The following is an UN-DATED petition, found in the website of
Singapore Windows, by a Singapore Lawyer - who was herself detained
in 1987, as part of the supposed Marxist Activist Cell within the
Catholic Church.
Do we still need the Internal Security Act, that can be politically
abused arbitrarily and affecting the Citizen's Rights, when there
exist multiple legislations that protect the integrity,
independence, and security of Singapore ?
INTRODUCTION TO THE PETITION by Teo Soh Lung
[Lawyer Teo Soh Lung was arrested in 1987 and detained for slightly
more than 2 years 6 months under the Internal Security Act]
I have here a petition to our Prime Minister. He is a nice person
and he cares a lot for Singaporeans and the well-being of
Singapore. We should not be afraid to send a petition to him. He
will listen to us.
In this petition, we ask our government to ratify two international
legal instruments, the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights. These two Covenants were adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly in 1966. They did not come into force
until 10 years later when 35 states ratified the Covenants.
The two Covenants and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
define human rights and fundamental liberties. These include the
right to life, freedom from torture, freedom from forced labour,
freedom from arbitrary arrest, the right to fair trial, freedom of
thought, conscience, religion or belief, the freedoms of speech and
association, the rights to food and to health, to an adequate
standard of living, to housing, education and participation in
cultural life.
Singapore is a member of the United Nations but we have not
ratified the two Covenants.
You may ask why it is so important for us to ratify the two
Covenants.
The short answer is that by ratifying the Covenants, the government
of Singapore accepts the obligation to give the rights proclaimed
in the Covenants the force of law.
By ratifying the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the
government undertakes to submit periodic reports to the United
Nations Human Rights Committee on the measures they have taken to
give effect to the rights set out in the Covenant and the progress
made to those rights. The country also opens itself to complaints
by any member state which has ratified the Covenant should there be
any failings.
One of the most basic of human rights is freedom from arbitrary
arrest, detention or exile. This right is declared in Article 9 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as Article 9 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Many of us here today have been the victims of arbitrary arrest and
detention under our Internal Security Act and its predecessor, the
Emergency Regulations. Many of us also have friends who live as
exiles abroad, unable to return to the country of their
birth.
Many of us here may not know the history of arbitrary arrests in
Singapore because they are too young. Those of us who are old
enough, remember the times when in the name of national security,
innocent people were arrested and detained without trial for many,
many years.
I was talking to a friend a few days ago. He had been arbitrarily
arrested twice in his life and each time for several years. He told
me that well educated people including teachers, doctors, lawyers,
journalists and students whose only crime was to disagree with the
government of the day, were arbitrarily arrested, detained or
exiled from time to time, since 1948 when the Emergency Regulations
were implemented by the British. Imagine the thousands of wasted
lives, lives spent in prisons without a fair trial. Imagine the
sufferings of the families of those detained and those who have
fled Singapore. We remember all of them on this 50th anniversary of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We have here today, the pleasure and privilege of the company of Mr
Chia Thye Poh who was just recently, on 26 November 1998 freed from
all restrictions. Mr Chia was detained for 23 years, spent 3 1/2
years in internal exile on Sentosa Island and another 6 years under
severe restrictions. The government had taken away 32 of his 57
years of life. He had served a prison sentence longer than any
convicted person in Singapore. He has our admiration and
respect.
Mr Chia is the last political prisoner to be freed. For the first
time in the history of Singapore, there are no political
prisoners.
Let us treasure this freedom by doing away with the law that allows
arbitrary arrest and detention.
The Internal Security Act has been in our statute books for too
long. It has outlived its purpose which was to prevent organised
violence. The introductory paragraphs of the ISA read as
follows:-:
"Whereas action has been
taken by a substantial body of persons to cause a substantial
number of citizens to fear organised violence against persons and
property:
And whereas action has been taken and threatened by a substantial
body of persons which is prejudicial to the security of
Malaya:
And whereas Parliament considers it necessary to stop or prevent
that action: ..."
Dear Friends, do you today know of any action taken by a
substantial body of persons to cause violence to you?
Do you know of any person who has taken any action that is
prejudicial to the security of Singapore?
If your answer is "NO" and I am sure it is a resounding "NO"
because otherwise you will be hiding in your homes and not here
having tea, we can with a clear conscience, call upon our
government to repeal the ISA.
Today we read, hear and see in our newspapers, radios, television
and the internet of people in Malaysia being arrested and detained
under the ISA. Almost everyday I receive e-mails asking me to send
letters of protest to the Malaysian government, demanding the
release of ISA detainees.
It is a harrowing experience to be arrested and detained under the
ISA. On this 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, we tell our government that we do not want them to have the
power to arrest us arbitrarily, to put us away in tiny, dirty,
mosquito infested, windowless cells without beddings. The
government have caused enough pain to our families and friends by
their past action. We say today that we have had Enough. It is time
to repeal the ISA.
This call to repeal the ISA is not new. In 1955, when the PAP was
the opposition in parliament, they had called for the abolition of
the ISA. We now remind them of their call.
I ask you my Friends to sign the Petition and to ask as many of
your friends to sign it. All human beings are born free and equal
in dignity and rights.
Thank you "
http://www.singapore-window.org/teo.htm
http://www.singapore-window.org/1104isa.htm