Shanmugam finds activists' conduct 'sad'
Law Minister says group that met Dr Mahathir should not have invited a foreign politician to intervene in Singapore's politics
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday described the conduct of the Singaporeans - including historian Thum Ping Tjin - who recently met Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as "sad and regretful".
He was commenting on the group that met Tun Dr Mahathir in Putrajaya Thursday last week, which included former student union leader Tan Wah Piow, Dr Thum, freelance journalist Kirsten Han, comic artist Sonny Liew, activist Jolovan Wham and Malaysian social activist Hishamuddin Rais.
They invited Dr Mahathir to open a conference next year on the issue of opening up democratic space in South-east Asian countries.
Asked about the meeting at a community event at his ward of Chong Pang, Mr Shanmugam said: "We can have political differences within Singapore. It is the people's right.
"But I think we should never go out and invite someone foreign, a foreign politician, to intervene in our domestic politics. I think that's an absolute no-no."
After the meeting, Dr Thum made a Facebook post saying he had asked the Malaysian leader to "take leadership in South-east Asia for the promotion of democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of information".
Dr Thum said he also expressed hopes for closer relations between the people of Malaysia and Singapore, and presented Dr Mahathir with a copy of Living With Myths In Singapore.
Commenting on Dr Thum's post, Mr Shanmugam said: "I think it is quite clear what that means."
The minister's comments came a day after Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng questioned Dr Thum in a Facebook post for suggesting that Singaporeans should also rejoice on Malaysia's independence day, among other things.
Mr Seah added that "it appears quite clear to me that PJ Thum does not wish Singapore well".
Responding in a blog post that same night, Ms Han said Mr Seah appeared to have misunderstood the nature of the meeting with Dr Mahathir.
On Dr Thum's post, she said: "PJ did not say that he asked Mahathir to bring democracy to Singapore, nor did I hear him say such a thing during the meeting."
She also said that Dr Thum's "happy unofficial independence day" wish to Singaporeans was not about declaring Singapore a part of Malaysia, but a reference to the Republic's history. She did not elaborate on this.
But going by accounts in the memoirs of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, The Singapore Story, Mr Lee had recounted how he had unilaterally declared Singapore independent from the British on Aug 31, 1963, in line with his push for Singapore to become part of the Federation of Malaysia.
The federation was established two weeks later on Sept 16, 1963.
The merger proved acrimonious and Singapore was eventually expelled from Malaysia in August 1965.
Since then, Singapore has marked Aug 9, 1965, as its independence day, while Malaysia regards 31 August as its Merdeka Day and September 16 as Malaysia Day.
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