Why the different treatments between Joseph Ong vs Warren Fernandez?

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Why the different treatments between Joseph Ong vs Warren
Fernandez?


June 21st, 2013 | Author: Contributions




The news reported today that the police has issued a “stern
warning” to the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and the Straits Times’ editor,
Warren Fernandez.

The warning is the result of a 5-month investigation by the police into the
conduct of an election poll by the Straits Times during the Punggol East
by-election in January this year which is against election laws in
Singapore.

In 2011, blogger Joseph Ong from the then Temasek Review blog asked readers
to post their vote choices on the Facebook page of the blog on Polling Day
during the general election that year [Link].
Ong was arrested 3 months later and eventually was also given a warning by the
police.

The outcomes of the two apparently similar cases – both given warnings – are
perhaps no surprise.

What is worth noting is, however, the fact that one was arrested while the
other was not.

At the time of writing, the Attorney General Chamber’s website has not
uploaded the warning letter it had given to Warren Fernandez. When the AGC
similarly warned filmmaker Lynn Lee for “having committed contempt of court” in
another case, it published a write-up about the matter. (See here.)

So for now, it remains unclear why Joseph Ong was arrested while Warren
Fernandez was not.

The one who was arrested, besides having to be handcuffed (I presume), also
had it reported in the media, particularly the press, and thus had his name
dragged through the mud, as it were. It is most unfair.

It would be good if the AGC could explain this so that Singaporeans can
understand how our laws work.

As I wrote in an earlier article, trust in our public institution is
important, including for the administration of justice in Singapore. Any public
perception that the law is selectively applied, or ambiguous, will lead to the
erosion of trust in the law itself and/or those who have authority to enforce
it.

It would be most unfair to our law enforcement officers and agencies if the
public should perceive that there is bias in how the law is applied.

I urge the AGC to explain the apparent disparity in the police’s treatment of
the Joseph Ong case and that involving Warren Fernandez.

.

Andrew Loh

* Andrew helms publichouse.sg as Editor-in-Chief. His writings have been
reproduced in other publications, including the Australian Housing Journal in
2010. He was nominated by Yahoo! Singapore as one of Singapore’s most
influential media persons in 2011. The article first appeared on http://andrewlohhp.wordpress.com/


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