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I’ll need some time to draft out my own thoughts on why we put up the amendments and the reasons why after getting clarification upon clarification on public record, we then decided we could withdraw the amendments and support the Bill.
My perspective and reasons may be different from the other 2 NMPs but we were all in agreement about what was the most strategic collective decision.
In a nutshell though, if you are worried that you cannot speak up on current issues on FB, whatsapp, coffeeshops etc. stuff now that the law is in place, you need not be worried.
Whatever you want to speak up on, keep speaking up on it without fear. If you see an injustice, speak. If you see a cruelty, speak. Singapore is a better place if we courageously speak up on the things we love and want to protect.
Because if you are not speaking up to do these things:
a) bully/influence a witness in an on-going case
b) slander a judge
c) running your own “trial by media” campaign in an on-going court case (rallying the public to decide on your own verdict of “guilty/not guilty” rather than leaving it to an objective court to decide)
…you are not going to get hit with a contempt of court charge.
This specific law is against contempt of court, it is not against the expression of anger of individuals.
Rageing against the machine was your right yesterday, and it still is your right today.
It just comes with a responsibility to keep things fair and objective as far as possible for anyone undergoing trial.
Keep talking up a storm.
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(Edited to add: if you are still uncertain about whether what you are saying could gena “sub judice”, the test in proper words is
a) will what you say prejudice or interfere with the objectivity of an ongoing court proceeding?
b) will what you say pose a real risk of prejudicing or interfering with the objectivity of an ongoing court proceeding?
You wanna sit in a coffeeshop and gossip about a court case, no issue. You wanna write a FB update and bitch about a court case, can. You wanna WhatsApp your pal “this court case sux!!!”, no prob.
Basically, if what you said/wrote would not have caused any professional judge to say “Eh, you influence my witnesses, pressure my lawyers, some more go say I’m one kind corrupt. You made it damn hard for me to pass objective judgement on that case, sia”, you are safe.)
