonstration in Singapore was issued in
the late 1980s.
The annual meetings, held outside of Washington D.C. once every
three years, are the largest and most comprehensive gathering of
global financial representatives in the world. They are expected to
draw about 16,000 visitors this year.
Organisers in Singapore, a country of 4.5 million people, expect
some 300 to 500 non-governmental organisations to be accredited by
the IMF and World Bank for the meeting.
Meetings for international financial and trade institutions, which
often discuss the course of global economic development and plan
the underpinning policy strategies, have attracted heated
activities from advocacy groups along with street protests, some of
them marred by violence.
Around 30,000 demonstrators turned up for the 1999 World Trade
Organisation (WTO) talks in Seattle in the United States, and more
than 20,000 protested against the Bank and Fund in Washington the
following year. However, fewer numbers have protested since the
Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Some critics have pointed out that these institutions have been
holding their meetings in tightly controlled countries, including
the last IMF/World Bank meeting outside Washington, held in Dubai.
In 2001, the WTO organised its ministerial conference in Doha, the
capital of Qatar, ruled by an authoritarian regime with close
military ties to the United States.
Singapore, however, where people are penalised for failing to flush
a public lavatory, for instance, had to accept a request by the IMF
and World Bank to allow demonstrations during the meeting in order
to be able to host the gathering, which usually attracts finance,
trade ministers and central bank governors from around the
globe.
But activists say that if implemented, the threats from Singapore
to place restrictions on the activities of civil society groups
could in fact impede their engagement during the meetings on
strategic issues such as trade, aid, debt and sustainable
development.
"Thus, we would like to highlight the importance of spontaneous and
unrestricted civil society actions before, during and after the
WB-IMF meeting," the groups said in their draft letter to the
Singapore government.
Dozens of organisations have endorsed the letter so far. These
include Focus on the Global South, the Halifax Initiative Coalition
in Canada, the Think Centre, and Jubilee South.
Singapore says that the IMF and World Bank have an 'established
process' to engage these civil society groups, including having
them take part in activities throughout the annual meetings.
The groups said they expect that even the regulated processes,
agreed upon by the IMF and the World Bank with the government of
Singapore, will likely follow previous patterns where participation
has been selective and exclusive, and has provided limited
opportunities for the expression of civil society voices.
But a spokesperson for the IMF told IPS that the security issue for
the meeting is under discussion with the government of Singapore
and said his institution will press for the full participation of
civil society groups.
"The bottom line is that we want to have an inclusive meeting, with
active and open NGO participation. That's the whole plan," said
William Murray of the IMF. "I am not aware of any desire by anybody
to cane anybody. This is a hypothetical situation and frankly
security is an issue of ongoing discussions."
Civil society groups have long criticised the IMF and the World
Bank, both dominated by industrialised nations, for placing the
interests of international corporations, the rich and local elites
before the middle classes and the poor around the world.
Another point of alarm for civil society groups were
statements by the government that it would only allow peaceful
protests by foreign organisations - waiving the rules that normally
apply in Singapore û and that local groups will not be able to
participate
The activists said that peaceful protests are universal rights that
should be extended "to all people, including Singaporean people and
organisations."
Earlier in January, the Consumers Association of Penang and Friends
of the Earth Malaysia called for a boycott of Singapore Airlines,
the national carrier, to protest the warning issued by the
Singapore government that it is prepared to "cane" or imprison
protesters.
"Imposing restrictions on demonstrations by civil society to
express their outrage at the brutal policies of the IMF and World
Bank that impoverish societies and destroy the environment, is
indeed a restriction on the freedom of expression and the right to
dissent against unjust policies", said Mohd Idris, who heads the
two groups.
Activists fear that Singapore's vow to place restrictions on civil
society groups is likely to be translated into unwarranted
screening of participants in the events and anyone who enters
Singapore during that period.
The Singapore government has been keen to use the opportunity to
promote tourism and showcase the country as a leading financial
centre.
During the last annual meetings in Washington, it set up a
colourful booth to advertise its housing in 2006. It has already
launched a website in anticipation of the event that touts the
country's glittering skyscrapers and thriving port. Singapore says
it has also prepared a visual arts extravaganza that will take
place for the first time in Southeast Asia. (END/2006)
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