Singapore’s Parliament Passes Bill to Consolidate and Strengthen Government Powers
Maintaining Racial Harmony
Singapore’s parliament has passed a bill that will consolidate and strengthen the government’s powers, including introducing the use of restraining orders (RO) to maintain racial harmony and address related threats in the country. The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill (RH Bill) was tabled for a second reading by Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam, together with Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling.
Key Provisions
The RH Bill introduces an RO regime to deal with content prejudicial to racial harmony, a community-based approach to dealing with racial incidents, and safeguards to prevent race-based entities from being used as vectors of foreign influence. The community-based approach, known as the community remedial initiative (CRI), gives the offender the opportunity to mend ties with the community they have attacked.
Public Support
The minister, citing a 2024 poll conducted on more than 1,000 Singapore residents, found that the public strongly supports various proposals in the RH Bill. "The RH Bill will not be a panacea for solving all race-related challenges, but it is a powerful signal of our resolve to remain united as one people," Shanmugam said.
Restraining Orders
Clause 8 of the RH Bill enables the Home Affairs Minister to issue ROs against persons involved in the communication, production, or distribution of content that prejudices the maintenance of racial harmony in Singapore. However, the issuance of ROs will be subject to stringent safeguards, as all ROs will be reviewed by a Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony (PCRRH), which will be established under the Bill. The person issued with a racial content RO will be able to make representations to the PCRRH.
Safeguards for Race-Based Entities
The RH Bill also stated that race-based entities be subject to baseline foreign influence measures, including requirements to disclose foreign and anonymous donations accepted, foreign affiliations, and their leadership composition. Clause 15 empowers a competent authority to designate a race-based entity if considered necessary or expedient to pre-empt, prevent, or reduce any foreign influence that may undermine racial harmony in the country.
Designation of Entities
To begin with, clan and business associations linked to the Chinese, Malay, and Indian races will be designated under this Bill. "We will need time to assess the entities in these categories before we can inform them whether they will be designated," Sun said. Designated entities would need to comply with leadership requirements, including that their responsible officers must be Singapore citizens or Singapore permanent residents, and that the majority of the governing body, or anyone exercising functions analogous to a governing body member, must be Singapore citizens.
Conclusion
The RH Bill is a powerful signal of Singaporeans’ resolve to remain united. While it is not a panacea for solving all race-related challenges, it is a significant step towards maintaining racial harmony and addressing related threats in the country.
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of the RH Bill?
A: The RH Bill aims to consolidate and strengthen the government’s powers to maintain racial harmony and address related threats in the country.
Q: What are the key provisions of the RH Bill?
A: The RH Bill introduces an RO regime, a community-based approach to dealing with racial incidents, and safeguards to prevent race-based entities from being used as vectors of foreign influence.
Q: How will the government ensure public support for the RH Bill?
A: The government will continue to engage with the public and conduct regular surveys to ensure that the public is informed and supportive of the RH Bill.
Q: What are the safeguards in place to prevent abuse of the RH Bill?
A: The RH Bill includes stringent safeguards, including the review of ROs by the PCRRH, to prevent abuse and ensure that the law is used fairly and justly.