Unite for Human Rights - May 15 - Special Post

Given that this blog has committed itself to blog about human rights on 15 May on Bloggers Unite for Human Rights, we have picked some urgent issues to highlight the continuing prevalent human rights violations that are occurring around the world…

Marking the 200th post…

To commemorate having reached the 200th mark, we have compiled a list of our 20 most favourite posts (not in any order) which you should read (if you haven’t).

1. Nakba Day, 15 May - this post was made last year to remind us of the continuing sufferings of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. While Israel will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Gazans continue to live under the shadow of the economic blockade…

2. Situation in Darfur worsened for second half of 2007 - Given that the situation in Darfur has yet to improve, we should pay special attention to the humanitarian crisis in the region.

3. Failure of US- Iraq Invasion - two recommended books on current American’s foreign policy. Bob Woodward’s State of Denial provides an insight on the Bush Administration while Patrick Cockburn’s The Occupation details the failure of the Iraqi invasion at ground zero.

4. I think you should have a speedy Gonzales departure! - Torture American style and its Australian detainee, David Hicks…

5. May Day Rallies around the World in 2007 - Workers around the world celebrate May Day…

6. Suu Kyi “cannot stop her calls for sanctions” - a posting on the Burma uprising last year and why the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate is caught between a rock and a hard place. To date, the military regime continues to adopt a ‘close- door’ policy against international organisations. This is despite the current humanitarian crisis which is causing thousands of deaths.

7. Liberal Upbringing = Happy Children - an earlier post on why a liberal atmosphere might be conducive to bringing up happy kids.

8. Americans want change… so does the world… - Given the American Presidential elections are coming in a few month’s time, this post reveals how Americans yearn for change. Who would the Americans vote for? Will there be any differences in American’s foreign policy if a Democrat were to be voted into office?

9. Dennis Kucinich - The Most Progressive Democratic Presidential Candidate - America loses a potential president who could possibly made a difference.

10. Time to boycott the China Olympics - The idea of a boycott has been raised by fringe groups. Should sports have a priority over human rights? Given that China has steadfastedly refuse to improve its human rights record, what can human rights organisations do?

11. Repealing Death Penalty is not imposing post-colonial will - Asian autocrats claim that the death penalty is congruent with its Confucian values. This posting exposes the oft-repeated myth.

12. How Asians Commemorate Human Rights Day 2007 - The peoples of Asia desire and fight for human rights and democracy too.

13. Law Society, Mas Selemat and the ISA - The escape of Mas Selemat, a detainee who was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Singapore, opens up a window of debate for the repeal of the legislation. The ISA is a piece of draconian legislation in Singapore and Malaysia which allows detention without trial.

14. The relationship between Human Rights and Democracy - Democracy is not just about conducting periodic elections. Human Rights Watch exposes this misconception and the West’s implicit endorsement of authoritarian regimes.

15. More by Tariq Ali - Excerpts and Links - Tariq Ali remains one of the generation’s most vocal and sharpest critics against Western hypocrisy especially with regards to Pakistan and Palestinian issues.

16. War on Democracy reveals sinister US administration - Watch ‘War on Democracy’, award- winning journalist, John Pilger’s first made for movie documentary which documents the US administration’s history in undermining Latin America’s democracy.

17. Panel agrees Howard government has managed to silence dissent in Australia - Howard might be gone but the damage he has done could outlast his legacy. This is an event review of a forum whereby politicians, academics and media commentators criticizes his government for censoring free speech.

18. Taiwan commemorates 20th anniversary lifting of martial law - Taiwan has become a member of the democratic club with a successful and mainly peaceful transition. Yet, it has been rejected by the UN as a qualifying member state. As Allison Hsieh who was quoted in this posting remarked, “Western countries that claim to support democracy and freedom must be much more assertive in their support for Taiwan’s right to self-determination…”

19. Amnesty (for) American Abductions - The current neo-conservative American Administration conducts illegal abductions under the banner of ‘war on terror’…

20. Sorry - The Australian government has apologised to the Indigenious community for its Stolen Generations policy but stops short of monetary compensation. This is in tune with the advancement of indigenious rights which has recently been recognised on the UN level when the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly September last year.

Law Society, Mas Selamat and the ISA

As this blog has argued previously, the more important question, which should have arosed out of the escape of Mas Selamat, is the debate on abolishing the Internal Security Act (ISA). After all, the aforementioned detainee was imprisoned under the said legislation without given a fair trial, which is a travesty against human rights.

That this silence has continued to perpetuate is befuddling given that the Singapore’s law society has recently publicly announced that it intends to propose integrating the United Nations Human Rights Declarations (UNHDR) into local law books. Article 9 of the UNHDR explicitly states, no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or exile. That no Singaporean blogs have pointed out this huge glaring discrepancy is extremely worrying.

Instead, what we witness are nitty gritty debates on who should be held responsible. Yawning Bread fleshed out the possibilities of the Gurkhas or the Senior Officers while Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP), Siew Kum Hong, asserted that the government should show ‘clear, explicit acknowledgment and acceptance of responsibility and apology’ though he falls short of calling for the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister, Wong Kan Seng. The Home Ministry overlooks the Internal Security Department which is responsible for ISA detainees, and henceforth, Mas Selamat.

Whether Wong should resign or not has unfortunately become the fierce subject of contention. To detract a little from my argument, perhaps a study of recent similar cases might prove helpful.

In the US, Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales resigned over several controversial issues including lying to the Senate on a leaked memo to the press which authorised torture. Under his leadership, his department was also accused of influencing the resignation of US attorneys who were impartial. The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, was also pressurized to resign by his own party members for failed leadership after the 2006 Lebanon War.

While it can be argued that Wong’s case is dissimilar to Alberto Gonzales or Olmert, the logic to calls for their resignation applies to the former. Both governmental officers face pressure to resign because of perceived failed leadership. In addition, both were embroiled in scandals that are seriously detrimental to either their office or the perceived reputation of their country.

Henceforth, if the Singapore government and its citizens perceive the escape of Mas Selamat to be extremely damaging to its reputation (which it is given the outcry from the local newspapers and blogosophere), then the leadership of the Home Affairs, which in this case, is held by Wong, should resign. After all, he is ultimately responsible, and not just for himself, but also his subordinates.

This is where Siew’s argument that Wong should not resign, falls flat on its face. If, as Siew argues furtively, for the need to have exemplary leadership, it must also include leading by example. Therefore, Wong should resign, followed by more resignations from his subordinates.

This ironically parallels to this posting’s earlier proposition on the Law Society.

If its new President, Michael Hwang has mentioned publicly that one of its projects is to study the extent of incorporating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into Singapore’s law books, then he must also be held to his promise. The Singapore blogosophere has the obligation to remind Hwang and his leadership to be accountable to his words. One of the Society’s recommendation has to be the repeal of ISA for it contravenes Article 9 of the UNHDR.

The Escape of Mas Selamat opens up another (if not second) window of opportunity for that to happen given the storm has yet to die down. Hopefully, the bloggers will not disappoint and miss the big picture this time.