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The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) has directed the police to take "no further action" against Louis Ng, a People's Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Nee Soon GRC, for holding up a placard without a permit to support hawkers in June 2020.
In a statement to Mothership, an AGC spokesperson said that police investigations into Ng have been completed.
Investigations revealed that Ng was "exercising his duty" as an MP by "expressing care and support for the welfare of the hawkers in his constituency during the Covid-19 pandemic".
The AGC spokesperson added that the nature of the act in question, and the intent of the person performing the act are key considerations in deciding whether an offence has been committed; or whether there is any public interest in prosecuting the offence.
As such, the AGC has directed the police to take no further action against Ng under the Public Order Act.
What MP Louis Ng did
On June 20, 2020, Ng went to Yishun Park Hawker Centre as part of his regular walkabout.
He later uploaded five photographs on his Facebook page and urged Singaporeans to support the hawkers as Covid-19 restrictions in the country gradually relaxed.
In the photos, Ng stood beside the hawkers while holding up a sign which wrote: "Support Them (smiley face)".
In March 2021, the police said that it was investigating Ng under the Public Order Act.
Ng clarified then that he was asked by the police to provide a statement, and he had done so.
Jolovan Wham's case
Activist Jolovan Wham previously spent time behind bars for holding up a sign outside the State Courts without a permit.
Wham's sign stated: "Drop the charges against Terry Xu and Daniel De Costa."
The AGC spokesperson told Mothership that Wham was charged and convicted because he was demonstrating in a prohibited area, i.e. the State Courts entrance.
The spokesperson added:
"This is an offence under s 15(2) of the POA. Mr Wham did not offer any defence to the Charge. The facts of the case involving Mr Jolovan Wham are different from the case involving Mr Louis Ng."
https://mothership.sg/2022/10/louis-ng-no-charges-placard-hawker/
