Votes and Proceedings of the Twelfth Parliament of Singapore
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Why Are Gender Reforms Adopted in Singapore? Party Pragmatism and Electoral Incentives* Netina Tan
Why Are Gender Reforms Adopted in Singapore? Party Pragmatism and Electoral Incentives* Netina Tan Abstract In Singapore, the percentage of elected female politicians rose from 3.8 percent in 1984 to 22.5 percent after the 2015 general election. After years of exclusion, why were gender reforms adopted and how did they lead to more women in political office? Unlike South Korea and Taiwan, this paper shows that in Singapore party pragmatism rather than international diffusion of gender equality norms, feminist lobbying, or rival party pressures drove gender reforms. It is argued that the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) strategic and electoral calculations to maintain hegemonic rule drove its policy u-turn to nominate an average of about 17.6 percent female candidates in the last three elections. Similar to the PAP’s bid to capture women voters in the 1959 elections, it had to alter its patriarchal, conservative image to appeal to the younger, progressive electorate in the 2000s. Additionally, Singapore’s electoral system that includes multi-member constituencies based on plurality party bloc vote rule also makes it easier to include women and diversify the party slate. But despite the strategic and electoral incentives, a gender gap remains. Drawing from a range of public opinion data, this paper explains why traditional gender stereotypes, biased social norms, and unequal family responsibilities may hold women back from full political participation. Keywords: gender reforms, party pragmatism, plurality party bloc vote, multi-member constituencies, ethnic quotas, PAP, Singapore DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5509/2016892369 ____________________ Netina Tan is an assistant professor of political science at McMaster University. -
The Rule of Law and Urban Development
The Rule of Law and Urban Development The transformation of Singapore from a struggling, poor country into one of the most affluent nations in the world—within a single generation—has often been touted as an “economic miracle”. The vision and pragmatism shown by its leaders has been key, as has its STUDIES URBAN SYSTEMS notable political stability. What has been less celebrated, however, while being no less critical to Singapore’s urban development, is the country’s application of the rule of law. The rule of law has been fundamental to Singapore’s success. The Rule of Law and Urban Development gives an overview of the role played by the rule of law in Singapore’s urban development over the past 54 years since independence. It covers the key principles that characterise Singapore’s application of the rule of law, and reveals deep insights from several of the country’s eminent urban pioneers, leaders and experts. It also looks at what ongoing and future The Rule of Law and Urban Development The Rule of Law developments may mean for the rule of law in Singapore. The Rule of Law “ Singapore is a nation which is based wholly on the Rule of Law. It is clear and practical laws and the effective observance and enforcement and Urban Development of these laws which provide the foundation for our economic and social development. It is the certainty which an environment based on the Rule of Law generates which gives our people, as well as many MNCs and other foreign investors, the confidence to invest in our physical, industrial as well as social infrastructure. -
4 Comparative Law and Constitutional Interpretation in Singapore: Insights from Constitutional Theory 114 ARUN K THIRUVENGADAM
Evolution of a Revolution Between 1965 and 2005, changes to Singapore’s Constitution were so tremendous as to amount to a revolution. These developments are comprehensively discussed and critically examined for the first time in this edited volume. With its momentous secession from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, Singapore had the perfect opportunity to craft a popularly-endorsed constitution. Instead, it retained the 1958 State Constitution and augmented it with provisions from the Malaysian Federal Constitution. The decision in favour of stability and gradual change belied the revolutionary changes to Singapore’s Constitution over the next 40 years, transforming its erstwhile Westminster-style constitution into something quite unique. The Government’s overriding concern with ensuring stability, public order, Asian values and communitarian politics, are not without their setbacks or critics. This collection strives to enrich our understanding of the historical antecedents of the current Constitution and offers a timely retrospective assessment of how history, politics and economics have shaped the Constitution. It is the first collaborative effort by a group of Singapore constitutional law scholars and will be of interest to students and academics from a range of disciplines, including comparative constitutional law, political science, government and Asian studies. Dr Li-ann Thio is Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore where she teaches public international law, constitutional law and human rights law. She is a Nominated Member of Parliament (11th Session). Dr Kevin YL Tan is Director of Equilibrium Consulting Pte Ltd and Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore where he teaches public law and media law. -
What Singaporean Female Politicians Choose to Say in Parliament
REFLEXIONEN ZU GENDER UND POLITISCHER PARTIZIPATION IN ASIEN Mirza, Naeem/Wagha, Wasim, 2010: Performance of Women Parliamentarians in the 12th Natio- nal Assembly (2002-2007). Islamabad. Musharraf, Pervez, 2006: In the Line of Fire. London. Mustafa, Zubeida, 2009: Where Were You, Dear Sisters? In: Dawn, 22.04.2009. Navarro, Julien, 2009: Les députés européens et leur rôle. Bruxelles. Phillips, Anne, 1995: The Politics of Presence. Oxford. PILDAT, 2002: Directory of the Members of the 12th National Assembly of Pakistan. Islamabad. Pitkin, Hanna F., 1967: The Concept of Representation. Berkeley. Rehfeld, Andrew, 2005: The Concept of Constituency. Political Representation, Democratic Legi- timacy, and Institutional Design. New York. Searing, Donald, 1994: Westminster’s World. Understanding Political Roles. Cambridge (Mass.). Shafqat, Saeed, 2002: Democracy and Political Transformation in Pakistan. In: Mumtaz, Soofia, Racine, Jean-Luc, Ali Imran, Anwar (eds.): Pakistan. The Contours of State and Society. Karachi, 209-235. Siddiqui, Niloufer, 2010: Gender Ideology and the Jamaat-e-Islami. In: Current Trends in Islamist Ideology. Vol. 10. Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty, 1988 (1985): Subaltern Studies. Deconstructing Historiography. In: Guha, Ranajit/Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty (eds.). Subaltern Studies. New York, 3-32. Solberg, Kristin Elisabeth, 2010: New Laws Could Improve Women’s Health in Pakistan. In: The Lancet. 975 (9730), 1956. Special Committee on Constitutional Reform, 2010: Report. Islamabad. Talbot, Ian, 2005: Pakistan. A Modern History. London. UNDP, 2005: Political and legislative participation of women in Pakistan: Issues and perspectives. Weiss, Anita, 2001: Gendered Power Relations. Perpetuation and Renegotiation. In: Weiss Anita/ Gilani Zulfikar (eds.): Power and Civil Society in Pakistan. Oxford, 65-89. Yasin, Asim, 2007: Discord over PPP tickets for women’s seats. -
What Singaporean Female Politicians Choose to Say in Parliament Devasahayam, Theresa W
www.ssoar.info "Talking point(s)": what Singaporean female politicians choose to say in parliament Devasahayam, Theresa W. Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Zur Verfügung gestellt in Kooperation mit / provided in cooperation with: Verlag Barbara Budrich Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Devasahayam, T. W. (2013). "Talking point(s)": what Singaporean female politicians choose to say in parliament. Femina Politica - Zeitschrift für feministische Politikwissenschaft, 22(2), 34-51. https://nbn-resolving.org/ urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-447265 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY-SA Lizenz (Namensnennung- This document is made available under a CC BY-SA Licence Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen) zur Verfügung gestellt. (Attribution-ShareAlike). For more Information see: Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.de REFLEXIONEN ZU GENDER UND POLITISCHER PARTIZIPATION IN ASIEN Mirza, Naeem/Wagha, Wasim, 2010: Performance of Women Parliamentarians in the 12th Natio- nal Assembly (2002-2007). Islamabad. Musharraf, Pervez, 2006: In the Line of Fire. London. Mustafa, Zubeida, 2009: Where Were You, Dear Sisters? In: Dawn, 22.04.2009. Navarro, Julien, 2009: Les députés européens et leur rôle. Bruxelles. Phillips, Anne, 1995: The Politics of Presence. Oxford. PILDAT, 2002: Directory of the Members of the 12th National Assembly of Pakistan. Islamabad. Pitkin, Hanna F., 1967: The Concept of Representation. Berkeley. Rehfeld, Andrew, 2005: The Concept of Constituency. Political Representation, Democratic Legi- timacy, and Institutional Design. New York. Searing, Donald, 1994: Westminster’s World. Understanding Political Roles. Cambridge (Mass.). Shafqat, Saeed, 2002: Democracy and Political Transformation in Pakistan. -
Michael Green QC, Fountain Court
Finance, Property and Business Litigation in a Changing World 25-26 April 2013 Supreme Court Auditorium Organisers: Finance, Property and Business Litigation in a Changing World Plenary Session 1: Finance Litigation Chairperson Mr Alvin Yeo SC , WongPartnership LLP Speakers Ms Geraldine Andrews QC, Essex Court Chambers Mr Peter de Verneuil Smith, 3Verulam Buildings Mr Hri Kumar Nair SC, Drew & Napier LLC FINANCIAL DERIVATIVES LITIGATION Geraldine Andrews Q.C. Essex Court Chambers The 2008 financial crisis Sept-Oct 2008 – the eye of the storm • 7th Sept - Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae effectively nationalized by US Government. • 14th Sept - Merrill Lynch shotgun wedding to Bank of America amidst fears of liquidity crisis • 15th Sept - Lehman Bros filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. Periodically thereafter various of its subsidiaries did the same, including, on 3 Oct, LBSF, the dedicated subsidiary for derivative transactions. • 17th Sept - AIG, the USA䇻s largest insurer, was bailed out by US Govt with a loan of $85bn (insufficient funds to meet its CDS insurance obligations) Geraldine Andrews QC, Essex Court Chambers FINANCE, PROPERTY AND BUSINESS LITIGATION IN A CHANGING WORLD Sept-Oct 2008 – the eye of the storm • 17th Sept – Lloyds TSB takes over HBOS following a run on HBOS shares • 25th Sept – Washington Mutual sold to JP Morgan Chase for $1.9bn. • 3 Oct – US Congress approves 700bn bailout of the banks – the biggest financial rescue in US history. • 6-10 Oct - The worst week for the global stock market for 75 years. The Dow Jones index lost 22.1%, its worst week on record. Geraldine Andrews QC, Essex Court Chambers FINANCE, PROPERTY AND BUSINESS LITIGATION IN A CHANGING WORLD Sept-Oct 2008 – the eye of the storm • 7 Oct - Icelandic banking system collapses • 11 Oct Highest volatility day recorded in the 112 year history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. -
One Party Dominance Survival: the Case of Singapore and Taiwan
One Party Dominance Survival: The Case of Singapore and Taiwan DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Lan Hu Graduate Program in Political Science The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee: Professor R. William Liddle Professor Jeremy Wallace Professor Marcus Kurtz Copyrighted by Lan Hu 2011 Abstract Can a one-party-dominant authoritarian regime survive in a modernized society? Why is it that some survive while others fail? Singapore and Taiwan provide comparable cases to partially explain this puzzle. Both countries share many similar cultural and developmental backgrounds. One-party dominance in Taiwan failed in the 1980s when Taiwan became modern. But in Singapore, the one-party regime survived the opposition’s challenges in the 1960s and has remained stable since then. There are few comparative studies of these two countries. Through empirical studies of the two cases, I conclude that regime structure, i.e., clientelistic versus professional structure, affects the chances of authoritarian survival after the society becomes modern. This conclusion is derived from a two-country comparative study. Further research is necessary to test if the same conclusion can be applied to other cases. This research contributes to the understanding of one-party-dominant regimes in modernizing societies. ii Dedication Dedicated to the Lord, Jesus Christ. “Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. By Me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; by Me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.” Proverbs 8:14-16 iii Acknowledgments I thank my committee members Professor R. -
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th ANNIVERSARY Artist Impression of the School of Law. CONTENTS e First Decade e Founding Years e Future 2 LAW OF SCHOOL 3 LAW OF SCHOOL e idea of the “We were audacious aer “Aer sending in the proposal, I told SMU Law School receiving encouragement – we my colleagues in the Law Department was in the minds were cautioned to take it slowly we had a 50-50 chance of getting a law of the SMU and open the school a few years school. e arguments for it – diversity, later than when we actually did. competition and SMU’s development – leadership from We took a risk but being young were compelling enough, but whether the university’s and impatient, we discarded the proposal would be accepted inception. caution and brought forward depended on the powers that be. When our vision by a few years. In the the good news came, we were elated! end, we pulled it o and the Law It was a great privilege to have been School has been acknowledged involved in the start-up of the SMU Law as one of the nest in Asia since School - a memory I will always cherish.” then. e moral? Carpe diem … seize the day!” Associate Professor Low Kee Yang, School of Law Mr Ho Kwon Ping, Chairman, Board of Trustees, SMU “A Law School was in the original plan of SMU. It’s a natural discipline that ts in well with the original concept of a management university.” Professor Tan Chin Tiong, Senior Advisor to President, SMU 5 LAW OF SCHOOL “I remember receiving a call, as president, in early 2007 saying that the opening of a new “It was vital for the School to law school at SMU had been oer a distinct law education approved. -
1—Singapore Communitarianism and the Case for Conserving 377A
Singapore Journal of Legal Studies [2008] 347–394 “DON’T EVER TAKE A FENCE DOWN UNTIL YOU KNOW THE REASON IT WAS PUT UP”1—SINGAPORE COMMUNITARIANISM AND THE CASE FOR CONSERVING 377A Yvonne C. L. Lee∗ A rare parliamentary petition which sought the repeal of section 377A of the Penal Code that criminalises acts of gross indecency between male adults, was presented and debated in Parliament in October 2007. This article critically examines the constitutional law dimension and issues in relation to the 377A debate in Singapore. It highlights the primary jurisprudential thrust of the competing arguments and assumptions. It advances and defends the communitarian case for preserving 377A which the author argues is both normatively desirable and empirically reflective of existing Singapore law and policy. With particular regard to the Singapore context, it reflects on how democratic societies should address questions of law and profound moral disagreement, the importance of civil debate, and whether the legislative or judicial forum is most appropriate for making decisions on morally controversial questions. I. 377A: The Hart-Devlin Debate Redux For only the second time in Singapore history,2 a petition was presented to Parliament on 22 October 2007, by a nominated Member of Parliament (‘MP’)3 calling for the repeal of section 377A of the Penal Code4 (‘377A’). This prohibits all acts of gross indecency, such as homosexual sodomy, in public or private, between two adult ∗ LL.M. (Michigan), LL.B. (NUS); Attorney & Counsellor (New York State), Advocate & Solicitor (Singapore); Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore. I thank several colleagues for our lively exchanges on this issue. -
Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218) (Section 51) Statement of the Poll After Counting the Ballots
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2011 1 First published in the Government Gazette, Electronic Edition, on 12th May 2011 at 2.00 pm. No. 1268 — PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT (CHAPTER 218) (SECTION 51) STATEMENT OF THE POLL AFTER COUNTING THE BALLOTS ELECTORAL DIVISION OF BISHAN-TOA PAYOH ‡Number of Ballot Papers Issued 141,760 Number of Ballot Papers cast for Name of Candidate Party ‡Number of Ballot Papers Chiam See Tong SPP 47,205 Lee Yeong Wee Wilfred Leung Mohamad Hamim Aliyas Benjamin Pwee Hri Kumar Nair PAP 62,385 Ng Eng Hen Josephine Teo Wong Kan Seng Zainudin Nordin ‡Total Number of Ballot Papers cast for the above Candidates 109,590 Number of *Rejected Ballot Papers 2,087 Total Number of Ballot Papers found in the ballot boxes 111,677 Number of Unused Ballot Papers undetached from the books 30,061 Number of †Spoilt Ballot Papers 22 ‡TOTAL 141,760 *A Rejected Ballot Paper means a ballot paper which has been handed by the presiding officer to an elector to cast his vote but which, at the close of the poll, has been found in the ballot box unmarked or so improperly marked it cannot be counted. †A Spoilt Ballot Paper means a ballot paper which, on polling day, has not been deposited in the ballot box, but has been found by the presiding officer to be spoilt or improperly printed or which has been handed by the presiding officer to an elector to cast his vote, and (a) has been spoilt in marking by the elector, and (b) has been handed back to the presiding officer and exchanged for another. -
Votes and Proceedings of the Twelfth Parliament of Singapore
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE TWELFTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE ______________ First Session ______________ FRIDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 2012 No. 14 1.30 pm 89 PRESENT: Mr SPEAKER (Mr MICHAEL PALMER (Punggol East)). Mr ANG HIN KEE (Ang Mo Kio). Mr ANG WEI NENG (Jurong). Mr BAEY YAM KENG (Tampines). Mr CHAN CHUN SING (Tanjong Pagar), Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Minister of State, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. Mr CHEN SHOW MAO (Aljunied). Dr CHIA SHI-LU (Tanjong Pagar). Mrs LINA CHIAM (Non-Constituency Member). Mr CHARLES CHONG (Joo Chiat), Deputy Speaker. Mr CHRISTOPHER DE SOUZA (Holland-Bukit Timah). Ms FAIZAH JAMAL (Nominated Member). Mr NICHOLAS FANG (Nominated Member). Assoc. Prof. FATIMAH LATEEF (Marine Parade). Mr ARTHUR FONG (West Coast). Mr CEDRIC FOO CHEE KENG (Pioneer). Mdm FOO MEE HAR (West Coast). Ms GRACE FU HAI YIEN (Yuhua), Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. Mr GAN KIM YONG (Chua Chu Kang), Minister for Health and Government Whip. Mr GAN THIAM POH (Pasir Ris-Punggol). Mr GERALD GIAM YEAN SONG (Non-Constituency Member). Mr GOH CHOK TONG (Marine Parade). No. 14 17 FEBRUARY 2012 90 Mdm HALIMAH YACOB (Jurong), Minister of State, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Mr HAWAZI DAIPI (Sembawang), Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Minister for Manpower. Mr HENG CHEE HOW (Whampoa), Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Leader of the House. Mr HENG SWEE KEAT (Tampines), Minister for Education. Mr HRI KUMAR NAIR (Bishan-Toa Payoh). -
Annual Summaries 2017 Highlights PAGE CONTENTS
ATTORNEY- GENERAL’S CHAMBERS Annual Summaries 2017 Highlights PAGE CONTENTS 04 CIVIL DIVISION 12 CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION 24 FINANCIAL & TECHNOLOGY CRIME DIVISION 32 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIVISION 44 LEGISLATION DIVISION 54 CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION 66 CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT 80 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND LIBRARY 83 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ORGANISATIONAL EXCELLENCE OFFICE 85 AGC’S TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY M A JOR CASES CIVIL ATTORNEY-GENERAL V EUGENE THURAISINGAM DIVISION A lawyer, Eugene Thuraisingam, published a poem on Facebook publicly alleging that our Judges have subordinated their judicial duty to financial The Civil Division plays a vital role in protecting and advancing the Government’s greed. The poem posed a real risk of undermining public confidence in the administration of justice in Singapore. Thuraisingam was eventually interests, facilitating the administration of justice and upholding the rule of found in contempt of court and fined $6,000. law. The Division advises the Government on wide ranging legal issues and represents the Government in court and other dispute resolution proceedings. AXY AND OTHERS V COMPTROLLER OF INCOME TAX (ATTORNEY-GENERAL, INTERVENER) PENDING GROUNDS OF DECISION AS OF 5 APRIL 2018 This was an appeal against the High Court Judge’s decision (see AXY and others v Comptroller of Income Tax [2017] SGHC 42) concerning the exchange of information between tax authorities for the enforcement of tax laws and prevention of tax evasion. The appellants challenged the decision of the Comptroller of Income Tax to provide banking information to the National Tax Service of Korea under a Singapore-Korea tax treaty and an exchange of information regime under the Income Tax Act (Cap 134, 2008 Rev Ed).