<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Public Order Act needed to curb unruly protests
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to two reports, 'The Public Order Act: What it is about' on Tuesday and 'DPM Wong: We'll be tough with protesters' on Thursday.
Initially, I believed the Public Order (Preservation) Act (Chapter 258) was sufficient to deal with acts of civil disobedience and that the enactment of the Public Order Act would be a duplication of the Public Order (Preservation) Act.
After reading the Ministry of Home Affairs' comprehensive explanation online ('Overview of the Public Order Act'), I realised that past events and the unruly conduct of certain people and groups at major events in Singapore - one of which was the Asean Summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in November 2007 - necessitated the enactment of the Public Order Act.
The timely enactment of the Public Order Act will be an effective legal tool to check groups out to disrupt the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit scheduled to be hosted in Singapore in November. Also, come next year, Singapore will be the proud host of the Youth Olympic Games.
We should not allow others to hijack these pro-Singapore events to satisfy their own selfish political agendas.
Lionel De Souza <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start -->
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to two reports, 'The Public Order Act: What it is about' on Tuesday and 'DPM Wong: We'll be tough with protesters' on Thursday.
Initially, I believed the Public Order (Preservation) Act (Chapter 258) was sufficient to deal with acts of civil disobedience and that the enactment of the Public Order Act would be a duplication of the Public Order (Preservation) Act.
After reading the Ministry of Home Affairs' comprehensive explanation online ('Overview of the Public Order Act'), I realised that past events and the unruly conduct of certain people and groups at major events in Singapore - one of which was the Asean Summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in November 2007 - necessitated the enactment of the Public Order Act.
The timely enactment of the Public Order Act will be an effective legal tool to check groups out to disrupt the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit scheduled to be hosted in Singapore in November. Also, come next year, Singapore will be the proud host of the Youth Olympic Games.
We should not allow others to hijack these pro-Singapore events to satisfy their own selfish political agendas.
Lionel De Souza <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start -->
...Becareful of what you wish for Lionel, St Peter may have afew home truths for you at the 'Gates' in due course with a No Entry Sign perhaps
:p
