An opposition politician and social activists yesterday welcomed a promise from Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (
Lee, son of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew (
"Certainly we hope that he lives up to his word and makes some real changes," said Alex Au, a social activist and gay rights campaigner, after hearing Lee's first policy address since being sworn into office on Aug. 12.
"Frankly, I wouldn't be so easily misled by what appears to be a very outgoing style and draw from that any conclusion that his policy biases are any different from the past," Au said.
"He has been in government for over 20 years, he's been part and parcel of all the preceding policies, so what makes me think that somehow he's some fresh new wind?" he said.
Lee, 52, has made an "open and inclusive" society his political motto.
His father ruled Singapore with an iron fist for three decades until 1990, when he handed power to economist Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟). Goh governed for 14 years with a gentler style which the young Lee vows to continue and improve upon.
The new premier said on Sunday that indoor political discussions will no longer require licensing as long as they do not touch on the most sensitive topics in multiethnic Singapore: race and religion.
`a big yawn'
Au said this was a "welcome surprise" but added that one problem can stand in the way -- typical Singaporeans who probably reacted with "a big yawn" to the promise of greater freedom.
"I don't think they even grasp what it means to be a liberal society. It's something the great majority has never experienced in their lifetime. They know of no other way to live except to play safe," he said.
Au is the spokesman for People Like Us, a gay-rights group whose application for formal registration as a society has been rejected by authorities. He said the group had not yet decided if it will file a new application to test the political climate under Lee.
Opposition Member of Parliament Steve Chia said the lifting of restrictions on indoor political discussion, which excludes public rallies, came as a "minor surprise" because he did not expect it so soon.
"We really appreciate this step towards greater political openness and hope more Singaporeans will seize this opportunity to become more concerned and involved in civil-society matters," he said.
Chia described Lee as a "charismatic" politician who now has an opportunity to outshine his father and his predecessor, Goh.
The elder Lee, 80, remains in the Cabinet as an adviser while Goh, 63, took the title of senior minister, part of Singapore's unique policy of political continuity.
Sinapan Samydorai, president of the Think Center, a human-rights advocacy group, welcomed Lee's pledge to introduce greater freedom.
He said the new leader may be trying to connect to young people before seeking his own mandate in a general election.
skeptical
But he said people may be skeptical because it is still unclear where the "out of bounds" markers are in the political sphere. Tight controls in place since independence in 1965 would not be easy to shake off.
"For 39 years we have been under a sort of social engineering, which conditions people's mind-sets," Samydorai said. "Social behavior has always been contained -- who to marry, how to go to the toilet."
"People are still afraid of the OB [out-of-bounds] markers and they are also afraid of the security laws," he said.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese