Parliament Put principle above politics in Fica debate
I agree with Forum writer Chirag Agarwal that issues such as foreign interference affecting our national security should get bipartisan support (Fica a missed opportunity to demonstrate bipartisanship, Oct 20).

But I am left wondering why no such agreement was reached in Parliament.

The difference in views between the Workers' Party (WP) and the Government seemed to come down to one issue - whether the Supreme Court judge that reviews a minister's decision should do so in court, or by way of an independent tribunal.

I thought Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam took some pains to explain why the WP's proposal for a court process would not work, and why a tribunal, headed by a Supreme Court judge, would be more suitable.

It was obvious to me that there were considerations on security and our relationships with other countries involved. But neither the WP nor the Progress Singapore Party explained its position, or responded to any of the points made by the minister.

It is a pity, and indeed an opportunity lost. Since the WP was not able to explain its position in Parliament, or offer any viable alternatives, I wonder how more debate in a Select Committee would help.

Mr Agarwal adds that the country is sharply divided over the Bill, and he refers to a commentary by Straits Times editor-at-large Han Fook Kwang (Not too late to bridge Fica divide, Oct 17), in which Mr Han quoted a piece by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' Dr Shashi Jayakumar.

But Dr Shashi also said that "legislatively - in terms of the scope, coverage, and thinking through various threat scenarios - I would give the Government a pretty high mark in terms of what it has accomplished to thwart organised disinformation, hostile information campaigns and foreign interference in recent years".

Dr Shashi's concerns were not about the scope or necessity of the Bill, but about how there was room for improvement regarding the ways in which the Bill was communicated to the public.

I think most Singaporeans would instinctively understand that the legislation was done in good faith to protect Singapore from foreign interference. It would have been good if principle had been put above politics, when the matter was debated in Parliament.

Leong Kum Weng

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-put-principle-above-politics-in-fica-debate

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