hear?
Well check these out. Two articles, one by Reuters (of the UK) and
the other by ChannelNewsAsia (of Singapore), on the same issue, the
farewell words by the US ambassador to Singapore.
The Reuters article: U.S. envoy slams Singapore's political
curbs
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The outgoing U.S. envoy to Singapore
criticised the city-state's limits on political expression, saying
governments will pay an increasing price for failing to give
citizens freedom of choice and expression.
U.S. Ambassador Franklin L. Lavin said it was surprising to find
what he called constraints on discussions given Singapore's strong
international links.
"In this era of Weblogs and Webcams, how much sense does it make to
limit political expression?" Lavin told an audience at his farewell
dinner on Tuesday. The speech was made available on the U.S.
embassy's Web site.
In August, police ordered a 36-year-old filmmaker to surrender
equipment used to make a documentary on opposition figure Chee Soon
Juan. A student on a state scholarship shut down his personal Web
site in May after a government agency threatened a libel suit for
his online comments.
On Friday, Singapore jailed two men for posting racist comments
aimed at the country's ethnic Malay community, who are mainly
Muslim, on the Internet.
"Singapore has flourished over the past 40 years, but is a 20th
century model adequate for the 21st century?" Lavin asked.
"Remaking (Singapore's) economy is, in a sense, the easy decision.
Shaping a political system to reflect the needs and aspirations of
its citizens is more difficult and more sensitive," he added.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last week ruled out
adopting a Western liberal democracy with a multi-party system in
the next 20 years, saying that it was unsuitable for the
country.
Lavin, whose four-year tenure saw the conclusion of a
U.S.-Singapore free-trade agreement and a deepening of security
ties, takes up a new post in Washington as undersecretary for
international trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
He will be replaced by Patricia Herbold, a lawyer and a Republican
fundraiser.
A parliamentary republic with elections held at regular,
constitutionally mandated intervals, Singapore has been dominated
by the People's Action Party (PAP) since independence in
1965.
Opposition politicians, who hold only two of the 84 seats in
parliament, have long complained that frequent defamation suits by
PAP officials have stifled dissent -- a view echoed by a 2004 U.S.
State Department report on Singapore.
Many analysts expect parliamentary elections in the coming months
although they are not due to be held until mid-2007.
In May, Amnesty International criticised Singapore's human rights
record, saying that control on political expression remained tight
despite government promises of greater openness.
The CNA article: More can be done to boost S'pore-US ties: Outgoing
Ambassador Lavin:
SINGAPORE : Singapore and the United States are like-minded
countries with a common approach towards trade, political stability
and the fight against terror.
That is the view of outgoing US Ambassador Frank Lavin, who is
returning home. He has been appointed Under Secretary of Commerce
for International Trade.
But Mr Lavin says more can still be done, including progress on
free trade agreements between ASEAN and the US, and cooperation in
areas such as tackling bird flu.
Singapore and the US have always enjoyed a good relationship,
especially with the conclusion of the landmark US-Singapore Free
Trade Agreement, and the Strategic Framework agreement for closer
security cooperation.
But he says there is room for even more improvement.
Mr Lavin said: "You do not want to permanently rest on your
laurels. We have come a long way and we should look at all these
challenges we have, like bird flu.
"We want to see increased economic liberalisation in ASEAN, we
might see more movement on ASEAN-US free trade agreements. This
will help Singapore as well, and see India come online in the world
economy."
It has also been a memorable four years for Mr Lavin in Singapore,
including the SARS crisis.
He recalled one tough decision he had to make.
Mr Lavin said: "The US embassies were evacuating people out of
China, Vietnam, Toronto. We got a fair amount of voices in the
American community saying it is time to signal to evacuate here as
well. The only basis for keeping our doors open so to speak was
that we had very strong confidence in the Singapore government and
leadership."
Going forward, he said the Singapore-US relationship is very
friendly and sound - politically, economically and
strategically.
He is confident that when his replacement Patricia Herbold takes
over next month, she will continue to build on this firm
foundation. - CNA/de
Did you notice the difference? What was the centre of the
Reuters article was not even once mentioned in the CNA article. Is
it because it didn't sound too good?
And recently, in SPH, we just ascend the throne to be the chairman
? think AGAIN.
