February 4, 2010 - Temasek Review
Written by Our Correspondent
U.S. Ambassador-designate to Singapore Mr David Adelman had
promised to use “public diplomacy” to promote political and press
freedom in Singapore at a nomination hearing in Washington D.C.
Mr Adelman’s nomination to be the next US Ambassador to
Singapore was announced by the White House in November after the
previous ambassador, Ms Patricia Herbold, relinquished her post in
January last year at the end of the Bush administration’s
tenure.
He was asked by Virginia Senator Jim Webb on his views on the
United States’ engagement with Singapore on its repressive
political system:
“The Economist Democracy Index
ranks Singapore as 82nd in the world in terms of democratic
development, below neighbours such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the
Philippines. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country
133rd out of 175 for press freedoms. What is your view in terms of
whether and how the United States should engage Singapore on these
other issues?”
Mr Adelman admitted that Singapore is not a democracy and
replied that the United States must engage Singapore on these
issues:
“My view is the United States must engage Singapore on these
issues. You identified the area where, quite candidly, Singapore
needs the most improvement if it were to live up to the ambitions
Americans have for democracy. Make no mistake, currently Singapore
is not a multi-party democracy, and I intend, if confirmed, to use
public diplomacy to work towards greater press freedoms, greater
freedom of assembly and ultimately, more political space for
opposition parties in Singapore to strengthen Singapore into a
multi-party democracy.”
He did not elaborate more on how he will achieve his aims except
tht he will bring some of his experiences in government and in the
private sector to the United States’ public diplomacy efforts run
out of the Embassy in Singapore.
Singapore’s ruling party has received much flak from the
international community lately over its atrocious human rights
record.
Respected international NGO Human Rights Watch described
Singapore as a “textbook example of a politically repressive state”
in its annual report released recently.
U.S.-based Freedom House reported that Singapore is not a
“democracy” as proclaimed by its leaders and though Singapore
conducts elections on a regular basis, Singaporeans cannot expect
to vote out the incumbents.
Singapore has been ruled by the
PAP for 50 continuous years since 1959. All institutions of the
state including the police, media, grassroots organizations, civil
societies and trade unions are under its firm control in one way or
another.
Repressive laws are put in place
to curtail the political and civil rights of ordinary Singaporeans.
There is no opposition in Parliament to check on it resulting in a
gross lack of accountability and transparency in Singapore’s
political system.
While we welcome Mr Adelman’s committment to promote political
and press freedom in Singapore, it is unlikely he is able to do
anything without incurring the wrath of the vindictive PAP.
In 1988, Hank Hendrickson, the First Secretary of the U.S.
Embassy in Singapore was expelled from the island for “meddling in
Singapore politics.” Hendrickson was a confidant of the
then President of Singapore Law Society, former
Solicitor-General Francis Seow who was later detained under the ISA
for being a “willing partner to acts in interference in Singapore’s
internal affairs by representatives of a foreign power.”
Hendrickson was alleged to have “encouraged” Francis Seow
to stand in the elections as an opposition candidate to challenge
the PAP so as to have an opposition in the Singapore
parliament which is “amenable” to U.S. interests. The
United States said that Mr Hendrickson had done nothing
out of line with normal diplomatic practice. Tit-for-tat, it
expelled a Singapore diplomat Robert Chua.
Mr Adelman is an attorney who holds degrees from the
University of Georgia, Georgia State University and the Emory Law
School. He is a strong advocate of open government. In 2006, he
authored and passed legislationi which provides public access to
campus police department records.
Perhaps he can use his experience to “persuade” the ruling party
to increase the level of transparency in its governance of the
nation which is sorely lacking at the moment.
