From: [l--h] at [aig.jpl.nasa.gov] (John L Loch)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
Subject: Singapore's DoubleSpeak - Part II
Date: 13 Dec 1994 22:44:04 GMT


     Here is the response given by the Ambassador of Singapore from
the editorial section of the Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1994.
This is textbook doublespeak at it's very finest!

Singapore Free Speech Case

     Re:  "I Wrote the Truth; Now I'm a Fugitive from Injustice,"
Commentary, Nov. 30:

     Christopher Lingle has been served with a summons from the
attorney general to appear before the High Court in Singapore to
answer charges for contempt of court.  This is not because he has 
criticized the Singapore government.  Nor is the issue about press
freedom or freedom of speech and expression.
     In an article in the International Herald Tribune of Oct. 7, Lingle
claimed the "intolerant regimes in the region" had relied upon
a "compliant judiciary" to bankrupt opposition politicians.  As in
many other countries, Singapore law on contempt of court covers
situations where one alleges that the courts do not decide other
than on the merits of the cases.  Lingle makes a great deal of the
fact that he did not name any country.  Whether this is a good
defense depends on the law.  The prosecution is precisely to 
determine whether Lingle's assertion about a "compliant
judiciary" constitutes contempt.
     It is the duty of the attorney general to uphold the integrity
of the judiciary, which is a key institution in Singapore.  If he 
believes an offense may have been committed, he is duty-bound
to order investigations and, if the evidence warrants it, to
institute prosecution.  How does such action constitute "using 
the full force of its government institutions to intimidate those
who would speak freely"?  Lingle's case is simply a matter of the 
law taking its course.
     Singapore has not "belittle[d] the liberalizations of the 
continuing evolution of the democratic system" of any country.
Neither do we have any interest in poising ourselves "to serve
as the region's model for development."  However, how 
Singapore should manage its own government, society and
economy is surely a matter for only Singaporeans themselves
to decide.

S.R. Nathan
Ambassador of Singapore
Washington