′

‵'ˋ ′
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 ELECTIONS
IN
SINGAPORE

ARE THEY FREE AND FAZRP

An Op′en SingapOre Centre RepOl′t

0n COnduct Of Parliamentary Electi0nS
in Singap0re
 @ 2000 Open SingapOre Centre
A" rightS reSerVed. N0 pa t 0f thiS pubIicatiOn may be
repr0duced Or tranSmitted, in any f0nn 0r any meanS,
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the c0pyright 0Wner.

ISBN 98l-04-339l—3

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The W… 0f the peOpIe ShalI be the baSiS 0f the authOrity 0f
gOVemment; thiS Will Sha" be eXpresSed in periodic and
genuine electiOnS Which Sha" be by uniVerSaI and aduIt
Suffrage and Sha" be held by Secret VOte 0r by equiValent
free VOting prOcedureS_

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 C0ntentS

AbbreViatiOnS uSed

Prefac

The imp0rtance Of free and fair

e ectiOnS in a dem0cracy

Chapter l The deVel0pment Of demOcracy and

the prOceSS 0f eIectiOnS in Singap0re

Chapter 2 Structural 0bStacIes tO free and fail'

eIecti0nS

Chapter 3 InStitutiOnal ObStac|eS tO free and fair

eIectionS

Chapter 4 The General E ectiOnS 2

Chapter S tO safeguard free 29

and fair eIectiOnS

TOWardS free and fair electi0nS 33

in SingapOre

TableS 3

NOteS 4l

ReferenceS 4S
 uSed

CDC C0mmunity DeVel0pment C0unc"

EBRC EIect0ral BOundarieS ReVieW COmmittee
EP Elected PreSident
GE GeneraI EIecti0n
GPC G0Vemment Parliamentary COmmittee
GRC GrOup RepreSentation C0nStituency
HDB HOuSing and DeVeIOpment BOard
ISA Intemal security Act
MP Member of Parliament
NCMP N0n-COnStituency Member Of Par|iament
NMP Nominated Member 0f Parliament
NRIC NatiOnal Reg StratiOn Identity Card
OSC Open SingapOre Centre
PAP Pe0ple'S ActiOn Party
PEA Parliamentary EIecti0ns Act
RO Retuming O cer
SDP Singapore Democratic Party
SMC Sing e Member C0nStituency
SPH Singapore Press Holdings
SPP SingapOre Pe0pIe'S Party
WOrkerS' Party
 Preface

The PeOple'S ACtiOn Party (PAP) haS remained in p0Wer

in SingapOre f0r m0re than 40 yearS SinCe l9S9. ItS
IeaderS inSiSt that the party haS WOn th€ mandate 0f
Singap0reanS thr0ugh reguIalˉ electiOnS that are c0n
ducted 0nce eVery fOur t0 f]Ve yearS. They theref0re
haVe n0 heS tatiOn in that singapOre iS a
nOt quite in the Same manner aS the
kind practiSed by ma′ ure dem0cracieS_ DemOcracy they
Say muSt be tail0red tO Suit the
SituatiOn that Singap0re faCeS.
Indeed, SOme pO…icianS and cOmmentatOrS
that there are Varying fOrmS 0f demOcracy which
muSt neceSSariIy t With the CuIture Of the But
n0 matter hOW 0ne de neS demOcracy an indiSpenSab e
feature Of the demOcratic prOCeSS muSt be the c0nduct Of
regular free and fair eIecti0nS the emphaSiS being On
"free" and "fair". EIeCti0nS can be held (aS in
the fOnner SOViet UniOn) but if the manner Of their
c0nduct iS neitheI' free nOr fa r demOcracy becOmeS
dySfuncti0nal and SO meaning-leSS.
FurtherTnOre' genuineIy Open eIecti0nS giVe the
c0untry a syStem tO appraiSe hOneStIy itS g0Vernment's
perf0nnance and tO high|ight p0IiticaI prObIemS bef0re
they erupt int0 diSOrder. A recent caSe in pOint iS Ind0
neSia_ F0r three decadeS thiS VaSt c0untry had reguIar
electiOnS deSigned tO keep the ruIing e ite in p0Wer'
BecauSe the IndOneSian pe0p e did n0t haVe a genuine
chOice Of their nati0n'S IeaderS p0Iitica Sentiment COuId
nOt be reaIiSticalIy gauged' When the ecOn0my began tO
unr ′el in l997/8' ViOlence and unreSt 0ccurred. The
Vi0Ience that gripped Ind0neSia cOuId haVe been Sign
cantly tempered and eVen aVOided' if electi0nS had been
genuine.
C0mpare thiS tO SOuth KOrea that WaS juSt aS
draStica"y affected by the ecOnOmic criSiS- But becauSe
PIˉeSident Kim Dae Jung WaS pOpuIar y eIected in a free
and fair electiOn he had the Supp0rt Of the majOrity 0f
Sou h Koreans and waS therefore ab|e to implement
diff]cu|t reforms needed to soIve the country s prob|ems′
n the IndOneSian general eIecti0nS held on 7
June l ' Stringent measureS Were adopted to ensure
that the electoraI process was conducted fairly and
tranSpaIent|y— AS a I'eSuI G0Ikar' Which uSed to
80 t0 90 perOent 0f the V0te the Suhal t0 yearS
managed 0n|y 2Z percent′ party n0t faV0ured by the
peOpIe did n0t remain in p0Wer—
What ab0ut SingapOre? Are eIecti0nS free and
fair in the city-State? This repoIt' the rst pub|icaIion of
the Open Singap0re Centre (0Sc)' eXamineS thiS
question′ It aims to document anomalies of the eIectoraI
pr0ceSS haI je pardiSe the teSt 0f freed0m and faimeSS
TTle uItimate objective is to high|ight prob|ems of the
eIection process and to propoSe aItematives to rectify
them_
Free and fair eIections are the springboard for a
truIy dem0cratic S0cietyˉ They are' aS AI icIe 2 (3) 0f
the UniverSaI Dec|aration of Human Rights StateS' the
eXpreSSi0n 0f the Wi" f he peopIe fr0m Which a"
poWer is derived_ Only When eIectoral anomaIies are
()0rrected can electi0nS be free and fair' and onIy When
eIectionS are free and fair can Singapore claim the
epithetˉ
In pubIiShing hiS rep0Iˉ ' iS the h0pe 0f the
0SC that Singaporeans WiII examine the process by
which the PAP remains in poWer and question Whether
d]is haS been the true Wi" 0f the people eXpresSed in
c0mpIet freedomˉ
 INTRODUCTION
THE IMPOPˋTANCE OF
FREE AND FAIPˋ ELECTIONS
lN A DEMOCPˋACY

AS aS humanS haVe in grOupS We haVe had SOrne

kind Of SyStem tO enSure the Sm00th running 0f the
c0mmunity. OVer the centurieS S0cietieS haVe ried VariOuS
formS 0f gOVemment' ranging frOm rule by the vict0riOus in
battle' to ruIe by the m0St abIe to ruIe by One perSon and'
in recent timeS t0 ruIe by the many_ ThiS iS demOcraCy' a
Greek WOrd meaning Simply "ru e 0f the peOp|e'" The
WhOIe natiOn d€putiSeS a Sma" grOuP Of peOpIe' chOSen by
it tO gOVem in their behalf.
Human beingS haVe Se sh deSireS. We Wou|d |ike
t0 See Our 0Wn needs fumIIed rSt_ when We Iive t0gether
in SOcietieS' thiS iS nOt aIWays p0SSible. SOmet meS a
cOmpr0miSe iS required S0 aS to enSure the We" being of
a"′ The beSt SyStem 0f gOVemment iS One that a"0WS uS tO
arriVe at reSOIutiOnS ensuring the greatest happineSs fOr the
gTeateSt number_ DemOcracy iS a SyStem that reinS in the
Varied and O en cOnfIiC ing' 0f indiVidualS aS We"
aS the uSe 0f arbitrary pOWer by Ieaders_ It ensureS that a"
cOmmunity iSSueS are dealt With after hearing aS many
0pini0nS aS pOSSibIe_ It may nOt be the perfect SyStem but'
aS WinSt0n Churchi" Said' it is at IeaSt better than a" the
reSt fOr aS the anaIySt ShaShi Thar00r argued it iS often a"
that StandS betWeen the pe0pIe and the might Ofthe StateI
DemOcraCy enabIeS each m6mber 0f the t0
Surrender hiS Or her abS0 ute Iiberty SO tha′[ the WeIfare 0f
the majOrity can OtherWiSe there W0uId be chaOS_
But When iS a SOciety demOcratic? VariOuS inStitutiOns
cOntribute tO thiS a VibI'ant ciVil SOciety pIayS a rOIe in
infOrmatiOn gathering and 0pini0n fOnning uniVerSit eS
free y purSue reSearch that may c0ntribute tO OVera"
prOgreSS free and Open maSS media enSure that many VieWS
are publiShed' and regu ar free and fair electi0nS are
cOnducted_
The m0St impOrtant aSpect 0f thiS SelectiOn pr0ceSS
of g0Vernment iS that it ShOuld be tTanSparent in itS
0peratiOn and free fl Om the pOsSibiIity 0f cOerciOn. Op-
eratiOnaI tranSparency enableS citizenS tO haVe c0n dence
that the SyStem of electing repreSentatiVeS iS hOneSt.
Freed0m fr0m cOerciOn by any intereSted perSOn 0r grOup
makeS the c0mpetiti0n fOr VOteS eVenly baIanced and
hence reliable. A and faiI eleCtOral prOceSS therefOre'
iS One that a"OWS aH t0 haVe an equaI chance 0f being
eIected 0r an equa chance Of haVing their preferred
candidate e ected. ThiS can On y be achieVed When the
eIecti0nS pr0ceSS Open eXaminatiOn by the candidateS
and theilˉ elect0rS. n additi0n thOSe fOr eIecti0nS
muSt n0t uSe cOerciOn 0r unfair inducement tO Secure V0teS.
w th Such a SyStem in place citizenS are mOre likely tO
accept that When indiVidual SacrificeS and cOmprOmiSeS are
neceSSary' they are made freely and in the intereSt Of a"_
ThiS Wi" cOme in m0St When the cOuntry undergOeS
a crIsls
In this regard' the m0dem WOrld recOgniSes the
impOr ance of demOcracy in enSuring that the rightS 0f
citizenS are defended The Human RightS Declarati0n
Speci ca Iy liStS dem0cratic gOvemment aS a baS c right2_
SingapOre'S C0nStitution aISO enShrineS the princip|e 0f
repreSentatiVe _
 But has 0ur natiOn Strayed at a" frOm the principIe
and practice 0f demOcratic gOVernment? BefOre the
regiOnal nanciaI crisiS' the PAP Said tha ecOn0mic
deVelOpment WaS more impOrtant than dem0cracy' But the
criSiS Sh0wed that tranSparency and acc0untabiIity' 0r the
Iack 0f it' had greatly eXaCerbated the meltdOWn—
In IndOneSia' fOr eXampIe' an authOritarian SyStem enabled
SuhartO and hiS crOnieS t0 purSue pOlicieS that bene ted
them rather than the c0untryˉ It WaS 0nIy When the criSiS
brOke 0ut did IndOneSianS feeI the effectS 0f their
g0Vemment'S abuSeS Of p0Wer_ Had Ind0neSia had a syStem
Of demOcratic cOntrOIS the Situation that the cOuntry iS
preSentIy in WOu d haVe been aIIeViated.
EcOnOmicS N0beI Iaureate Pr0feSSOr Amartya Sen' re
mindS uS that famineS haVe never 0ccurred in demOcratic
c0untries' FurthenTlore' WarS haVe neVer br0keI′ 0ut
betWeen tWO demOcracieSˉ He StateS that thiS iS becauSe
there aIˉe many channelS 0pen tO pe0p|e t0 diScuSS
prOblemS bef0re they eScaIate t0 unmanageabIe pr0p0rˊ

ThuS' 0nly a manifeStly free and fair electOral

p '0ceSS can enSure the IOng term StabiIity and reIiabiIity 0f
the p0litical SyStem. 0nIy When thOSe We Send t0 parIia
ment are Subject tO reappraiSa by the pe0pIe thr0ugh
reguIar free and fair electi0nS can thiS be aSSured_
 CHAPTER1

THE DEVELOPMENT OF
DEMOCRACY AND THE PROCESS
OF ELECTIONS IN SINGAPORE

During BritiSh dec0IOniSatiOn after the SecOnd wOrId war'

SingapOre WaS prepared f0r eVentuaI independence by the
Opening up Of a number Of LegiSlatiVe C0unciI SeatS t0
eIectiOnS betWeen l948 and Granted limited Self-
g0Vernment under the R€ndel COnStitutiOn Of l9 4 the
l9SS eIectiOns Saw the fOrrnatiOn of a g0Vemment led by
DaVid SauI MarSha" aS Chief MiniSter' His Lab0ur Fl Ont
Went int0 c0aIiti0n With the three A"iance Party memberS
and Secured the SuppOr 0f Vari0uS unelected
HOWeVer, the pOWerS Were t0O reStrictiVe Which eventuaIly
Ied MarShaIl tO reSign. FuITher cOnStituti0nal talkS in
and l9 7 prOduced a neW C0nStitutiOn in l9S8 that
proVided fOr intemaI SeIf g0Vemment a fuHy elected
I_ˊegiSIatiVe ASsembIy and uniVerSal adult Suffrage. The
g0Vemment WaS reSpOnSible fOr all matterS 0f the State
eXcept f0reign affairS and defence.
on 30 May l9S9 electiOnS WeIˉe held undeI the neW
COnStitutiOn' Ar0und 90% 0f the electOrate paI—ticipated7.
The PAP W0n the eIecti0nS' Securing 53.4% Of the V0te and
43 0f the Sl SeatS8. Lee Kuan YeW became the head Of a

_] — _——— I
 '

gOVernment cOmmitted tO demOcratic SOciaIiSm and mergeI

With MaIaySia_
On l6 september l963' fO"OWing a referendum in
September l962' SingapOre j0ined the Federati0n of
MaIaySia9. HOWeVer' the uniOn WaS nOt a happy 0ne and On
9 AuguSt 965' SingapOre lef the Federati0n_ That day'
Prime MiniSteI Lee Kuan YeW dec ared SingapOre "fOreVer
a SOVereign demOCratic and independent natiOn." The PAP
haS been retumed tO g0Vernment in eight genera eIectiOnS
(GE) Since (See TabIe l)_
The electiOn SyStem in SingapOre fO"OWS the
Br tiSh SyStem Where candidateS are elected On the baSiS 0f
that iS WhOeVer SecureS the mOSt VOteS
W ns_ There iS nO prOp0!ˊ[iOnaI repreSentatiOn in the
unicameraI Parliament. The PreSident retainS sOme reSidual
pOWerS OVer Parliament that predate the restructuring 0f
that O ce in l99lI . Up0n the f0rmaI adVice Of the Prime
MiniSter' the PreSident diSSOIVeS Parliament priOr t0 a GE
and alS0 SendS f0r'the Ieader 0f the maj0rity party in the
HOuSe a er the eIectiOn tO f0rm a g0Vemment and name hiS
0r her Cabinet"'
EIectiOnS cOme under the direct 0f
the Prime MiniSter`S O ce and are adminiStered thrOugh
the EIectionS Depa!ˊ[ment headed by a ciViI Servant_ There
is n0 independent EIectiOnS C0mm SSiOn. The reSult iS that
Other pO itical partieS are nOt nVOIVed in the prOCeSS 0f
adminiStering eIeCtions their Opini0nS are nOt S0ugh and
deciSiOnS 0f the Department are made behind cIOSed d0OrS.
The practice haS been f0r the Prime MiniSter tO
app0int' Sh0rtly befOre an eIecti0n' an EIeCt0ral B0undarieS
ReVieW COmmittee (EBRC)' c0nSiSting mainIy Of ciVil
SerVantS. The taSk Of the COmmittee iS tO recOmmend t0 the
Cabinet the numb€r and b0undarieS Of cOnStituencieS_ The
gOVemment acceptS the rep0r With0ut amendment. It iS n0t
Submitted t0 ParIiament f0r debate and appr0VaI' thuS
making the appOintment Of the COmmittee a matter 0f fOnn.
The Prime MiniSter SimpIy cauSeS the elect0raI bOundarieS
tO be e ˉected by pubIicati0n in the
 E C

The Writ 0f EIect 0n' the inStrument

annOuncing an eIectiOn muSt be betw n
dayS and One month bef0re N0mmatIOn day ' The
Returning Off cer (RO) muSt give at least four days notice
befOre NOminatiOn dayM_
and reguIati0nS fOr the c0nduct 0f eIec′ i0nS
Such aS the 0f p0SterS and bannerS the hOIding
Of electiOn ra"ieS and the IOcatiOn Of c0unting VenueS are
ann0unCed ShOrtly bef0re NOminatiOn day. OppOSitiOn
partieS are n0t cOnSuIˊ ed 0n theSe matterS_ Campaigning iS
uSua"y Iimited t0 nine dayS' that iS' between NOminatiOn
and P0…ng Day_ With the eXceptiOn 0f the GE Where
dayS eIapSed and the l968 GE Where SS dayS eIapsed GES
betWeen l963 and l997 haVe a" had the IegaI minimum Of
nine dayS [betWeen N0minatiOn and PO"ing In
reaIity' Only 8 dayS are aVailable aS nO electi0n ra"y iS
p0Ssible On NOminatiOn Day_
The p ˉOcesS Of V0t ng' preScribed the
Parliamentary EIectiOnS Act (PEA) iS cOnducted in the
f0IlOWing Way:

Stepl The VOter preSentS hiS NatiOnal RegiStrati0n

Identity CaIˉd (NRIc) Which eVery Singap0rean
muSt can—y and Which bearS the phOtOgraph'
thumb impreSSiOn and perSOnal detaiIS 0f the
perS0n aS We" aS a number unique tO that
indiVidual.

Step2 The eIecti0n readS aI0ud the V0ter S

name and NRIC number_

Step 3 The VOter'S name iS StruCk 0 the regiSter 0f

eIect0rS tO indicate that he 0 ˉ She haS VOted_

Step4 A banOt paper iS tOm fr0m a b0OkIet

perfOTated by a franking machine and giVen t0
the v0ter_ Each ba"ot pape ˉ iS numbered
SeriaHy. ThiS number iS aISO printed On the
6
II
 g ˊ4

cOunte f0iI Which the Electi0nS DepaIˊ[ment

retainS_ By laW the vOter'S regiStratiOn number
muSt be entered 0|ˉI the c0unte fOiI.

Step S The V0ter caStS hiS 0r heT VOte in a makeShi

b0Oth f0IdS the ba"0t paper and drOpS it int0
the ba"0t bOX_ He Or She muSt Ieave the pO"ing
stati0n f0rthWith.

Step 6 After the CIOSure 0f the pO"' ba"0t b0XeS and

aH dOcumentS reIated t0 p0"ing are SeaIed by
the preSiding 0f ceIˉ 0f each pO"ing statiOn_
They are then cOnVeyed tO the c0un ing centre
Where the Seal Of the ba"0t b0X is b ˉ0ken by
the RO under inSpectiOn by candidateS and
theiIˉ cOunting agentS.

Step 7 After the Winner is decIaTed' the RO again

SealS up a" ban0t paperS and Other electi0n
dOcuments and retainS them fOr SiX m0nthS
bef0lˉe they are deStr0yed under hiS Or her
authOrity_ The President 0r a High C0urt Judge
may require the pr0duc iOn 0f any Such
d0cument in the charge 0f ˉthe R0 if a
pr0Secuti0n or eIectiOn petition is

A" candidateS a ˉe per nitted tO have their pO"ing agentS in

the p0"ing Stati0nS_
 CHAPTEPˋ 2

STRUCTUPˋAL OBSTACLES TO
FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

DemOcracy iS the f0I m of g0Vemment beSt Suited t0

manage diSparate and diverse Wants 0f a" memberS 0f
SOciety. F0r it tO be meaningfu ' electiOnS muSt be c0n-
ducted in Such a Way aS t0 a"0W the citizenry to chOOSe
freeIy and fairIy their HOWeVer' pr0blemS
that make f ˉee and fair electiOnS d cu t tO achieVB
remain_ They may be diVided int0 StructuraI 0bStacIeS and
inStituti0nal ObStacIeS.
0bStacIeS' Which W… be the fOcuS 0f thiS
chapter' incIude the fear Of VOting f0r the OppOSit On the
ruling party'S uSe 0f HDB Hat upgrad ng to threaten V0terS'
and th€ gOVemment'S cOntrOl Of the maSS media. Chapˊ er 3
Wi" diScuSs the inStituti0naI ObStacIeS SuCh aS the re-
draW ng 0f bOundarieS With0ut cOnSuItati0n With Opp0Si-
ti0n partieS' the abSence Of EIecti0nS COmmiSSiOn and the
uSe 0f Gr0up RepreSentati0n ConStituencieS NOminated
MPS and N0n c0nStituency MPS.

SecIIrity (IsA)
The ISA" haS itS 0riginS the BritiSh PreSerVati0n 0f
Public SecuIˉity 0rdinance When they Were ghting the
 g :

COmmuniStS_ AnyOne reaS0nably SuSpected Of' being a

communiSt and a danger ˊ 0 nati0naI Security c0uld be
detained Under BritiSh ru e' hoW€Ver' deten iOn WaS
carried Out under 0Verriding Emergency RegulatiOnS Which
had t0 be periOdicaIly reneWed_ A er the BritiSh left' the
IaW became permanent and WaS uSed againSt perSOnS cOn
Sidered a "threat" t0 natiOnaI Security_ ThiS incIuded many
diSSenting gureS. TOday' judicial reVieW iS eXcluded by
the Act. A n0n judiciaI repTeSentatiOn prOcedure eXiStS (See
NOte 20)_
The PAP GOvemment 0rdered OperatiOn C0ld
Sˊ Ore in 2 February l963 in Which lIj 0ppOSiti0n BariSan
SOSiaIiS IeaderS' j0umaIistS and trade uniOniStS WeIˉe
arreSted and detained WithOut tria| under the ISA.
SubSequently there WeI e a number Of Other ISA SWOOpS.
SOme detaineeS Were impriSOned fOr yearS the lOngeSt
bein Chia Thye POh Who WaS jailed f0r 23 yearS WithOut
triaI _
ArreStS under the ISA haVe c0ntinued intO the
recent paSt. In l987 22 y0ung pr0feSSiOnaIS We ˉe arreSted
and detained With0ut trial 0n chargeS 0f being "MarxiSt
c0nSpirat0rS." TheSe indiViduaIS cOmprised aWyerS and
SOciaI cOmmunity and church W0rkerS_ SOme Were
VoIunteerS With the Party (wP)ˉ They Were
required ˊ O cOnfeSS WhilSt under detenti0n that they Were
Out tO 0Ve Thr0W the G0Vemment and Were releaSed OnIy
af[er Signing Written c0nfeSSi0nS_ When after reIeaSe' SOme
0f them diSputed their c0nfeSSiOnS' a"eging t0 ˉture, the
GOVemment re arreSted them and required them t0 Sign
Statut0ry declarati0nS SWearing that their cOnfeSSiOnS had
been made
During l997 and l998 Six indiViduaIS Were
arreSted under the IsA' LittIe iS knOWn abOut their identity
apart frOm the GOVemment'S cIaim that they Were detained
for eSpi0nage20_
SingapOreanS are fearful Of the threat 0f the ISA
and are reluctant t0 Speak Out 0r eVen vOte fOr the
OppOSitiOn. Numbered ba"Ot paperS SuggeSt t0 VOterS that

9
 S g ˊ4 €

their identitieS may be traCed and actiOn be taken

againSt them under the ISA_ The cOntmued eXIStence 0f the
ISA may act aS a de′ errent t0 electOrS WlShIng tO V0te f0r
the OppOSiti0n.

"Freak" reSu|tS
An0ther meanS by Which the eIectOrate may be diSSuaded
fr0m VOting f0r OppOSitiOn candidateS reIateS tO the fear
that a n0n PAP g0Vemment' in the PAP IeXic0n' a "freak
elec′[i0n reSult'" may deStabiliSe the nati0n_ FOr eXampIe
during the l976 GE huStingS Prime MiniSter Lee Kuan
YeW SuggeSted that Opp0Siti0n candidateS StO0d f0r
electi0n in Order tO SeCure the MP'S Salary fOr the duratiOn
Of the In AuguSt l982 Deputy Prime MiniSter
Rajaratnam Warned that the OppOSiti0n WOuId pr0Vide
cOVer fOr SubVerSiVe eIementS2z. The threat Of unSaV0ury 0r
incOmpetent characterS Standing On the Opp0Siti0n ticket iS
frequentIy It iS under thiS guiSe that the PAP haS
itS auth0ritarian rule_ Opp0SitiOn MPS' effectiVe-
neSS iS undenT ined by' fOr eXample delaying the granting
0f Off ce Space by m0nthS Ol' denying adequate pOHcy
inf0nnati0n frOm Which tO critique p0licy24.

The maSS media _

A free maSS media iS an eXtremeIy imp0rtant part Of a
demOcratic SOCiety f0r iˊ enableS the diSSeminatiOn 0f many
and varied ViewS ab0ut the Way s0ciety sh0u d be
0rganiSed. FOnner Chief ˉIuStice Wee ChOng Jin Once Said,
0f Speech iS one Of the m0St preciOuS aSSetS Of a
dem0cratic NO m0re imp0rtant iS a free preSS
than at e ecti0n time. P0… caI leaderS require the media tO
disSeminate their VieWS tO the entire readerShip In the early
yea S Of itS pO iticaI Hfe singapOre had an independent and
liveIy l0caI media_ But they Were SIOwly brOught t0 a haIt
by the G0Vemment.

0
 … ˊ €

Singap0re'S 0IdeSt neWSpaper WaS Started in I84 ' In the

9 0s' the Z' 8 under the SteWardShip 0f editOr
LeSley HOf‵fman' WaS crit cal Of the PAP' then fOr
pOWer_ when it aSSumed g0Vemment in HOffman'
respOnding tO threatS that he W0uId be impriS0ned' f0r
MalaySia. Thereafter' the came under
g0Vemment cOntrOl_

A MaIay—Ianguage pubIicatiOn' M became a

target 0f the PAP GOVemment after SingapOre gained
independence— FOIl0Wing threatS fr0m the GOVemment that
itS editOrS and Staff WOuld be arreSted the pub|icati0n
m0Ved t0 KuaIa Lumpur and StOpp6d Operating in
SingapOre in l969_

g
The rSt aSSault 0n the media waS the caSe 0f the g
a ChineSe-language daiIy. FOur memberS Of the
paper'S edit0rial including OWner Lee Mau seng' and
hiS brOthe ' Eu Seng Were arreSted under the ISA fOr
gIamOriSing the c0mmuniSt Way Of Iife_ The neWspaper
prOteSted that they Were nOt Supp0rting c0mmuniSm but
merely preSenting the public'S VOice in the abSence Of a
parIiamentary Opp0SitiOn. Mau Seng WaS impriS0ned fOr
ˊ W0 and a half yearS and Eu Seng f0r Ve. The N y g
Ie in IimbO cl0Sed dOWn in l983_

`S
F0unded in I966 the WaS aISO accused Of
being part 0f the C0mmuniSt c0nSpiracy by getting l0W-
intereSt lOanS frOm fOreign COmmuniSt inteI igence agentS_
The editOrial Staff denied the GOVemment'S aIIegatiOnS and '
reSigned in prOteSt_ It Was cIOSed doWn in l97l_

ll
 ′4

g H
BefOre the demiSe of the an EngIiShˉIanguage
neWSpaper Started pubIicati0n in l970_ The … aS it
WaS cOmmOnly kn0Wn' preSented a Spirited f0rum f0r
independent minded jOurnaIiSts and let[er WriterS_ The
GOVemment m0Ved t0 iSOIate the neWSpaper by barring itS
staff frOm c0Vering 0 cial eVentS and fOrcing edit0rial
Staff tO leaVe Singap0re_
SOurceS 0f funding fOr the pubIicatiOn aISO came
under intenSe preSSure' ChaSe Manhattan the bank fr0m
the receiVed itS I0an' f0reCIOSed On the
accOunt_ Undeterred' the c0ntinued pubIicatiOn With
the Supp0rt 0f th0uSandS Of SingapOreanS WhO (;Ontributed
tO the "SaVe the fund. Many came tO the Of ces Of
the neWSpaper and VOlunteered their SerViceS_ staff
members ann0unced that they W0uld W0rk fOr free_ The
pubIicatiOn'S circuIatiOn jumped frOm a littIe 0Ver lo'000
tO mOre than S0'000. The GOVemment reSp0nded by
rev0king itS pubIiShing pennit and the printed itS
IaSt page in AuguSt l972.

€ g
The M WaS Started by the G0Vemment in
the h0pe that it might reViVe the neWSpaper Scene in the
c0untry_ It prOVed mOre independent than eXpected_ It
cl0Sed dOWn in l98S' 0StenSibly f0r haVing incurred heaVy
OperatiOnaI l0SSeS′

In l98l the G0Vemment amended the NeWSpaper and

Pl′inting PreSSeS Act tO preVent any indiVidua frOm 0Wning
mOre than three percent 0f a neWSpaper'S Ordinary ShareSˉ
The Act aISO intr0duced management Shareh0lderS Wh0
need t0 be appr0Ved by the MiniSteI'. Management
SharehOldeTS haVe 20o VOteS each c0mpared tO the Ordinary
SharehOIder WhO haS Only One. ThiS paVed the Way fOr the
GOVemment tO bec0me the d0minant pIayer in the
neWSpaper induStry S0 that by the early l980S' the OcaI
l2

_—
 ′4 a

presS had cOme under the 0WnerSh p Ofthe gOVernment-run

Si ngap0re PreSS HO|dingS (SPH)_ The preSent
chairman iS a f0rmer PAP miniSter and itS CEO iS a fOnner
directOr Of the Internal Security Department_

The brOadcaSt media'S hiSt0ry iS IeSS eVentful_ They haVe

alwayS been under the cOntr0I of G0Vemment_ Singap0re
haS knOWn 0ne teIeViSiOn and radiO netWOrk preSentIy
ca"ed the TeIeViSi0n COrpOratiOn 0f SingapOre and the
RadiO COrp0rati0n 0f SingapOre' b0th under the umbre"a
0f the Media C0rp_

The fOreign print media circuIating in SingapOre haS aISO

0Ver the yearS c0me in fOr SOme curbS 0n rep0rtage_
In OctOber l986 magazine had itS circulati0n
reStricted fOr failing tO pubIiSh in fu" a repIy by thc Prime
MiniSter'S PreSS Secretary tO an articIe Sympathetic tO WP
Secretary-General' j. B_ Jeyaretnam_ The magaZine cap
itulated and pubIiShed the rep y in fu"ˉ Its restric[iOn WaS
| ed nine mOnthS Iater. Sh0rtly after the
refuSed tO publiSh a repIy by a M0netary AuthOrity
Of Singap0re direct0r tO an articIe dec ared inaccurate. It
t00 had itS circulati0n reStricted' bef0re becOming inV0lVed
in a IaWSuit On the matter. Later sti" which
c0Vered the case Of the `MarXiSt c0nSpiratOrS" incurred the
ire Of the g0Vemment. An eXchange Of letterS reSuIted in
reStricti0n 0f circulatiOn and the reaSSignment Of the
j0umal'S reSident cOr ˉeSpOndent. The F …
€ c0 0 … and the
haVe been inV0 Ved in diSputeS With
the
In aIm0St a" theSe caSeS' the jOumalS cOncemed
deferTed tO the GOVernment tO preSerVe theiI SingapOrean
market Share. TherefOre in their capitulatiOn' and in the
c0ntrOl eXerciSed by the GOVemment 0ver the dOmeStic
print and brOadcaSt media a balanced and Varied c0Verage

l3
 g :

of infOrmatiOn cannOt be said tO eXiSt fu"y. ThiS iS a

Seri0uS anOmaIy and dOeS a diSSerVice t0 dem0cracy'
par icuIar y during electi0nS when a" candidateS and
partieS Sh0uId be able tO reIy On the media t0 diStribute the
range 0f cOnteSting VieWS.

ThuS there are SeVeraI Structural iSSues that' WhiIe nOt

eXpIicitly reIated tO the c0nduct 0f eIec′ iOnS dO pIay a
in Whether the freed0m and fairn€SS Of the prOceSS
are Safeguarded_ The r0Ie Of a free preSS in the eIectOral
pr0ceSS iS fundamental_ Lee Kuan YeW Once argued that
preSS freed0m must be Sub0rdinated to the continued
ViabiIity 0f SingapOre and the ability Of g0Vemment t0
g0vern27. There is SOme merit in this pOSiti0n particuIarIy
When it iS remembered (ir0nically fOr eXample' in the
cOnduct Of the f0reign p eSS repOrting here) that SectiOnS Of
the maSS media may haVe priOritieS Other than the principIe
0f freed0m Of inf0rmati0n. H0weVer in the c0ntext Of
eIecti0nS' a functiOning demOcracy iS only W0rthy 0f the
name if it can guarantee that the greateSt pOSSibIe
diSseminati0n 0f VieWS iS safeguarded during the peri0d 0f
a.n eIecti0nS huStingS_
 CHAPTER 3
INSTITUTIONAL OBSTACLES TO
FPˋEE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

There are a number 0f deviati0nS frOm the

Standard practice Of eIectiOnS in singapOre that jeOpardiSe
the teSt 0f freed0m and faimeSS. FOr eXample the GrOup
RepresentatiOn Scheme (GRC) makeS it dimcuIt f0r
Opp0S tiOn partieS tO aSSembIe a credibIe SIate' It aISO
maSkS What may in fact' be |0SSeS in PAP margina|s by
gT0up ng them tOgether With StrOng PAP WardS' The Way
ˊ[hat eIectiOnS are c0nducted and the abSence of an
independent EIectiOnS COmmiSSiOn further c0mp0und the
undem0cratic nature 0f the syStem' Furthenn0re a number
0f Other featureS Of parliamentary repreSentatiOn' WhiIe at
gIance appearing tO cOrrect the dea th Of Opp0SitiOn
repreSentati0n in ParIiament may in fact hindeIˉ eIect0ral
demOcracy. includes the appOintment 0f MPS tO
ParIiament.

Rec0rd "g 0f mber

The requirement Of Writing d0Wn the electOral regiSter
number Of the VOter On the c0unterfOiI c0ntinueS tO be
practiced′ In the0ry' therefOre it iS p0SSible that each V0te
can be traced' AIthOugh it iS unlikeIy that the GOVemment
 ′4

IˉeS0rtS t0 thiS' the p0SSibility that the mIing iS able tO

diSCOVer h0W any V0ter VOted haS reSuItedˉ m am0ng
the eIectOrate tO V0te f0r the Opp0Siti0n. Th S practlce caStS
a pa" OVer the prinCip e Of ba"0t Secrecy.

Gr0"p C0IIStituencieS
In l988' the g0Vernment intr0duced the GRC Scheme.
Under thiS SyStem Some cOnStituencieS Were grOuped
t0gether in threeS While OtherS Were Ief aS Sing|e SeatS' In
the GRCS candidateS cOnteSted in teamS 0f three. V0teIˉS in
GRCS caSt their V0teS f0r the entire team. In SingIe member
cOnStituencieS (SMC) the eIect0rate Sti" V0ted f0r One
candidate
Which WardS Were amalgamated into GRCS and
Which remained aS SMCS Were le entirely up tO the
GOVemment_ The ratiOnaIe WaS tha ' undeI' the neW
Scheme, minOrity ethnic c0mmunitieS W0uId be better
repreSented since each GRC SIate required One candidate t0
belOng tO a min0rity grOup_ with the being the
d0minant ethnic grOup (pubIic hOuSing p0Iicy diStributeS
the ethnic grOupS mOre Or IeSs in pr0pOrt On t0 p0puIatiOn
acr0SS h0uSing eStateS) the GOVemment argued thaˊ
min0rity candidateS W0uld haVe di culty getting elected_
The eVidence haS nOt matched the reaSOning.
OppOSiti0niSt J_ B_ Jeyaretnam himSeIf a nOn-ChineSe'
defeated tW0 ChineSe PAP candidateS in the AnSOn Ward in
l98l and l984 reSpectiVelyˉ Further nOre the percentage 0f
minOrity ethnic MPS haS in fact decHned relatiVe t0
Since the l988 GE When the Scheme WaS rSt
implemented. EVen during preVi0uS ParliamentS' the
pr0pOrti0n 0f nOn-ChineSe MPS relatiVe t0 pOpuIatiOn did
n0t Seem tO be Of a cOnditi0n that merited interVenti0n (See
Tab e 2).
In practice the GRC System SerVeS tO further
undennine the eIect0raI chanceS Of Opp0SitiOn candidateS
aS marginal PAP WardS WeIˉe grOuped With the party'S
StIˉOng oneS' AS it iS, becauSe 0f the fear that eXiStS
OppOSiti0n p ieS face the 0f nd ng SuitabIe

6
candidateS to eld in SMCS et aIOne GRCS′ In additi0n'
becauSe each GRC iS much bigger' OppOSitiOn pa|ˉties haVe
di cuIty in matching the PAP in campaigning reSources'
A reSuIt 0f thiS iS that in the three GES SinCe the
GRC Scheme WaS implemented OnIy Opp0Siti0n
candidateS fr0m SMCS haVe been eIected_ The G0vernment
haS Since gradua"y €Xpanded the number and Size of the
GRCS. In l988 there Were l3 GRCS each requiring three
candidateS. ThiS reduced the number Of SMcS t0 42ˉ In the
l99l GE the number Of GRCS WaS increased tO IS and
each GRC WaS eXpanded tO fOur candidateS fu|ˉther
reducing SMCS to 2l' In l997 the number 0f GRCS
remained at lS but s0me 0f the GRCS Were enIarged tO Ve
0r SiX cOnStituencieS abS0rbing yet m0re SMCS WhOSe
number fe" t0 nine' The changeS in the number 0f GRCS
and the number 0f candidateS in each GRC f0r the 9 GE
WaS preSented by the EBRC t0 ParIiament IeSS han SiX
WeekS befoIˉe the eIectiOnS and With0ut c0nSuIta ion With
Opp0SitiOn partieS_

RedraWi g of b0u IdarieS

RedraWing 0f b0undarieS iS a pa T cular pr0blem_ NOt 0nly
iS the prOceSS Opaque' the eSuItS Of the redraWing a|ˉe
annOunced OnIy Sh0rt|y befOre the eIecti0nS are held'
C0nStituencieS preVi0uSIy W0n by the OppOSitiOn 0r Which
Were cIOSeIy c0nteSted haVe been eithe redraWn 0r
abSOrbed into GRCs_
0ne eXampIe iS the cOnStituency f AnSOn_ When
Jeyaremam had tO Vacate thiS Seat in l986 aftelˉ he WaS
f0und guiIty Of chargeS brOught againSt him by the
GOVemment (cOnVictiOnS Which the PriVy C0unciI in
L0nd0n' then the higheSt c0urt Of appeaI f0r Singap0re
decIared in l988 aS a "SeriOuS miScarriage 0f
AnS0n WaS abS0rbed into Other PAP-cOntr0|Ied
c0nStituencieS. In the l99l GE SeVeral cOnStituencieS that
had SubStantial 0pp0Siti0n VOteS Were abSOrbed intO GRCS
(See TabIe 4)_

l7
 g ˊ

By-eIecti0nS ˉ ′ ′ ′
The number 0f by-eIecti0nS in SmgapOre dImlnIShed
fO"0Wing the PAP'S IOSS in the l98l by-eIectiOn in AnSOn.
FrOm l9S9 t0 l98l there Were l2 A er
l98l' OnIy One by-eIectiOn was heId_ ThiS iS in Spite 0f
SeatS being Vacated by PAP MPS either thrOugh death OIˉ
reSignatiOn. There iS n0 pr0ViS 0n in IaW that the
hO ding 0f a by e ecti0n Within a Spec c time periOd _

0ne-m ' tW0 V0teS

When the PAP SaW itS Share Of the VOte Slip in the l984
GE Lee Kuan YeW Said that the time had cOme t0 I'ethink
the one—man 0ne-V0te SyStem. Later he suggeSted that
married men betWeen the ageS 0f 4o t0 60' With chiIdren
ShOuld haVe their V0teS accOunted tWice_ The reaSOn
adVanced WaS t0 cOunterbaIance the grOWing number 0f
0lder SingapOreanS WhO might uSe their VOteS t0 preSSure
the G0Vemmen' 0n SOcial Security iSSues_ N0thing haS
c0me 0f thiS yet but the Situati0n WarrantS cIOSe

N0minated MemberS 0f
In l99l, the GOVemment intr0duced the N0minated
Member 0f ParHament (NMP) scheme and app0inted three
individua S as NMPS tO Sit f0r a tenn 0f tW0 yearSˉ
Pr0SpectiVe NMPS W0uId c0me fI'Om 0StenS bIy n0n-
partiSan academic, c0mmercial pr0feSSiOnaI and tlˉade
uni0n circIeS. CandidateS are ch0Sen by a C0mmittee
Of Par iament conSiSting aImOSt entireIy 0f PAP MPS_
The Scheme WaS inStituted aS a meanS t0 impr0Ve
the qua ity 0f debate and deliberati0n in the HOuSe.
HOWeVer it iS hardly "keIy that a PAP d0minated
Parliament Sh0uld SeIect NMPS StOutly critical Of the
GOVemment' In 997 the number 0f NMPS increaSed t0
nme.

l8
The EIected PreSide"Cy
In l99l the 0 ce Of PreSident hithertO IargeIy cerem0nial
reVamped_ The PreSident W0uId nOW be eIected by
dIrect franchiSe and candidateS Were reStricted tO persOnS
the age 0f 4S Wh0 had heId Very SeniOr pubHc 0r
prIVate 0mce. A cOmmittee appOinted by the
g0Vemment haS the nal Say in WhO iS eligible f0r
pr€Sidential O ce_ Candidature WaS further reStricted by
the ˉVery high eIecti0n depOSit payable_ The EleCted
PreSIdent (EP) W0uId eXerc Se in additiOn tO preVi0uS
functiOnS juriSdicti0n OVer SeniOr pubIic
VetO OVer a range Of g0Vemment Spending
and InVeStTnent rati catiOn Of detenti0nS under the ISA
0rderS f0r inVeStigati0n Of publiC and the naI
deciSi0n tO imp0Se a State Of emergency. The reSp0nSibiIity
Of the EP— init alIy prOp0Sed OnIy tO cOVer Spending Of
reSerVeS nOt accumuIated by the Sitting g0Vemment are
that in cOnVentiOnaI demOcracieS are
0rdinarily eXerciSed by Parliament. It iS therefOre an
unneceSSary eXtra tier Of g0Vernment and further reduceS
the r0Ie 0f ParIiament aS the primary Site 0f nati0naI debate
and cOntrOI Of the eXecutiVe'

0tI]er meaS IreS

Other I ecent c0nstituti0nal amendmentS appear tO haVe
changed the c0mpIeXiOn Of the IegisIature_ In r SpOnSe tO
the IOW PAP V0te in l984 the Feedback Unit WaS
launched, a g0Vemment b0dy charged With S0liciting pubIic
0pini0n 0n p0licy_ GOVemment Par|iamentary COmmitteeS
(GPCS) Wel e f0rmed a kind Of pSeud0-Opp0Siti0n Which
W0uId ScrutiniSe meaSureS bef0re the HOuSe_ An0ther breed
0f nOn—eIected MPS WaS inStituted arOund the Same time'
the N0n-COnStituency MP (NCMP). The candidate With the
higheSt VOteS am0ngSt the unSucceSSfuI c0nteStantS iS
admitted t0 in the eVent that IeSS than three
OppOSiti0n MPS are elected. NCMPS (and NMPS) haVe fu"
rightS 0f addreSS but cannOt V0te 0n cOnStituti0nal

l9
 … g /

amendmentS nance b…S Or NO COn dence

TheSe categOrieS Of MPS are deSigned t0 p|acate the
eIectOrate WhO Want tO See an OppOSiti0n in ParIiament_

ln additiOn t0 the practice 0f rec0rding ba"0t paperS and

remOVing the redraWing 0f bOundarieS frOm pub|ic Scrutiny
the WhOIe Of cOnStituti0naI amendmentS enacted
betWeen l984 and l997 (See Table S) haS changed the _
character of parIiamentary demOcracy in SingapOre. The
Vari0uS typeS Of uneIected MPS Which haVe aItered the
SubStance 0f parIiamentary the Feedback
Unit GPCS and IateIy SpeakerS' COmer Which oStenSibIy
prOVide aIternatiVe SiteS fOr pub ic debate' the EIected
PreSident aS an unneceSSary and reStrictiVe and the
GRC Scheme appear tO prOVide mOre aVenueS f0r debate
and diScuSSiOn. ln reality hOWeVer they may in fact haVe
fuIˊ[her tranSfOrmed the p0"tical frameW0rk t0 that 0f What
anaIySt and nOW ambaSSad0r tO the US' Chan Heng Chee
OVer a decade ag0 ca"ed a "petiti0nary p0 iticaI
ThuS it iS apparent that the PAP haS Signi cantIy
undennined the right Of citiZenS t0 parIiamentary repreSent-
ati0n and c0nstitutiOnaI gOVemment. In its pIace the
GOVemment haS intrOduced SeVeraI SchemeS t0 create an
image Of parIiamentary demOcracy_ ThiS runS cOunter t0 the
rSt principIe 0f dem0cratic repreSentatiOn aS enShrined in
Article 2l(3) 0f the UniverSal DecIaratiOn Of Human
RightS.

20
 CHAPTER 4
THE 1997 GENEPˋAL ELECTIONS

The EIectOra| B0undarieS ReVieW Committee preSented itS

repOrt t0 Par|iament on 2l N()V l996. SubStantial aItera
tiOnS Were rec0mmended and accepted by GOVernment_
The number 0f SeatS WaS increaSed t0 83. GRCS nOW
numbered fOur Of Which cOmpriSing siX WardS SiX
cOmpriSing and cOmpriSing f0ur_ The number Of
sMCS WaS reduced tO nine repreSenting ll% Of
par iamentary SeatS. The fOur 0ppOSitiOn cOnStituencieS
remained aS SMCS thOugh Nee So0n Central Ward (heId by
the Singap0re DemOcratic Party'S Cheo Chai Chen) WaS
reduced by One p0"ing
NOminatiOn Day Was Set fOr 23 December l996
and P0…ng Day fOr 2 January l997_ Thirty-SiX SeatS Were
c0nteSted thuS handing the PAP a WOrking majOrity 0n
N0minatiOn Day. The wP cOnteSted l4 SeatS and the
singapOre Dem0cratic Party (SDP) l2_ Other partieS
part cipating included the SingapOre Pe0ple S Party' the
NatiOnal SO"darity Pal ty and the DemOCrat c Pr0greSSiVe
PaIˊ y_ One ndependent candidate ran in the Chua Chu
Kang conStituency' Wh ch SaW a fOur—cOmered cOnteSt_
Overa" the PAP gained a Iitˊ[le under 6S% Ofthe
The reSu t hideS the actuaIitieS 0f the eIecti0nS. The
factS and f gureS may preSent a picture Of a demOcratic GE
Where V0terS V0ted in faV0ur 0f the PAP candidateS
With0ut any fear OIˉ c0mpulSiOn.
In reaIity intimidatiOn by the ruIing pa ty reached
IeVelS nOt Seen in preVi0uS AS a c0nSequence' the
PAP WOn a" but tWO 0f the SeatS. ThiS chapter eXamineS
the practiceS ad0pted by the PAP in the l997 GE that
enabIed it tO Obtain the 0VerWheIming "victOry" that it did'

The th t 0f m icipa| upgr ding

The GOVemment annOunced bef0re the electi0nS that it
W0uId purSue a policy t0 give pri0rity t0 upgTading of the
H0uSing and DeVeI0pment (HDB) apaIˉtmentS t0
OccupantS WhO V0ted in faV0uT Of the PAP_ Upgrading 0f
the fIatS included buiIding utiIity rOOmS and impr0Ving
tOiIet faciIitieS 0f the apartments_ In additiOn mOre liftS
WOuId be added f0r each blOck 0f fIatS including OneS that
WOuId StOp 0n eVery f]0Orˉ LandScaping 0f c0mmOn areaS
Were alS0 prOpOSed.
The GOVemment alS0 threatened that thOSe WhO
vOted f0r the OppOSitiOn WOuld be Sent tO the back Of the
queue and W0uId haVe t0 Wait many yearS befOre their natS
and hOuSing eStateS Were upgraded_ AS upgrading raiSes the
VaIue 0f One'S apaIˊ ment in the Open reSale market' it WaS a
maj0r factOr in inf]uencing Wh0 the OccupantS WOuId VOte
fOI . AS 8o percent 0f Singap0reanS Iived in HDB f]ats the
Signi cance 0f the upgrading threat can nOt be under
eStimated. (In fact, SeVeraI m0nthS a er the eIectiOnS Prime
MiniSteI GOh ChOk T0ng admitted that the upgrading fact0r
WaS inStI′umentaI in heIping tO sWing V0teS t0 the PAP.)
TO demOnstrate thaˊ the G0Vemment WaS seI iOuS in
itS threat' t WaS ann0unced SiX days befOre pO…ng that
Wiˊ hin eaˊch c0nStituency the c0unting 0f V0teS WOuId be
diVided int0 precinctS. Each precinct c0mpriSed 0f a Sma"
number Of HDB bIOckS of apartmentS am0unting t0
appr0XimateIy ,000 VoteS. In paSt eIecti0nS' there WaS OnIy
One cOun′[ing centre f0r each c0nStituency. In the l997 GE
hOWeVer each GRC and SMC had muItipIe cOunting

22
cen reS. I I any 0nc O0uming centre' v0tes for the
precincts wouId be counted separaIely_
This practise wouId Ie the Govemme"t t
identify the Ievel of supp0rt e PAP received in each
precinct and therefore give the occupanfs wh v for the
ruling pany priority in upgTading and pena|iSe Ose
who didn't. faimess f the pra tiSe notWid1standing the
ouncement aIso had e e f reinforcing dle fear
among the electomte that the Govemment had intentions f
checking how each voter voted_ Given dle fact baIlot
SIipS ′ ′ere Seria"y numbcred aS diScuSSed iIˉI 3'
feaI (Whether of being ajTeS ed ( I geI1ing vic imiSed iI any
Way) Was gTeatIy intenSiHed_
T e PAP had aIS0 deScribed the GE aS a ˉI0caI
eIectj0n," faiIing t differentiaIe between an eIection
Where one votes for a municipaI progran e and a geneml
eIection where 0ne votes for the govemment of the whoIe
c0unt ˉy. Fr0m thiS' it WaS manifeStIy pIain dlaI le ruling
part ˊs intention was to use pubIic f ds m !hrea en the
eIect0raIe int0 v0ting f0r it
The PAP a|s0 vciled pIanS t amend the T0Wn
C0uncilS Act t0 fav0ur WardS that eIected its candida S.
Under e Act' M Ps a ˉe aut0maIicaI y put in charge 0f
T0Wn Co cilS in theiIˉ WardS. TheSe C0unciIS akc care of
the generaI maintenance of e houSing eStaIes within the
c nstin encyˉ Budget surpIuses of the councils a:‵e put into
a sinking f d f0r futul e major maintenance wod<s_ TTIe
G0ven en ann0unced that if a PAP MP WaS e ected' 0n|y
80 percent 0f the SurpIuS WouId g0 int0 he Sinkjng fund'
Ieaving 20 percent f0r the lVIP to spend on other amenities
and projectS aS he r She SaW f t H0Wever' if al Opp0Siti0I
was elected then l00 pcr cent of the SurpIus rom the
previ0us T0wn CounciI would have t0 go into the sinking
f d 0f the neW TOW I c0unciI' theFeby the
eIected Opp0Sitio! M]) the fundS f0I' immedIa e and
urgent ˉ _
After the eIecti0nS' e PAP fuIthef c0nS0lIda ed I S
mul1icipaI o ntroI by introducing Community DeVel pm€nt
23
l
 COuncilS (CDC) headed by a MayOr WhO WaS appOinted by
the GOVernment_ The MayOr haS the p0Wer ˊ O diSburSe
grantS and burSarieS t0 the c0nStituentS, The CDCS WOuId
cOmpriSe Of an ama gamatiOn 0f GRCS and sMCS_ ThiS
mOVe had the effect Of depriVing GRCS 0f itS independence
(at leaSt aS far aS municipaI matˊ erS Were fr0m
the PAP-Ied GOVernment Sh0uld the OppOSItIOn Wm One'
The ann0uncement Of cOunting the V0teS by
preCinctS aISO meant that the PAP WOuld be able t0 n0t 0nly
WithhOld upgrading in OppOSitiOn c0nStituencieS but alS0
f|ˉOm p0cketS Within c0nStituencieS that ShOWed Str0ng
Supp0rt fOr the

M0re threatS d irreguIaritieS

The OppOSitiOn nOted Othe ˉ eIectOral anOmaIies in ˊ he l997
GE_ S0me 0f theSe Were repOrted t0 the pOl ce but n0ne
came tO any cOnsequence.
In Cheng San GRC' f0r eXamp|e the Prime
MiniSter' G0h ChOk T0ng and hiS tW0 Deputy Prime
MiniSterS Wh0 Were returned unOppOSed' annOunced that
they W0uId take charge 0f the campaign in the cOnStituen
cy_ The three t0ured the GRC during the electiOn Warning
VOteIˉS Of the c0nSequenceS if they VOted fOr the WP team'
Ied by J_ B. Jeyaretnam_ At a ra"y On the eVe Of the P0"ing
Day' the Prime Minister made it pIain What theSe
cOnSequenceS W0uld be: the MaSS Rapid TranSit System and
a feeder Light Rapid TranSit SyStem WOuld be SuSpended
m0dem facilitieS tha′ giVe the cOnStituency a tWenty-
cenˊ ury 0u' l00k W0uId nOt g0 ahead and reSidentS
Were in danger 0f IOSing any bene tS that they had enjOyed
under PAP cOntr0I' In additi0n' reSidentS WOuId haVe a h0t
Iine t0 the Prime Min Ster and he W0uId perS0naHy tend tO
the needS 0f VOterS in Cheng San sh0uId the PAP Win. He
a s0 Wamed them that the credibiIity of hiS gOVemment WaS
at Stakeˉ AS a reSult the campaign in Cheng San became
the fOcal pOint Ofthe eIectiOnS.
The f0"oWing day' Which WaS P0"ing Day the
captured the Speech and repOrted that eith€r
24
the V0terS get eVerything if they v0ted for the PAP
or nOthing if they V0ted fOr the wP_
In anOther c0nStituency conteSted by SDP'S
Secretary-General Chee SO0n Juan Prime Min SteIˉ G0h
made SimiIar ann0uncementS. He t0 d VoteIˉS at the
MacPhersOn cOnStituency a SMC' ˊ hat if the electOrate
there chOSe the PAP candidate (WhOm the Prime MiniSter
ca"ed hiS "yOunger br0ther") the cOnStituency WOuId c0me
under the care 0f his t0Wn cOunciI. It WaS aIS0 made clear
that MacPherS0n WOuId becOme pa T 0f the pr0pOSed CDC
fOr that area_ ThiS WaS a c ear Signa ˊ 0 the V0ters that if the
SDP candidate W0n' the Ward WOuld be municipa"y iSOlat-
ed and depriVed 0f further G0Vemmenta aSSiStance_
the eIectionS the US Sta′ e D€partment
iSSued a Statement eXpreSSing itS cOncem OVer the uSe of
upgrading to nHuence VOterS_ The PAP reSpOnded that it
WaS n0ne 0f the busineSS Of the State Depa Tment and that
the US ShOu d n0t interfere With electi0nS in SingapOre_
FO"OWing the electiOnS in memorandum Submitted
to the United Nati0nS the WP and SDP Iisted a number Of
irTeguIaritieS ~

O The ballOt bOXeS in SOme conStituencieS WeIˉe

n0t Sealed in the preSence 0f Opp0Siti0n
candidateS Or ˊ heir agentS aS required by
SectiOn 48 0fthe PEA;
O In SOme c0unting centreS m0re than 0ne ba"Ot
paper WaS fOund fOIded tOgether (This WaS at
Variance With the StatutOry requirement that an
eIect0r fOld hiS Or he ba"0t paper and place it'
indiVidually' in the ba"0t b0X.);
_ In One Cheng San pO…ng diStrict the number
of ba"0t paperS exceeded the number Of
regiStered VOterS; and
O A b0Ok 0f unmarked ba"0t paperS WaS f0und
in a Sealed ba lOˊ[ bOX in 0ne p0ning centre
befOre p0"ing began-

2j
 In additiOn' Of the Ve pO…ng centreS in the
MacPherS0n cOnStituency' 0nly the V0teS frOm three Were
cOunted in the cOnStituency_ The reSt Of the V0teS Were
taken t0 an0ther c0nStituency f0r c0unting. N0 reaSOn WaS
giVen fOr thiS arrangement_
On P0…ng Day itSelf GOh Ch0k TOng and Other
MiniSters t0ured the VariOuS c0nSˊ[ituencieS and ViSited
p0"ing centreS_ ThiS WaS d0ne in C ear VieW 0f VOterS Wh0
had cOme tO caSt the r VOteS_ Iˊ WaS a cIear Vi0lati0n Of the
PEA that eXpreSSIy pI 0hibitS any unauthOriSed persOnS tO
enter pO"ing cent eS. OnIy candidateS and their po"ing
agentS had penniSSiOn tO enter theSe centreS' and eVen ˊ hey
had t0 Wear IabeIs pr0Vided by the EIecti0nS Department.
AS the Prime MiniSter and 0ther MinisterS Were n0t
candidateS and eIecti0n agentS in the cOnStituencieS they
cIearIy had nO auth0rity t0 enter theSe p aceS_ Yet the
WaIked in and Out 0fthe centreS freeIy_
The SDP candidate Chee SO0n _Iuan related an
inc dent in Which he encOuntered the Prime MiniSter
Walking Out Of a pO…ng centre in the MacPherSOn
c0nStituency With anOther MiniSter and the PAP cand date
f0r the Ward. N0ne of the Department OmciaIS
StOpped him_ P0lice o cerS Wh0 had earIier st0pped Chee
fr0m entering the p0"ing centre becauSe he had n0t W0rn
hiS authoriSatiOn abeI' SaIuted the Prime MiniSter and
made nO attempt t0 St0p him frOm entering despite the fact
that G0h did n0t haVe a IabeI.
The preSence Of the Prime MiniSter and the
MiniSterS at the p0uing centres had the effect 0f further
frightening the V0terS and deterring them fr0m v0ting f0r
the 0ppOSitiOn_
After the eIectiOnS the wP and SDP med p0Hce
rep0rtS about the MinisterS p0"ing centreS. The
PEA cIearIy StateS that it iS an offence fOr perSOnS t0 I0ite ˉ
Within 200 metres 0f any pO"ing centre_ The Att0mey
General decHned tO pr0Secute, citing that the PAP IeaderS
Were inSide the p0|ling centreS and n0t IOitering outSide the
centres' and theref0re nOt in breach 0f any laW_

26
The GRC SyStem d effect
COntrary t0 itS Stated purpOSe' the GRC SyStem dOeS nOˊ
ensure an equitabIe repreSentatiOn Of the nOn ChineSe
minOrity ethnic gr0upS in ParIiament. AS the 0f
non ChineSe VOterS is abOut 2S percent Of the 0Vera"
p0pu atiOn iS di cu ty tO underStand Why GRCS ShOuId
be eXpanded t0 Or siX SeatS Which require 0nly One
minOrity candidate. TabIe 2 Sh0WS that in the l997 GE
min0rity ethnic repreSentatiOn Went dOWn a percentage
pOint relatiVe tO the generaI p0pulatiOn,
FurthermOre' the SiX SMCS that Were redraWn int0
GRCS had a" ShOWn a high percentage Of OppOSiti0n vOteS
in the preViOuS GE in l99l (See Table 4).
FrOm the abOVe 0bSerVatiOnS' it SeemS cIear that
the GRC SyStem WaS intrOduced nOt S0 much t0 ensure
min0rity representatiOn in ParIiament' aS the PAP cIaims
but t0 further entrench the ruling party'S d0minatiOn in
eIectiOnS.

pr0bIemS iII GE
Apart frOm the irregu aritieS cited abOVe' the uSual
prObIemS of electiOnS Were preSent_ FOr eXampIe the
EBRC Submitted itS repO 0n the redraWing Of bOundarieS
t0 Parliament OnIy 32 dayS befOre N0minati0n Day_ ThiS
allOWed OppOSitiOn partieS littIe time tO prepare fOr the
changed And WhiIe the 0ppOSitiOn partieS
had 0nIy a Iittle OVer a Week tO campaign becauSe the PAP
decided tO giVe the minimum periOd Of nine dayS fOlˉ the
electiOnS aS required by IaW' the PAP had begun itS
campaigning m0nthS befOre' intr0ducing neW candidateS aS
earIy aS September l996”. Acc0rding tO Diane Mauzy an
eminent anaIySt then at the UniVerSity Of BritiSh COIOmbia'
the PAP had Spent a" Of l996 planning fOr the eIecti0n'
incIuding preSenting a pre-eIecti0n StyIe Budget that year
and ann0uncing VariOuS We fare and asSet enhancement
SChemeS in May_ While thiS adVantage naturaIIy accrueS tO
the party in g0Vemment and iS uSed arOund the W0rld aS an

27
 / €

eIectiOn Strategy it dOeS add tO the a ready SeriOuS prObIem

of an e ectOral syStem in SingapOre that is n0t free and fair'
AS in preViOuS eIecti0nS the gOVernment‵
contrOIIed media cOntinued tO giVe the PAP unIimited air
time On teIeViSiOn and cOVerage in the neWSpaperS Iimiting
OppOSitiOn rep0rtage tO the bareSˊ minimum'

28
 CHAPTER S

RECOMMENDATIONS TO
SAFEGUARD FREE AND FAIPˋ
ELECTIONS

The OSC SubmitS thiS rep0rt tO a" WhO are intereSted tO See
the dem0cratic pr0ceSS taking pIace in singapO e_ The
manneIˉ in eIectiOnS are cOnducted in thiS country
muSt be 0f cOncem.
ThiS rep0Iˉt haS cl0SeIy eXamined the d cuItieS 0f
enSuring a free and fair V0ting pr0CeSS in the city-S ate' It
W0uld nOt be WrOng t c0ncIude that the entire State
machinery and the cOnduct 0f electiOnS iS deSigned tO giVe
unfai| adVantage t0 the PAP and tO enSuIˉe the ruIing party'S
abSOIute and c0ntinued cOntT0| 0fthe p0IiticaI SyStem_
The rep0rt 0fferS the f0"0Wing rec0mmendati0nS
f0r a genuinely free a—nd fair eIect0ral System f0r Singap0re:

T| e App0i tme C0mmiSsi II

The c0nduc 0f eIectiOnS muSt be taken aWay frOm the
ruIing party and handed Over t0 an independent b0dy
charged With the taSk 0f enSuring that eIectiOnS are
c0nducted in faimeSS t0 a" pa!ˉtieS a_nd ca_ndidateS. There iS
an Electi0nS CommiSSi0n in a" C0mmOnWeaIth countrieS
 g

and indeed in mOSt Other demOcratic cOuntries. The

Commission must:

. Be granted powers to administer eIections

including the process of Vote counting' and
handling Of petitiOns Or cOmp aintS
. Work in consultation with alI poIitical parties
in itS p0WerS and functiOnS;
. Be answerable to the Courts in its conduct of
eIectiOnS;
O PubIicly annOunce a" ruleS and reguIati0nS
g0Veming eIectiOnS We" befOre the eIectiOnS
and We" bef0re they are preSented t0
ParIiament;
- Fu"y cOnSider repreSentati0nS fr0m pO|itical
partieS; and
O HaVe the p0wer t0 prOSecute any ViOIation of
the aW g0Verning eIecti0nS.

In the l970S 0ppOSiti0n partieS Submitted a

memorandum to the G0vernment caI ing for the appoint-
ment Of Such a COmmiSSi0n but nO heed WaS taken_ There
WaS n0t eVen a repIy.

Campaign time
Under the conditionS in Singapore the time that the PAP
gives for e ectionS iS far too short; it d0es not give
OppoSiti0n partieS adequate time tO prepare and m0unt an
effective campaign. The minimum time alIowed under the
law is 4 dayS' that iS' from issue of writs to Po…ng Day.
In mOSt eIectiOnS in the paSt the PAP haS al OWed On y thiS
minimum time. In such a situation campaigning holding
public ralIies and meeting voters iS limited to eight days.
The ruling party suffers no disadvantage_ It kn0ws
when e ections wouId be held and would have amp e time
to prepare. Months before Nomination Day, Ministers
make visitS to the various conStituencies' give campaign

30

h [
 speecheS and meet reSidentS. ThiS iS Of c0urSe dOne
as part 0f "MiniSter|aI duiteS" Where reStrictiOnS On pubHc
SpeecheS under the Public Entertainment Act dO nOt apply.
Under the ACt hOWeVer' OppOSiti0n partieS are banned
frOm making SimiIar pubIic SpeecheS. T0 make
campaigning fair it iS the OSC'S recOmmendat on that

_ EIecti0nS are annOunced three (3) mOnthS

befOre p0"ing_ NOminatiOn Day ShOuId be
annOunced at eaSt tWO (2) WeekS in advance_
- A minimum Of three (3) Weeks Sh0uId be
allOWed be een N0minatiOn Day and P0"ing
Dayˉ
O A" pO iticaI partieS ShOuId be giVen a
minimum Of ten (l0) minuteS fOr each eIectiOn
br0adcaSt OVer teIeViSiOn. There Sh0uId be a
minimum 0f three (3) brOadcaStS f0r each
pa ty-

0bServerS
DiSintereSted th rd partieS Such aS the UN and
mOnit0ring agencieS ShOuId be n0t OnIy tO ObSerVe
but aISO ScrutiniSe the Way ruIeS and regulatiOnS
are draWn up_ ThiS Wi" enSure that the cOnduct 0f eIectiOnS
iS n0t Only fa r' but c earIy Seen t0 be fa r_

The principIe 0f 0ne perS0n One VOte ShOuld be enShrined

in IaW. It iS alSO the recOmmendatiOn 0f the 0SC that the
GRC Scheme be d0ne aWay With aS it 0n y giVeS the PAP
anOther Way t0 enhance itS dOminatiOn
A" MPS muSt be treated faIrIy and haVe equaI
aIl0cat 0n 0f State fundS′ MPS be giVen the
Same p0WerS and reSpOnSiblIItleS aS IˉuI ngˉ ˉparty MPS'
There Sh0uld be n0 diSCriminati0n 0f OppOSItl0n MPS by
the ciV" SerVice and Statut0ry bOardS.

3
 TheSe W… giVe regardIeSS
0f the p0Ii ical pa tieS they rep eSent' the ab Hty tO perf0rm
their du ies as effectiVeIy aS they can_

M SS Media
The GOVemment muS reIeaSe itS tight hOId 0n the maSS
m€dia and enc0urage the grOWth 0f aIternatiVe sOurCes Of
infOnnatiOn_ Th€ print and br0adcaSt media ShOuld be
directed by the Electi0nS C0mmiSSiOn tO giVe fair treatment
t0 the OppOSitiOn-

Rem0v | 0f fe
Th€ IntemaI Security Act ShOuId be either repeaIed 0r
SeVereIy reSt icted in itS CandidateS and
V0terS muSt nOt be intimidated by the ISA.
SimiIar|y the practice of numbering ba"Ot paperS
ShOuld be St0pped_ It SerVeS nO purp0Se 0ther than tO enSure
that a" ba"Ot paperS haVe been uSed legitimateIy. ThiS
functiOn can be aS eaSiIy achieVed by the franking Of b0th
paper and c0unterfOil in the preSence Of VOter' candidateS
and/Or pO"ing agentS' and Electi0n COmmiSSi0nerS.
AlS0 the practice 0f the eIect0rate
thr0ugh tactics such aS the upgrading Of HDB f]atS muSt be
ruIed uncOnStitutiOnal and diSalIOWed_

Civic educ It 0II

C viI S0ciety Sh0uld be enc0uraged t0 embark 0n initiatiVeS
tO educate Sch0OIchildren and eligibIe V0terS fOr the
and righ S 0f dem0cracy_ Such a campaign W0uId a"0W e
peOp e t0 underStand the principIe 0f e ect0raI demOcracy
and make oWn anaIySeS 0f the p0SSibIe cOnSequenceS
of differing p0Iic eS and paJˊ ies_ It W0u d aISO SerVe t0
prevent IaWS frOm being paSSed that' 0StenSibly' pr0m0te
dem0cracy but' in effect' undennine the Spirit and
SubStance 0f he dem0cratic p 0ceSs. An €ducated and
inf0r ned citiZenry is the beSt defence againSt a retum tO
aut0cracyˉ
 CONCLU ON
TOWARDS FREE AND FAIR
ELECTIONS IN SINGAPORE

AS a mature and ciV…Sed S0ciety made up Of cOmmunitieS

hai ing frOm ancien traditiOnS Which bOaSt their 0Wn
c0mmitInentS tO dem0cracy' and cIaiming tO haVe achieVed
FirSt W0rld StandardS 0f IiVing and SerViceS SingapOreanS
alˉe m0re than capab|e 0f adjudging What is in their beSt
intereStS and acting appr0priateIy_ COntrary tO the idea that
We ASianS are nOt intereSted in dem0cracy it iS preciSely
the demOcratic Values that Our fOunding fatherS ASian men
and W0men f0ught f0r that gave uS 0ur SeIf reSpect and 0ur
right t0 SeIf-deter ninatiOn.
T0 thWart the prOgreSS 0f dem0cracy in the tWenty-
rSt century W0uld be f0Olhardy' and in the IOng run'
c0unter-prOductive. AS argued in the IntrOducti0n' an
undem0cratic SyStem d0eS nOt make gOOd ecOn0mic SenSe_
Dem0cracy' achieVed thr0ugh free and fair
eIecti0nS fOSterS the deveIOpment 0f an enlightened
civiliSed and Vibrant SOciety. Dem0cracy iS neither a
priViIege n0r a gift tO be beStOWed up0n the peOpIe. It iS'
and muSˊ[ be' a baS c cOnditiOn f0r the c0ntinued eXiStence
0f a mOdem Society. It muSt be aIIOWed t0 bubble up fr0m

′_' } ‵[ˉ ——
 / /

he pc I€ rather than an V i0n up.′

hcm 0m ab0Ve′ such he tru na
It is Ihe VieW ha a y m for
the c0nduc 0r g(:nuinc y and r
inSti[ut€d in Sin p0rc′ of' ”d.
atiOns liS ed in Chap W0u|d g0 a l0”g Way h ing
thiS g0a|
When c i n! th€ir
nati0n'S leadcr8 hr0ugh indiSputabIy fre and
can tru|y ca" Sin pore the r h0m ′

34
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36
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39
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:O^m:^"r OEoz …c:m: `= ‵

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m‵^u:O:— u:o—0—u:m:
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40
 Eˊec €Z ′4

l Thar0Or (l997)

z ArticIe 2l

A ticIe 38 0fthe ] ]uly l999 Reprint

Sen (l997)

With the eXceptiOn 0f a brief eXperimentaI periOd

betWeen l8S6 and l9l3' untiI l948 a" LegiSlatiVe C0unciI
SeatS and alI adminiStratiVe pOSitiOn Were led by
n0minati0n (Lee l989).

With the 2S eIected seats' the ASSembIy alSo incIuded

thTee eX 0mci0 memberS and f0ur n0minated memberS' (MiniStry
of InforTnati0n and the ArtS l997; Tumbull' 989)'

ˉˊ T0day VOting compuISory under s.43 0f the

Parliamentary ElectiOnS Act cap_ 2l8 (l999 EditiOn)'
SingapOreanS aIe c0nStitutiOnaIIy depI iVed 0f thiS meanS
f0r denying egitimacy_

In the l9 S eIectiOnS the PAP had f e ded 0nly f0ur

candidateS and Secured three SeatS) in Order tO OppOSe the
`r0ttenneSS' (Lee' l998 l78) Of the Rendel C0nStitutiOn.

' The referendum propoSed three altematiVes a" of Which

pr0Vided f0r SOme f0rm 0f mergel . There WaS n0 0ptiOn t0 V0te
`No' t0 merger and indeed the g0Vemment had decIared hat '
blank v0teS WOuld be c0unted aS `YeS' VoteS_

m Ar icIe 2l(l) Of the C0nStitution (Reprint' l JuIy l999)

requireS the PreSident t0 act n accOrdance With fon aI
AdVice 0f the Cabinet 0r relevant miniSter_

4l
 €…

" Unlike the Other pre-l99] functi0nS 2l(2)(a) and

2l(2)(b) a"0wS the PreSident tO act In ˉhIS Or her OWn
diScretiOn When carrying Out theSe ˊ WO dutIeS.

lz Parliamentary ElectiOnS Act Cap_ 2I8 (l999 Editi0n)'

s'8
n ParIiamentary ElectiOnS Act Capˉ 2l8 (l999 Editi0n)
s_24
M ParIiamentary E_ecti0nS Act' Cap_ 2l8 (l999 EditiOn)
S_2S

" ParIiamentary E ecti0nS Act Capˉ zl8 (l999 Editi0n)

S_3l(6)(b) a"OWS a minimum 0f 9 dayS and a maximum Of
8 WeekS tO eIapSe between N0minatiOn and PO…ng dayS.

“ Steps l — S: s_ 42; Steps 6 - 7: s'48 Par iamentary

ElectiOnS Act Cap_ 2l8 (l999 Editi0n)

I7 The ISA [IntemaI Secur ty Act] _._ pennit[S] preVentiVe

detenti0n WithOut trial for the prOtectiOn 0f pubIic Security
0r Safety 0r the maintenance Of public Order' The ISA giVeS
br0ad diScreti0n t0 the MiniSˊ[er f0r HOme AffairS t0 0rder
detentiOn WithOut chargeS at the directiOn Of the PreSident'
if the Iaˊ ter determineS that a pers0n p0SeS a threat t0
natiOnaI SecuI ity. The iniˊ[ia detentiOn may be fOr up tO 2
years and may be reneWed WithOut limitati0n fOr additiOnaI
peri0dS up tO 2 yearS at a time. DetaineeS haVe a Iˉight t0 be
inf0nned 0f the grOundS fOr their detentiOn and are entitled
t0 c0unSeL HOWeVer they haVe n0 right t0 cha"enge the
SubStantiVe baSiS f0r their detenti0n thr0ugh the c0urtS_ The
ISA Specif caIly eXcIudeS recOurSe t0 the n0 Tnal JudiciaI
SySˊ em fOr reVieW 0f a detentiOn 0rder made under itS
authOrity' InStead detaineeS may make repreSentatiOnS tO an
adViS0ry bOard headed by a Supreme C0urt JuStice Which
revieWS each detainee'S caSe peri0dica Iy and muSt make a

42
'

g /

rec0mmendati0n tO the PreSident Wi′[hin 3 m0nthS 0f the

initiaI detenti0n_ The PreSident may c0ncur With the
adViSOry bOard'S recOmmendati0n that a detainee be
re eaSed priOr tO the eXpirati0n Of the detenti0n 0rder but iS
nOt ObHgated t0 d0 SO. N0 0ne WaS detained under the ISA
frOm l989 thrOugh l996. TWO perS0ns Were detained in
l997, and fOur in l998' a" fOr a"eged eSpi0nage′ Of theSe
SiX tWO remained in detentiOn at the end Of There
Were n0 rep0rtS 0f any neW detenti0nS under the ISA during
the year. ” (p.3 C'o
ReleaSed by Bureau Of Dem0c 'acy
Human RightS and Labor' U.S_ Depa ment 0f State Feb
2 ' 2000)

l8 HiS experience and that Of 0ther ASian pOIiticaI

diSS dentS iS t0ld in Chee (l998)′

`statement 0f EX detaineeS Of Spectrum" l8

ApriI l988' in SeoW (l994), MaIaysian reprint' l99S'
p_2S8ˉ26l
2o Co -
g _ Re eaSed by Bureau Of Dem0cracy' Human
Rights and Lab0r' U.S_ Department 0f State_ Feb 25 2000)

zl Pugalenthi' Sr (I996Zl34)

zz TremeWan (l994 lS8)

TremeWan (l994)

TremeWan (l994)

QuOted in SeoW (l998 l l).

The brief hiSt0ry preSented in the fOreg0ing iS adaptedˉ

frOm SeOW (l998)ˉ ThiS Study pr0VideS eXce"ent

43
 C g

backgrOund read ng 0n the hiStOry 0f preSS freed0m in

SingapOre_

z7 Chua(l99S l98)

28 Puga enthi, Sr (l996)

z' Tan(l999)
That it iS f0und unacceptable f0r citiZenS t0 uSe the ba"0t bOx
t0 attempt t0 SWay the c0u ˉSe of poIicy seemS Symbo"c'

” Tan (l999)
Chan(l989:8l)
ElectOraI B0undarieS RevieW COmmitteeˉ (l996)

da Cunha (l997)
” Nathan (l996)
“ Mauzy(l997)
" da Cunha(l997)
Jeyaretnam & Chee (l997)
MauZy (l997) _
 /

Refe ren ceS

Chan H C (l989) `The PAP And The S ructuring of e

POIitical Sys em in sandhu K s & WheatIey' P (EdS—)
& g 0/ˉ
Singapore: Insti e of S0utheaSt ASian StudieS
Chee S _I (I998) BB F ′ M0naSh M0naSh ASia
Chua, B H (l99S) C gy D
S g L0nd0n: R0utIedge
da' Cunha' D (l997) a P ˊ 7 g
G€ Singap0re InStitute 0f
S0utheaSt ASian Studies
DepartTnent of StatiS ics (Vari0uS years) 0′ˊ
Singap0re: Depa nent of StatiS icS
Eidc' A; Alfredss n G; Melander' G; Reh0 L A & Rosas' A
(l992) g |
N0rWay: scandinavian UniVcrSity PreSS
EIect0ral BoundarieS ReVieW c0mmi e (l996) R
€ Z B R Cmnd
l7 of l996 2l N0v l996
Ieyaremam J B & Chee' S ] (I998) O"
S g o Mem0randum t0 the United Nati0nS'
SiIlgap0re' February
Lee' E (l989) `The col0niaI in Sandhu' K S &
Wheatley' P (EdS') 2M g
g Singap0re InStitute 0f Southeast
ASian SnldieS
D K Y ( 998) ˊˊe€ K
' Singap0re TimeS EditionS and Tˉhe StraitS TimeS Press
(2000) F T0 ' T g
M KI }ˊ ′ Singap0re: TimeS Media
and The straitS TimeS PresS
MauZy D (l997) `Singapore'S DiIemma: C0ping With ′ ˉhe
Pa ad0Xes 0f SuccesS" / ˊ 7
MiniS 0f nf0nnati0n and the AI′tS (l997) g
SingapOre 0f Infonnation and he AIˉ S
D (l996) `PM FuriouS with US Meddling ln E ecti nS'
27 DecembeT
Pe0pIc'S ACti0n Party ( 999)
By Singapore: PeopIe's Action Party

4
PugaIenthi Sr (l996) Singap0re: Vj
TimeS
RepubIic 0f Singapore (]999)
Singap0re 30 December l999
Republic of Singap0re (I999) Reprint Of The ConStituti0n Of
The RepubIic of Singap0re' Singap0re l July l999
sen' A ( 997) `Human RightS And Asian ValueS: What Lee
Kuan YeW And Le Peng D0n't KnOW Ab0ut ASia' N
VOI 2l7' n0S 2-3' l4 ]uly
seOW' F T (l994) C ˊ4 e€ K I
ˊewˊ P ”′ NeW HaVen: YaIe UniverSity S0utheaSt ASia
Studies. (MaIayan reprint l99S)
(l998) e Me g
COIOrad0 Lynne Rienner
Thar00r S (l997) M M
NeW De hi Penguin
Tumbu"' M (l989) '
singapore OXfOrd UniverSity PreSS
U`S' Depa ˊtment 0f State (2000) C0 R o
by Bureau 0f
Dem0cracy' Human RightS and Labor'
Feb′2S'2000_
(ht p //WWW'State'g0V/ lObaI/human rightS/ l 999 hlˉp report/
SingapoT_html)
Tan K Y L (l999) `ParIiament And The Making Of LaW In
Singap0re ' in Tan' K Y L (Ed_) g z′eg(ZZ
Singapore SingapOre UniVersity PreSS
TremeWan' C (l994) T 0 Ec0 0my
BaSingSt0ke Macmillan

46