Tag Archives: K SHANMUGAM

There have been several questions about Pink Dot – what is the Government’s position on Pink Dot, why are there rules requiring the organisers to put up barricades and take other security measures, and some other related points.

Activist M Ravi has posted on Facebook stating that he will be taking out an application in the High Court against Minister of Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, for alleged breach in his code of conduct as a law minister. He is demanding Mr Shanmugam resign from his ministerial post within 48 hours, failing which he would file his application in court.

Dr Lee Wei Ling, the younger sister of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, posted on Facebook yesterday to express her sadness over the alleged changes in her former friend, the Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, after he declined to take her side in the Lee Family feud.

After yet another weekend of back and forth exchanges between the Lee family siblings, ministers from the People's Action Party's Cabinet have joined in the fray.

I was deeply upset and angry about a gloating post that one Thomas Chua has made on Police Officer Nadzrie's death. Nadzrie died while on duty. Thomas was gloating about Nadzrie's death, because Nazdrie had given him a ticket! People like Thomas are sick in the head. No decency or any sense of right and wrong. What is a TP officer to do when someone breaks the law? It is because of officers like Nadzrie that the rest of us have safety and security.

Kiwi8, a popular moderator at Hardwarezone forum was forced to step down after a rabid PAP supporter complained that he had referred to Minister Shanmugam as scum in the past. The moderator bid a tearful goodbye to edmwers as he accepted the punishment. Some have wondered if this is part of greater censorship against netizens who do not have politically correct views.

Donald Low’s apology to Singapore’s Law Minister K Shanmugam is another setback for freedom of expression and will reinforce self-censorship. In a facebook post last month, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public policy academic criticized the Minister’s remarks, reported in Today, that penalties for crime need to reflect public opinion. Networks of power are so far reaching and deeply entrenched in Singapore it is easy for any politician of the PAP, especially a senior one to wield his influence.

I note that a video where Mr Donald Low gave a talk at a forum organised by the FOSG (Future of Singapore) was removed this morning. Mr Low had spoken about Singapore's economic growth model. This comes at a time when the LKYSPP academic had a run-in with Mr K Shanmugam and had to apologise. The strange thing is that Low's talk had nothing to do with the Shanmugam problem (it took place on 18 March). It was a legitimate discussion of what confronts our economy and our nation. Yet, it was removed.

Law Minister K Shanmugam said that how society feels about the punishment meted out in criminal cases has to be something the Government must pay heed to, but this does not equate to bowing to public pressure. In his own words, this is what he exactly said - “You enhance the penalty (for a certain law) to reflect what people feel is the right penalty, what conduct should be more severely punished — that is not bowing down; that is understanding where the weight of public opinion is." Minister K Shanmugam was talking about this in an interview with TODAY. What he is saying is that the government need to hear public's opinions on whether the punishment given for a crime befits the crime itself, and if the public agrees with it.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam met with Imam Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel at Ba'alwie Mosque for breakfast and a video of the meet up showed the Imam visibly emotional and trying hard to hold back his tears as the Law Minister comforted him.