The next time they stage a 4-man demonstration for some cause such as increased government transparency, they should also arrange for another 4 group of persons to stand 15 metres and demonstrate for some totally unrelated, and politically neutral cause (for example, "Be Kind to Your Pets").
They should organise both demonstrations in highly similar fashion. For example, both groups stand in the same way and behave in the same way, at the same time of the day. The only difference will be in the messages printed on their placards and T-shirts. For example, the first group's T-shirts may read "More Transparency in the CPF!" and the second group's T-shirts could read "Be Kind to Your Pets".
It will then be interesting to see the police reaction:
1. The police could zoom in on the CPF Transparency group but leave the Pet Kindness group alone. Which will cause people to say, "So how come the Pet Kindness group is not a public nuisance? They were behaving in exactly the same way as the CPF Transparency group."
2. The police could zoom in on both groups. Which will cause people to say, "The government is crazy! Now they are arresting cat lovers and dog lovers and bird lovers!"
3. The police could leave both groups alone. Which means that demonstrators would have found a way to prevent police interference.
In an even more devastating version of this brilliant Mr Wang idea, we replace the Animal Kindness group with a "We Love the Singapore Government" group. On their T-shirts and placards, the 2nd group will reflect the PAP's favourite messages like "Embrace Foreign Talent!"; "Work Till You're 62!" or "Our Ministers Deserve Higher Pay!".
Meanwhile, the first group will stand 15 metres away and carry on their peaceful, passive demonstration about the need for greater government transparency etc.
Then we wait and watch the police reaction, and watch for any differences in how the two groups are treated.
7 comments:
Darn! I was thinking of a similar idea last night. Am I a genius too?
Went to check up on the Constitutional for Right of Assembly. By the sixth paragraph, it seems the right has been stripped taken away by laws such as the Illegal Assembly Act. And why the magic number 5 in the first place? Another legacy of the British?
Freedom of speech, assembly and association
14. —(1) Subject to clauses (2) and (3) —
(a) every citizen of Singapore has the right to freedom of speech and expression;
(b) all citizens of Singapore have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; and
(c) all citizens of Singapore have the right to form associations.
(2) Parliament may by law impose —
(a) on the rights conferred by clause (1) (a), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or to provide against contempt of court, defamation or incitement to any offence;
(b) on the right conferred by clause (1) (b), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof or public order; and
(c) on the right conferred by clause (1) (c), such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore or any part thereof, public order or morality.
(3) Restrictions on the right to form associations conferred by clause (1) (c) may also be imposed by any law relating to labour or education.
mr wang ... brilliant ...
The episode looks suspicious.
We only hear the story from one side.
I feel the police could have got the wrong information and the person who called the police could well be an SDP member; ie the whole thing was staged by the SDP.
The police may well have arrived at the scene, expecting to see a much bigger demonstration.
After that, it is surely up to the police themselves to decide what to do with those 4 harmless-looking, docile persons.
Great idea! CSJ showing up selling books wasn't a very smart move.
funny thing is, everybody is talk about the 4-man demonstration and the riot squad. But no one see to remember what the demonstration was about.
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