Taking rights seriously? Human rights law in Singapore

Human Rights in Asia: A Comparative Legal Study of Twelve Asian Jurisdictions, France and the USA

Volumn , Issue , 2006, Pages 158-190

  Thio, Li Ann ^a  

^a NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE   (Singapore)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84905940229     PISSN: None     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book    
DOI: 10.4324/9780203008157     Document Type: Chapter

References (152)

1. "'Pragmatism and realism do not mean abdication': a critical and empirical inquiry into Singapore's engagement with international human rights law," Singapore Yearbook of International Law, vol. 8, 2004, pp. 41-91.
2. See generally Li-ann Thio, "Implementing human rights in ASEAN countries: promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep," Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal, vol. 2, 1999, pp. 13-22;
3. Randall Peerenboom, "Beyond universalism and relativism: the evolving debate over 'values in Asia' " Indiana International and Comparative Law Journal, vol. 14, no. 4, 2003, p. 1.
4. Cmd 1 of 1991. This paper is reprinted in Jon TS Quah, ed., In Search of Singapore National Values, Singapore: Times Academic Press, 1990. These five values are collectivist in nature: nation before community and society before self; family as the basic unit of society; community support and respect for the individual; consensus, not conflict; and racial and religious harmony.
5. Lee Kuan Yew stated that in canceling the right of individual seafront owners to compensation for sea-frontage on acquired land, communitarian interests were placed over individual interests: speech, opening of the Singapore Law Academy, August 31, 1990, in Singapore Academy of Law Journal, vol. 2, 1999, p. 156.
6. Foreign Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, "The real world of human rights", June 16, 1993, Singapore Government Press Release No: 20/JUN, 09-1/93/06/16, reproduced in Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, 1993, p. 607 (hereinafter the Vienna Statement).
7. See Li-ann Thio, "The right to political participation in Singapore: tailor-making a Westminster-modelled constitution to fit the imperatives of 'Asian' democracy," Singapore Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 6, 2002, p. 231.
8. Anthony Woodiwiss, "Singapore and the possibility of enforceable benevolence," in Globalisation, Human Rights and Labour Law in Pacific Asia, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998, p. 216.
9. "DPP flays restoration of ministers' pay cuts," Straits Times (Singapore), June 23, 2004, p. H2.
10. World Bank, Data and Statistics, Country Groups, www.worldbank.org/data/countryclass/classgroups.htm#High_income.
11. In 1998, for every 10,000 people, there were 30 public buses, 1,140 private cars, 14 doctors, 2 dentists, 40 nurses, and 3,470 residential telephone lines: paragraph 3.1., CRC Initial Report (CRC/C/133), www.mcds.gov.sg/MCDSFiles/download/CRC_Initial_Report_Full_Report_Website.pdf.
12. Kevin Hamlin, "Remaking Singapore," Institutional Investor, May 2002, www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020607rs.htm.
13. "Report of the Constitutional Commission 1966, Singapore Government Printer, 1966; reproduced in, Kevin YL Tan and Thio Li-ann, Constitutional Law in Malaysia and Singapore, Asia: Butterworths, 1997, Appendix D.
14. See, for example, Thio Li-ann, "An i for an I: Singapore's communitarian model of constitutional adjudication," Hong Kong Law Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, 1997, p. 152.
15. US Department of State, "Singapore: country reports on human rights practices (2003),"www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27788.htm.
16. See Thio Li-ann, "The elected president and legal control of government: quis custodiet ipsos custodes," in Managing Political Change in Singapore: The Elected Presidency, Kevin Tan and Lam Peng Er, eds, New York: Routledge, 1997, pp. 115, 125-32.
17. Thio Li-ann, "Recent constitutional developments: of shadows and whips, race, rifts and rights, terror and tudungs, women and wrongs," Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, 2002, pp. 355-66.
18. See the debate over the need for independent checks for handling police abuse cases: PK Ho, Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 63, August 25, 1994, columns 377-8.
19. Halimah Yacob, "It's an offence to deny workers maternity leave," Straits Times, June 24, 2004, p. 21.
20. Ministry of Manpower, "Guidelines on non-discriminatory job ads," www.mom.gov.sg/MOM/LRD/Procedures/688_jobdisc.pdf.
21. Paragraph 7.6. The CEDAW Second Report, CEDAW/C/SGP/2, is available on the website of the Ministry of Community Development and Sport, under "Celebrating women," www.mcds.gov.sg/MCDSFiles/download/CEDAW_second_report.pdf.
22. Singaporeans for Democracy, Chee Soon Juan, "Human rights in Singapore," at the Think Centre Forum "Every Singaporean matters," March 10, 2000, www.sfdonline.org/chee/tcentre.html.
23. Amnesty International, Singapore: The Death Penalty: A Hidden Toll of Executions, ASA 36/001/2004, January 15, 2004, http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA360012004?open&of=ENG-SGP.
24. "Govt. points out 12 'grave errors' in Amnesty report," Straits Times, January 31, 2004.
25. Singapore Government's Response to Amnesty International's Report, MHA Press Release, January 30, 2004, http://www.mha.gov.sg.
26. Hawazi Daipi, "Singapore-the tudung affair," Dateline (Australia TV), March 27, 2002, www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020327sb.htm.
27. "More foreign-born kids to get citizenship," Straits Times, April 20, 2004, p. H2.
28. "Ask when there are women in Cabinet," Straits Times, March 14, 2003, p. H4.
29. Irene Ng, Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 75, October 1, 2002, column 1131.
30. Between 1995 and 1999 about ten law enforcement officers were imprisoned for using excessive force on prisoners: US Department of State, "Country reports on human rights practices (2002)." Officers may be charged with misconduct contrary to the Police Force Act (Cap 235): Ng Hock Guan v. AG [2003] SGHC 284.
31. "Mistreatment of imprisoned Singaporeans opposition leader," Asian Human Rights Commission, Urgent Appeals, November 1, 2002.
32. See Li-ann Thio, "Lex rex or rex lex? Competing conceptions of the rule of law in Singapore," UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal, vol. 20, 2002, pp. 54-64.
33. See discussion on "Emergency" in Kevin Y. L. Tan and Thio Li-ann, eds, Constitutional Law in Malaysia and Singapore, Asia: Butterworths, 2nd edn, 1997, pp. 665-704.
34. Chee Soon Juan, To Be Free, Monash Asia Institute, 1998, p. 269.
35. Mr Filali, CRC Committee, CRC/C/SR.909, paragraphs 35; response at paragraph 44.
36. "Michael Fay v. PP [1994] 2 SLR 154. See Alejandro Reyes, "Rough justice: a caning in Singapore stirs up a fierce debate about crime and punishment," Asiaweek, May 25, 1994.
37. See, for example, "Singapore and the culture of caning," Reuters Information Services, May 7, 1994, available in LEXIS, World Library, Curnws File (stating that Australia used the punishment of caning until the 1950s);
38. Firouzeh Bahrampour, "The caning of Michael Fay: can Singapore's punishment withstand the scrutiny of international law?," American University Journal of International Law and Policy, vol. 10, 1995, p. 1075.
39. In Jabar v. PP [1995] 1 SLR 617 and PP v. Nguyen Tuong Van [2004] 2 SLR 328, respectively.
40. K. S. Rajah, "Death penalty: the unconstitutional punishment," Straits Times, August 28, 2003.
41. In R v. Pratt [1993] 3 All ER 769 at 734H-735A, Lord Griffiths endorsed Lord Brightman's dissent in Riley v. AG of Jamaica [1983] AC 719, noting that "the jurisprudence of the civilised world," drawing from common law principles, acknowledged that prolonged delay can make the death penalty inhumane.
42. "Campbell v. Wood 18 F 3d 662 (1994).
43. In Richmond v. Lewis 948 F 2d 137 (9th Gr. 1990).
44. Soering case, 161 ECHR (ser. A) 3945 (1989).
45. "Status of the international covenants on human rights: question of the death penalty," CHR (54th Sess.) E/CN.4/1998/156 (April 1, 1998).
46. Address to the CHR by V. G. Menon, Singapore Permanent Representative to the United Nations, "Commission approves 6 measures on economic, social and cultural rights: debate continues on promotion and protection of human rights," www.unog.ch/news2/documents/newsen/cn04052e.htm, April 16, 2004.
47. See Michael Hor, "Terrorism and the criminal law: Singapore's solution," Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, 2002, pp. 30-55. No new legislation has been enacted to meet the post 9-11 terrorist threat as the ISA is considered sufficient.
48. "Singapore: restrictions on Singapore's longest-serving political prisoner lifted," AI Index ASA 36/06/98, November 27, 1998.
49. S. Jayakumar, Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 54, November 19, 1989, columns 686-8.
50. The Asian Human Rights Commission's Urgent Appeal, "Singapore: petition to ratify ICCPR and ICESCR and repeal the ISA" (AHRC UA981217 Singapore December 17, 1998, www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/1998/56/) is cited in
51. "Singapore 21-the best argument for immediate abolition of the internal security," archived on the "Singaporeans for democracy" website at www.sfdonline.org/sfd/Link%20Pages/Link%20Folders/Political%20Freedom/ahrcS21.html;
52. "National security laws," ALRC Written Statement to CHR: E/CN.4/2002/NGO/78.
53. "Declassified: ISD lifts veil of secrecy, offers a peek at the wars it waged," Straits Times, June 29, 2004, p. H4.
54. "Daud bin Mamat v. Majlis Agama Islam [2001] 2 MLJ 390.
55. Lina Joy v. Maglis Islam Wilayah [2004] 2 MLJ 119.
56. This caused concerns that it was inconsistent with the secular basis of government and state: Tan Cheng Bock, Singapore Parliament Reports, October 6, 1989, column 585.
57. See Joseph Tamney, "The religious studies experiment," in The Struggle over Singapore's Soul: Western Modernisation and Asian Culture, Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter: 1996, Ch. 2, p. 25.
58. P. K. Ho, Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 18, January 18, 1996, columns 430-2 (religious/quasi-religious organizations).
59. Nappalli v. ITE [1999] 2 SLR 569;
60. Liong Kok Keng v. PP [1996] 3 SLR 263;
61. Tan Dennis v. PP [1997] 1 SLR 123;
62. David Quak v. PP [1999] 1 SLR 533;
63. Chan Cheow Khiang v. PP [1996] 3 SLR 271.
64. "Colin Chan v. MITA (1996) 1 SLR 609 at 619B-D.
65. Paragraph 13, Pte Chai Tshun Chieh v. Chief Military Prosecutor, Military Court of Appeal, No. 1 of 1989 (May 13, 1998).
66. P. K. Ho, Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 72, November 14, 2000, columns 1117-18.
67. "No go for touchy play," Straits Times, October 28, 2000, p. L3;
68. "Plot thickens over Talaq," Straits Times, October 20, 2000, p. 3;
69. Osman Sidek, "No Islamic law gives licence for marital rape," Straits Times, November 7, 2000, p. 51.
70. AWARE, "Remaking Singapore: views of half the nation," www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/sing/aware.pdf.
71. For example, environmental interest groups successfully lobbied the government to preserve Chek Jawa: "Interest groups can flourish here, says DPM," Straits Times, January 7, 2004, p. H3.
72. PM Goh Chok Tong, of the Think Centre compared to the more dispassionate Roundtable: National Day Rally speech, August 19, 2001, archived at http://app.mfa.gov.sg.
73. When named political associations in 2001, both groups became ineligible for foreign funding: Political Donations Act (Cap 236): "Singapore bars two groups from foreign funding," Reuters, March 30, 2001.
74. See M. D. Barr, "J. B. Jeyaretnam: three decades as Lee Kuan Yew's bete noir," Journal of Contemporary Asia, vol. 33, no. 3, 2003, 299.
75. "JBJ given human rights defenders award," Straits Times, December 7, 2003.
76. "Only those elected can set OB markers," Straits Times, February 3, 1995, p. 22.
77. "Field for debate wide open," Straits Times, October 5, 2000, p. 44.
78. PM Goh was awarded $700,000 against Tang, and Jeyaretnam was subject to a $100,000 award. "Singapore lambasts Amnesty over Report," Hong Kong Standard, October 18, 1997;
79. "Singapore: JB Jeyaretnam-the use of defamation suits for political purposes," AI Index: ASA 36/004/1997, October 15, 1997, http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA360041997?open&of=ENG-SGP.
80. "Singapore authorities use libel laws to silence critics," The Australian, September 26, 2002.
81. "Tang Liang Hong v. Lee Kuan Yew [1998] 1 SLR 97;
82. Goh Chok Tong v. JB Benjamin [1998] 1 SLR 547; and
83. Goh Chok Tong v. Chee Soon Juan [2003] SGHC 79, where PM Goh considered libelous Chee's street-electioneering tactics in 2001 of loudly asking him about the US$10 billion loan to Indonesia. The Court considered the three defences of justification, qualified privilege, and fair comment to be bare allegations, refusing leave to defend: 56 to 57.
84. See, for example, AG v. Wain [1991] 2 MLJ 525;
85. AG v. Lingle [1995] 1 SLR 696.
86. "Singapore: defamation suits threaten Chee Soon Juan and erode freedom of expression," AI Index: ASA 36/010/2001, November 2, 2001, http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA360102001?open&of=ENG-SGP.
87. "Singapore: JB Jeyaretnam-the use of defamation suits for political purposes," ASA 30/004/1997.
88. Minister Jayakumar, "Human rights practices," Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 68, April 20, 1998, column 1973. An aide-memoire responding to the 1997 US country report on Singapore was sent to the US Embassy on March 30, 1998.
89. Opposition politicians have sued each other and in one instance, compensatory damages of $120,000 have been awarded: Chiam See Tong v. Ling How Doong [1997] 1 SLR 97.
90. Speaker's Corner, which many regard as a tokenistic sop, is exempted from this requirement. Even so, speaking on prohibited topics affecting matters, such as racial harmony, is subject to a fine. Chee Soon Juan was fined for speaking on the udung controversy. The district judge noted the "potentially catastrophic consequences" of upsetting multi-racial and religious Singapore's "delicate equilibrium": "SDP chief fined and barred from next GE," Straits Times, July 31, 2002.
91. See Li-ann Thio, "Speakers cornered? Managing political speech in Singapore and the commitment 'to build a democratic society,' " International Journal of Constitutional Law, vol. 3, 2003, pp. 516-24.
92. "No right is absolute, says varsity don," Straits Times, January 24, 1999, p. 31.
93. See "Chronicle of the Public Entertainments Act," Straits Times, November 18, 2000, p. 14.
94. See Francis Seow, The Media Enthralled: Singapore Revisited, Westview Press, 1998.
95. Thio Li-ann, "Human rights and the media in Singapore," in Robert Haas, ed., Human Rights and The Media, Malaysia: AIDOM, 1996, pp. 69-79.
96. Marshall labeled the Straits Times "either PAP wallahs or bootlickers" for refusing to publish his letter challenging the mandatory death penalty, asking the Straits Times to start a petition urging the president to commute all death sentences to twenty-year jail terms: "David Marshall: praise as well as criticise govt," Straits Times, January 18, 1994, p. H17.
97. "Rules for broadcasters on politics here," Straits Times, April 20, 2001, p. H8. Refusing to allow the government to directly put its case to the public creates a skewed impression.
98. The number of households receiving programming can be restricted and fines up to $100,000 imposed. This guards against "incendiary" reporting which could precipitate race riots, jeopardizing stability, investor confidence, and jobs: "Singapore extends law on foreign media in politics," Reuters, April 19, 2001.
99. Previously applied to Time, Asia Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, and Asiaweek.
100. Michael Backman, "Is Singapore paranoid?," Today, October 18, 2003.
101. International Press Institute, 2003 World Press Freedom Review: Singapore, www.freemedia.at/wpfr/Asia/singapor.htm.
102. Melanie Chew, "Human rights in Singapore: perceptions and problems," Asian Survey, vol. 42, no. 11, 1994, pp. 933-48 at 940.
103. UN Development Program, "Human development indicators," Human Development Report 2003, www.undp.org/hdr2003/pdf/hdr03_HDI.pdf.
104. World Bank Governance Research Indicator Country Snapshot (GRICS), http://info.worldbank.org/governance/kkz2002.
105. On the "digital divide," see Hussin Mutalib, "The socio-economic dimension in Singapore's quest for security and stability," Pacific Affairs, vol. 71, no. 1, 2002;
106. "Widening inequalities in society," Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 72, August 25, 2000, column 724 ff. (Jeyaretnam calling for democratizing trade unions, free education for children with parents earning less than $2000/month, and introducing unemployment benefits, for example).
107. Public sector medical costs are heavily subsidized: paragraph 13.3, CEDAW Initial Report; on child health care, see paragraphs 4.6-4.9, CRC Initial Report; see Mohan Singh, "Health and health policy in Singapore," ASEAN Economic Bulletin: Singapore, vol. 16 no. 3, 1999, p. 330.
108. In a policy U-turn, a compulsory universal health insurance scheme is currently under consideration: "Compulsory health insurance: before taking the plunge," Straits Times, March 20, 2004, p. 33.
109. UNICEF, "At a glance: Singapore statistics," www.unicef.org/infobycountry/singapore.html/.
110. "Singapore government squanders savings 2000 Index of Economic Freedom Report," New Zealand Herald, May 18, 2002. Economist Mukul Asher found incredible the lack of official data on the returns of the $50 billion CPF fund, meant to provide for people's retirement, noting that this achieved only 1.8 percent returns between 1983-2000 when the economy was growing at 8 percent per annum. Hugo Restall, "More transparency please," Asian Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2000, www.singapore-window.org/sw03/030808a2.htm.
111. Paragraph 14.3, CEDAW Initial Report; Aya Gruber, "Recent development: public housing in Singapore," Harvard International Law Journal, vol. 38, 1997, p. 236.
112. See Statistics Singapore, "Historical data: unemployment rates," www.singstat.gov.sg/keystats/hist/unemployment.html.
113. Simon Elegant, "The lion in winter," Time, vol. 26, July 7, 2003, p. 161.
114. Ministry of Community Development and Sports, www.mcds.gov.sg.
115. "Measures to help jobless adequate: Eng Hen," Straits Times, July 1, 2003, p. H4, noting 6,799 jobless Singaporeans received interim financial assistance from Voluntary Welfare Organizations and Community Development Councils in 2002.
116. Paragraph 3.13, CRC Initial Report; M. Ramesh, "Social security in Singapore: redrawing the public-private boundary," Asian Survey, vol. 32, no. 1, p. 1108.
117. William Lee, "The poor in Singapore: issues and options," Journal of Contemporary Asia, vol. 31, 2001, p. 57.
118. But see "Singapore's growing homeless problem," New Straits Times (Malaysia), October 11, 2003, www.singapore-window.org/sw03/031011ns.htm.
119. "1,341 destitute persons in govt homes," Straits Times, March 8, 1994, p. 25.
120. US Department of State, "Singapore: country reports on human rights practices (1999)," www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/singapor.html.
121. CRC Concluding Observations CRC/C/15/Add.220; "Success drive send Singapore children to psychiatrists," Associated Foreign Press Report, March 2, 2001.
122. Although Member of Parliament K. Shanmugam has suggested that there ought to be ways to place more Malays in positions of power, as "successful role models offer hope," thereby diluting the appeal of militant Islam: "MP makes bold proposal to help local Muslims," Agence France Presse, January 20, 2003, archived at www.singapore-window.org/sw03/030121af.htm.
123. Former Indonesian President BJ Habibie made this derogatory reference: "President unhappy with Singapore, says AWSJ," Straits Times, August 5, 1998, p. 16.
124. Article 39A, Singapore Constitution. Article 2(3) of the 1992 UN Minorities Declaration provides that: "Persons belonging to minorities have the right to participate effectively in decisions on the national... level," which object the GRC is designed to serve.
125. In fact, the rationale of multi-racialism seems to be subsidiary as increasing the number of GRC members from three to six has meant a decline in the number of GRC constituencies and therefore, of minority candidates. While the PAP has promised to field more than one minority candidate per GRC team to prevent a reduction in minority representation, the number of total minority MPs should be constitutionally guaranteed, rather than based on a non-binding promise given by one political party. "GRC changes will not mean fewer minority MPs," Straits Times, October 21, 1996, p. 1.
126. Alternatively, GRCs can be reduced to two or three members which should increase the number of minority representatives: Raymond Andrew "Legislation can ensure minority representation"; Chew Sutat, "S'poreans should not rely on promises to guarantee rights of representation," Straits Times, October 17, 1996, p. 46.
127. See Thio Su Mien, "The Presidential Council," Singapore Law Review, vol. 1, 1969, p. 2.
128. John Clammer, Race and State in Independent Singapore 1965-1990, London: Ashgate, 1998, p. 55.
129. For a list of statutory provisions and subsidiary legislation which do not constitute differentiating measures see Chan Sek Keong, "Cultural issues and crime," Singapore Academy of Law Journal, vol. 12, 2000, pp. 10-11, footnote 24.
130. For example, the fears that elitist Special Assistance Plan Schools, teaching advanced Chinese, privileged the majority Chinese community: "Govt takes pains to integrate students," Straits Times, March 11, 1999, p. 32.
131. "No lifting of race quotas for HDB flats," Straits Times, November 11, 2003, p. H3.
132. "Media's role in sealing social unity," Straits Times, September 7, 1998, p. 1.
133. Academic Lily Rahim was criticized by a Malay youth group for her assertion that the state was practicing a policy of coercing Malays to learn Mandarin. "Academic slammed for maligning Malays," Straits Times, June 29, 2004, p. H2.
134. "Muslim rite is modernized," Toronto Star, November 16, 2002, p. L12. Competing views see the procedure as "outdated and inhumane" or alternatively, comparable to piercing one's ears.
135. CEDAW Committee, General Recommendation No. 14 of 1990, www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/recomm.htm.
136. For example, Singapore Armed Forces camps maintain two kitchens: one pork-free for Muslims and the other beef-free for Chinese, an apparently rare arrangement: "BG Yeo: NS vital for racial peace," Sunday Times, August 23, 1998.
137. MUIS website, www.muis.gov.sg.
138. Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, "Malay leadership: interest, protection, and their imposition," from a conference entitled "Political Change in Singapore: What Next?", January 10-12, 2003, Melbourne, www.sfdonline.org/Link%20Pages/Link%20Folders/03Pf/Malay_leadership.html.
139. Section 96(2), AMLA. Paragraph 17.14, CEDAW Initial Report. In 1997, less than 1 percent of Muslim marriages solemnized involved polygamy. A first wife may seek a divorce from the Shariah court if unhappy about her husband's second marriage. The Qur'an (section 4:3) permits a man to marry up to four women at one time: Muhammad Sharif Chaudhry, "Woman and polygamy," in Women's Rights in Islam, S. Sajid Ali, ed., Adam Publishers and Distributors, 1991, p. 83.
140. Art 5, CEDAW. See generally Thio Li-ann, "The impact of internationalization on domestic governance: gender egalitarianism and the transformative potential of CEDAW," Singapore Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 1, 1997, pp. 299-305. The CEDAW Committee, while recognizing Singapore's plural society and historical sensitivity towards its communities' cultural and religious values, recommended that it study reforms in Muslim personal law, consulting the different ethnic and religious groups, including women, pursuant to eventually withdrawing these reservations: paragraph 74, A/56/38.
141. Paragraph 6.10, CEDAW Second Report; "Ways to enable Islamic schools to co-exist," Straits Times, April 19, 2000, p. 56.
142. T. Shanmugaratnam, Inter-Racial Mixing in Schools, Singapore Parliament Reports, vol. 76, August 15, 2003, columns 2467, 2476.
143. In the United Kingdom, in R (on the application of Begum) v. Headteacher and Governors of Denbigh High School [2004] All ER (D) 108 (Jun); [2004] EWHC 1389 (Admin), the claimant unsuccessfully challenged a school decision requiring she wear the agreed school uniform for female Muslim students (shalwar kameeze), where she wanted to wear the jilbab.
144. For example, Fateha.com, then run by Zulfikar Mohammad Shariff. Azhar Ali of the opposition Singapore Malay National Organization indicated he would write to the school and Education Ministry requesting the ban be lifted: "Singaporean withdraws daughter from school to protest headscarf ban," Associated Press, July 1, 2003, www.hrwf.net/html/singapore_2003.html.
145. Karamah (Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights), Letter to Singapore Ambassador, Heng Chee Chan, April 20, 2002, www.karamah.org/press_letterto_singapore.htm.
146. Lily Zubaidah Rahim, "Minorities and the state in Malaysia and Singapore: provisions, predicaments and prospects," E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2003/WP.12, Working Group on Minorities (9th Sess.).
147. See Lama Abu-Odeh, "Post-colonial feminism and the veil: considering the differences," vol. 26, New England Law Review, 1992, p. 1527.
148. "Mufti puts school first," Straits Times, February 6, 2002.
149. Pergas is the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association. It considered that Muslims could not be complacent in the face of "such hindrance towards fulfilling the religious obligation of the modest covering of aurat": "Tudung controversy a test in art of negotiation," Straits Times, February 20, 2002. Pergas's stand on the Hijab issue (English version) is at www.pergas.org.sg/hijab-press2eng.html.
150. Muslims wrote letters to the press strongly supporting the government's stance, urging the fathers to send their daughters to madrasahs if they insisted their daughters wear tudung. Norita Abdullah, "Send daughter to madarasah," Straits Times, January 8, 2003.
151. Executive Summary, paragraph 1.2, CRC Initial Report. The government is attempting to institute more family-friendly policies such as allowing its officers to work just eleven hours a week: "Civil Service flexi-hours get more flexible," Straits Times, May 7, 2004, p. 3.
152. For example, Charles Chong asked whether Singapore's education policy complied with Art. 10, CEDAW: 75, Singapore Parliament Reports, November 25, 2002, column 1519 ff.