March 11, 2005
Foreign NGOs can hold protests but not locals
I AM surprised that the Government has allowed 300 accredited foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to hold peaceful protests and demonstrations during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Summit to be held in the Republic next year.
This contrasts sharply with the ban that the police imposed on attempts by ordinary Singaporeans to stage peaceful demonstrations, particularly in the recent protests against the US war on Iraq.
More recently, the application for women's groups to hold a walk in support of the White Ribbon Campaign on violence against women was also denied. In reply to a query by a foreign journalist recently, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong stated that Singapore is too small to allow public protests and demonstrations which would have clogged the streets.
While I am not against these NGOs, I am disappointed that the Government is practising double standards by allowing foreigners to stage demonstrations, a right rarely granted to Singaporeans.
Liew Kai Khiun
London, United Kingdom