5 March 2016
On 10-12th February, 10 representatives met US State officials, think tank representations and NGOs to discuss Civil Society in ASEAN. This was part of the efforts of the US State Department and the National Democratic Institute. Us President Barack Obama was meeting ASEAN leaders in the Sunnyland meeting and was also keen to discuss the role of civil society in ASEAN.
MARUAH was represented by Ms Braema Mathi and here she is with member of the State Department and in a special session with Ambassador Susan Rice.
National Security Advisor Susan Rice with ASEAN human rights activist in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Feb. 11, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
21 September 2015
MARUAH organised a public forum on September 19th to share thoughts and perspectives on the General Elections 2015 (GE2015) that took place on September 11th, 2015. The speakers were:-
Mr Alex Au, blogger and activist
Dr Derek Da Cunha, political analyst, author and independent researcher;
Dr Jack Lee, law academic with research interest in Constitutional Law;
Mr Rafiz Hapipi, youth counsellor and researcher, and MARUAH member;
Mr Sudhir Vadaketh, author and blogger;
Mr Terry Xu, editor of The Online Citizen
The speakers were experts who had been watching the General Elections and commenting on the process from one GE to the next. Read the rest of this entry »
6 August 2014
Please see link below for a media report by The Online Citizen (TOC) on MARUAH’s recent event on our right to information and freedom of expression.
Are we muzzled? Are we getting access to information? Can we cope with diversity of views? What is the role of public institutions like the National Library Board? Who are they supposed to serve and how? How do we ensure that our personal values also have a space in secular Singapore?
These were some of the questions that arose from the recent near-pulping of two library book titles that were deemed to contain “non-pro-family” content, which MARUAH, a human rights NGO in Singapore, attempted to answer by organising a forum last Sunday, titled “Pulp Friction: Our Right to Information and Right to Expression”…
17 December 2013
MARUAH organised a thematic discussion about Freedom of Expression & Democracy on 15 Dec 2013 at Robertson Walk. Engagement, discussion, sharing of information and voicing of concerns are all necessary components in a functioning democracy and the event was a platform for a discussion on these areas. This was all the more important in light of recent events such as the charges brought up against blogger Alex Au and the closing down of Breakfast Network. The event featured an accomplished line up of experts who shared past incidents and also critical insights into the topic.
The speakers were:
• Dr Thum Ping Tjin, Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore & Co-ordinator, Project Southeast Asia, University of Oxford
• Mr Martyn See, Blogger and Documentary Film-maker
• Mr PN Balji, Editor of The Independent Singapore
• Dr Cherian George, Associate Professor, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University
• Mr G Raman, Veteran Lawyer
Dr Thum started by giving a historical insight into freedom of expression and democracy in pre-independent Singapore. Filmmaker Mr Martyn See then continued from 1965 onwards, highlighting narratives of restrictions on freedom of expression by the government on various persons and groups. He shared some of the challenges faced by those who spoke out against government policies.
Mr PN Balji discussed on the regulation of alternative media outlets and inconsistencies in the governance of online media. Dr Cherian George highlighted the ideological obstacles to freedom of expression in Singapore. The final speaker for the evening, Mr G Raman shared insight into laws that protect and curtail freedom of expression in Singapore.
The Question & Answer segment prompted various questions on how the landscape would look like in 10 years time, whether the youth are concerned about issues relating to freedom of expression, and whether the education system was responsible for apathy in issues like politics and human rights.
MARUAH thanks all the speakers and participants who attended the panel discussion.
10 August 2013
On 18th of July, MARUAH celebrated International Nelson Mandela Day with an evening of music, poetry and tributes to Nelson Mandela. The day was designated by United Nations as International Nelson Mandela Day in 2009, in commemoration of Nelson Mandela’s fight for democracy and human rights.
Read the rest of this entry »
26 September 2012
On 22 September 2012, MARUAH observed the UN International Day of Peace and participated in celebrations organised by the Jane Goodall Institute at Fort Canning Park, Singapore.
The International Day of Peace is observed every year to commemorate global peace and a cessation of hostility and violence. It was first declared by the United Nations in 1982 and constantly seeks to remind us that ‘our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace’. Read the rest of this entry »
24 December 2011
The train disruption on Saturday did not stop the proceedings of MARUAH’s “ASEAN Matters in Singapore” Workshop series. The event provided an overview of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the various human rights related developments within the region. Braema Mathi, MARUAH President, brought participants through the various declarations and action plans on human rights issues in ASEAN. Read the rest of this entry »