On Tuesday (17 September), Singaporean historian Dr Thum Ping Tjin took to his
Facebook to state that the country’s laws are created to be extremely broad in order to “effectively make all public expression of any opinion illegal”.
His post was referring to an incident involving Mohammad Nafiz Kamarudin who was disallowed by the Yellow Ribbon Project Singapore from
participating in the Prison Run 2019 on Sunday (15 September) because he appeared at the event wearing an anti-death penalty T-shirt.
The T-shirt had “2nd chances means not killing them” printed on the front, and “#antideathpenalty” printed on the back.
“So they did not allow me to run, despite being clear on their site that runners can use any other tops than their official t-shirt. First they told me I need to change my bib. Now they want to police me on what to wear,” Mr Nafiz wrote in a Facebook post.
As such, he said that he will not participate in the event but will run parallel with them.
In an earlier
post, Mr Nafiz highlighted that the organiser contacted him last week to request him to change his bib as the message written on it “is not in line with the cause”. At first, the organiser didn’t have any problem when they printed the same anti-death penalty slogan on his bib, instead of his name. However, they later changed their mind and asked him to change his bib with one that bears his name.
Mr Nafiz told TOC that after rejecting the request from different staff from the organisation to change his bib, he finally agreed to do it as he planned to wear a T-shirt with the same message on the day.
After exchanging his bib, a staff even told him that he can appear at the race with any T-shirt of his choice. But, he was still denied the permission to participate in the race.
In a press statement released on Tuesday (17 September), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) did not identify the couple but stated that they are “investigating a 38-year-old Singaporean man and a 30-year-old Singaporean woman for offences under the Public Order Act.”
The statement added, “It is a criminal offence under the Public Order Act to take part in a public assembly or procession without a police permit. Investigations against the duo are ongoing.”
Mr Nafiz went through a two-hour interview at Bedok Police Station yesterday and his wife will be going for her interview today.
When Mr Nafiz went in for his police interview yesterday, New Naratif editor-in-chief Kirsten Han told that she was “almost not allowed into the police station”.
Mentioning this in a
Facebook post, Ms Han said that her team was told at the police station’s registration gate that the Investigation Officer (IO) instructed that no one should be allowed in.
“I asked what authority they had to disallow a citizen from sitting in the waiting room of the police station, but didn’t get an answer. We called but couldn’t get connected to the IO. But they did eventually give me a visitor’s pass,” she wrote.
Dr Thum’s view on the matter
Referring to this whole saga, Dr Thum who is also the managing director of New Naratif, said that this incident is “an example of how systemic oppression works in Singapore.”
“First, self-censorship: you are pressured to voluntarily not express your opinion. Then, marginalisation: if you refuse to self-censor, you are excluded and made invisible. Third, intimidation: if you insist on being visible, Singapore laws are so broad as to effectively make all public expression of any opinion illegal,” he wrote.
He added that based on this way, oppression can be excused under “rule of law”.
Although Dr Thum opines that Mr Nafiz will most likely no face prosecution as it “would cross a line and make the authoritarianism too clear-cut”, but he feels that the bigger problem here is the fear and intimidation that is being disseminated to the wider population so that they don’t utter an opinion that is different from the government officials.
“And the crucial aspect – the real tragedy – is that all this happens not because of a directive from those in power, but merely out of fear and caution by those in middle management,” he said.
He continued, “Authoritarianism today is far more sophisticated than jack-booted thugs. It’s boring, bureaucratic, and administrative.”
Source: The Online Citizen, Kiara Xavier, September 18, 2019
Police investigating 2 people who wore anti-death penalty T-shirts at Yellow Ribbon Prison Run
SINGAPORE: The police are investigating a 38-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman for offences under the Public Order Act, after they showed up at the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run on Sunday wearing T-shirts with messages against the death penalty.
The pair, both Singaporeans, wore T-shirts with the words "2nd chances means not killing them" printed on the front, and "#antideathpenalty" printed on the back.
A police report was made against them after the run on Sep 15.
"It is a criminal offence under the Public Order Act to take part in a public assembly or procession without a police permit," said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Tuesday (Sep 17).
"Investigations against the duo are ongoing."
The Yellow Ribbon Prison Run is an annual event organised in support of ex-offenders.
The man had said in a Facebook post that he was not allowed to run, "despite (organisers) being clear on their site that runners can use any other tops other than their official T-shirt".
"First they told me I need to change my bib. Now they want to police me on what to wear," he said.
According to the event website, participants can run without wearing the designated jersey, but they have to put on number bibs with information such as names and emergency contact numbers.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said organisers found out more than a week before the event that the man had printed "2nd chances means not killing them" on his running bib instead of his name.
They contacted him about the matter several times before the race.
"The Organising Committee contacted the man twice on Sep 6, 2019 to explain to him why his bib was inappropriate, as the YRPR (Yellow Ribbon Prison Run) should not be used by him as a platform to advocate other causes, or to campaign against existing laws," said SPS.
"On both occasions, he rejected the Organising Committee’s offer despite being informed that he would be deregistered from the event and his registration fee refunded if he refused to change the bib."
On Sep 13, organisers reached out to him again and agreed to his request to meet in person that night, said SPS. The man then exchanged his bib for one bearing his name.
However on the day of the event, the man and the woman showed up wearing identical yellow T-shirts with the anti-death penalty slogans. He was then informed that he would not be allowed to participate in the race, said SPS.
"This was no different from his original intention to wear the running bib with the message printed on it, and as the organising committee had earlier advised him, it was inappropriate and not right for him to exploit the YRPR to advocate and campaign on his causes," SPS added.
The woman left the venue, while the man rejected organisers' offer to provide him with an event T-shirt, said SPS.
"(He) ripped off his bib and threw it on the ground, and ran separately by himself on the public road that ran alongside the event running route," it added.
Upon reaching the end of the race route - at Changi Prison Complex - at about 8.15am, organisers told the man that he would not be allowed in.
He stood outside the prison and left at around 10am, said SPS.
"The duo’s actions at this year’s YRPR are a disservice to offenders, ex-offenders and their families whom the Yellow Ribbon Project seeks to help," said the prison service.
Anyone convicted under the Public Order Act for taking part in a public assembly or procession without a police permit faced a fine of up to S$3,000.
"The police would like to remind members of the public that there are proper avenues for Singaporeans to express their views on issues," SPF said.
"For example, they can use the Speakers’ Corner to carry out public assemblies and speak on these issues, without the need for a permit, subject to certain conditions being met."
Source:
channelnewsasia.com, Staff, September 17, 2019
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
