Social Activism #1 - Local activists plan to showcase work

Published on Sep 13, 2006

By Lynn Lee & Keith Lin


A SINGAPORE civil society group plans to raise the issue of the rights of migrant workers when foreign activists begin to converge here from today.

The Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) says it will hold a forum to release its findings on the wages of such workers.

The forum on Monday will coincide with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings, which Singapore is hosting.

At these meetings, which start today, civil society groups would often hold protest demonstrations to highlight their causes. About 500 civil society activists from 45 countries are expected to turn up.

However, only a handful of Singapore civil society groups have programmes lined up to engage the activists and the 16,000 delegates expected at the meetings.

TWC2 president Braema Mathi said the forum 'will be a good time to gather views on how the World Bank and IMF can improve the well-being of migrant workers.' She declined to say more.

Her group is among 10 such groups contacted by The Straits Times. Only four have plans to showcase their work during the week-long talks.

This has come as no surprise to Mr Grant Pereira, head of the conservation group Green Volunteers Network, 'as Singaporeans are conditioned not to do anything that would cause trouble'.

Security concerns have led the Singapore police to limit the protest activities of civil society groups to a designated area in the lobby of the meetings' venue in Suntec City.

At least one local organisation, The Substation, has had its plans scuppered. The arts centre in Armenian Street wanted to hold a party outside its premises to coincide with the meetings, with booths set up by civil society groups and performances by artists and local bands.

It changed the date to Sept 30, more than a week after the end of the meetings, in the hope that the police would allow the road to be closed for the event.

But the plans have been canned, said The Substation's programme manager Cyril Wong yesterday.

'We came to the decision because the police basically told us that we are not allowed to close the street because civil society groups are part of the event.'

Groups such as the Singapore International Foundation (SIF), however, say their plans are on track.

The SIF will hold a talk tomorrow on how non-profit groups can better work together in disaster relief efforts, said its executive director Tan Tay Keong.

One (Singapore), an anti-poverty group, has also launched a video, partially funded by the World Bank, with foreign and local celebrities to raise awareness of child poverty.

A 30-second English clip will be shown on the facade of Suntec City once every 10 minutes on alternate days until the event ends.

The political research group Think Centre, meanwhile, has been offering help to foreign activists.

It is also helping to organise the forum in Batam, where activists are holding a meeting following Singapore's refusal to relax its ban on public demonstration.


Copyright © 2006 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access