Suchergebnisse

Singapore inherited a Westminster-style constitution from the British who ruled the island for 140 years. Since Singapore's independence in 1965, this constitution has been amended and augmented many times wherein unique institutions - such as the Elected Presidency and Group Representation Constitutions - were created. All these changes occurred against the backdrop of Singapore's special geographical local, multi-ethnic population and vulnerability to externalities. This book features a collection of short essays describing and explaining 50 Constitutional Moments - major inflexion points in the trajectory of Singapore's constitutional development. The authors have selected each of these 'moments' on the basis of their impact in the forging of the modern constitutional order. Starting in 1965, the book begins chronologically, from the 'moment' of Singapore's expulsion from the Federation of Malaysia through the establishment of the Wee Chong Jin Constitutional Commission (1966) to the entrenchment of the sovereignty clause in the Constitution (1972) right through to the 2000s, with the Presidential Elections of 2011. In these easy-to-read essays, the reader is introduced to what the authors consider to be the most important episodes that have shaped the Singapore Constitution. These articles cover key events like President Ong Teng Cheong's 1999 Press Conference and the 2001 Tudung controversy; constitutional amendments like the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (1990) and the introduction of Nominated Members of Parliament (1990); and seminal cases like Chng Suan Tze v Minister for Home Affairs (1989) and Yong Vui Kong v PP (2010 & 2015)) that have contributed to the sculpting of Singapore's constitutional landscape

The Singapore Government recognises and is committed to legal aid as an integral part of access to justice. Sixty years ago in 1958, Singapore was the first country in Southeast Asia to enact a legal aid scheme, which provided for the establishment of the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) to provide civil legal aid to persons of limited means. Over the course of independent Singapore's history, legal aid as part of the overall access to justice has broadened significantly. Members of Parliament make regular calls for more people to qualify and receive government-funded legal aid. The government regards access to justice as being extremely important, and the public debate often centres on how to improve access to justice. While access to justice is often understood in terms of access to the courts and affordability of legal services, access to justice in Singapore is conceived in a broader and more nuanced context. This includes accessing and achieving justice through various means, including consensual outcomes that are acceptable to the parties in a dispute and reached within or without the court system.

International migration has been part of Singapore since its foundation as a nation. Immigrants to Singapore include work pass holders, students, accompanying family members and permanent residents. Unlike immigrants, emigrants from Singapore are not obliged to apply for passes to exit the country, except for servicemen. The census collects data on foreigners in Singapore, while information on Singapore emigrants started to be collected in the 1990 census. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Ministry of Manpower are the main sources of data on international migration, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore is the primary source of data on remittances. The main issue in Singapore is access to data produced by government agencies.