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Mar 21, 2010
Local politics for S'poreans
<!-- by line -->By Chua Chin Hon
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Mr David Adelman's remarks during an earlier nomination hearing stirred some controversy among Singaporeans who felt a diplomat should not interfere in his host country's domestic politics. --PHOTO: DAVID ADELMAN
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WASHINGTON - SINGAPORE'S domestic politics is something for Singaporeans to decide for themselves, the incoming United States Ambassador to Singapore clarified.
Mr David Adelman's remarks during an earlier nomination hearing - that he would use public diplomacy to promote political freedom in Singapore - stirred some controversy among Singaporeans who felt a diplomat should not interfere in his host country's domestic politics.
=> Why no leeport on Sporns supporting US intervention in breaking the Familee's dictatorial rule? Why OK for Indian and other FTrash fight for the Familee?
When asked for his response to the criticisms last Friday, Mr Adelman said: 'There's no question. I want to make it very clear that those issues are for Singaporeans to decide for themselves.'
At the hearing last month before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee - a standard process that all ambassador-designates go through - Senator Jim Webb asked Mr Adelman how and whether he intended to engage Singapore on the issues of democracy and press freedom.
The nominee had replied: 'Make no mistake, currently Singapore is not a multiparty democracy, and I intend, if confirmed, to use public diplomacy to work towards greater press freedoms, greater freedom of assembly and ultimately more political space for opposition parties in Singapore to strengthen Singapore into a multiparty democracy.'
He had also noted that democracy and press freedom were the two areas where Singapore needed 'the most improvement if it were to live up to the ambitions Americans have for democracy'.
Read the full story in The Sunday Times.
Chua Chin Hon
Local politics for S'poreans
<!-- by line -->By Chua Chin Hon
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
<!-- story content : start -->
WASHINGTON - SINGAPORE'S domestic politics is something for Singaporeans to decide for themselves, the incoming United States Ambassador to Singapore clarified.
Mr David Adelman's remarks during an earlier nomination hearing - that he would use public diplomacy to promote political freedom in Singapore - stirred some controversy among Singaporeans who felt a diplomat should not interfere in his host country's domestic politics.
=> Why no leeport on Sporns supporting US intervention in breaking the Familee's dictatorial rule? Why OK for Indian and other FTrash fight for the Familee?
When asked for his response to the criticisms last Friday, Mr Adelman said: 'There's no question. I want to make it very clear that those issues are for Singaporeans to decide for themselves.'
At the hearing last month before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee - a standard process that all ambassador-designates go through - Senator Jim Webb asked Mr Adelman how and whether he intended to engage Singapore on the issues of democracy and press freedom.
The nominee had replied: 'Make no mistake, currently Singapore is not a multiparty democracy, and I intend, if confirmed, to use public diplomacy to work towards greater press freedoms, greater freedom of assembly and ultimately more political space for opposition parties in Singapore to strengthen Singapore into a multiparty democracy.'
He had also noted that democracy and press freedom were the two areas where Singapore needed 'the most improvement if it were to live up to the ambitions Americans have for democracy'.
Read the full story in The Sunday Times.
Chua Chin Hon
