ABOVE THE LAW: PAP PLANTS FLAGS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

PAP flags have been sighted all over Singapore even though the law states that they may only be displayed after Nomination Day

By Wayne Sim

Staff Writer

In yet another poignant illustration of how skewed the political playing field is in Singapore, the ruling PAP has begun planting thousands of party flags all over the country – even though the Parliamentary Elections Act clearly stipulates that political parties may only begin displaying its banners after Nomination Day. Under the definitions spelt out in the Act, party flags are considered ‘banners’.

The first sightings of PAP flags were recorded as early as April 22 – five days ahead of Nomination Day on April 27.

At Block 140, Tampines Ave 2, some 20 to 30 PAP flags line a street not even a few hundred meters long. An irate resident subsequently took photos of these flags – which have been erected at carparks and playgrounds alike, and posted it on his blog. Similar sightings have also been reported at Marsiling Drive and other venues.

No opposition parties have begun displaying their flags or banners in public, for the obvious reason that they would almost certainly face prosecution for contravening the law.

The PAP, however, is clearly above the law – something that Singaporeans have grown accustomed to.

In 1997, opposition politician J B Jeyaretnam filed a police report against PAP candidates Goh Chok Tong, Lee Hsien Loong and Tony Tan Keng Yam for campaigning inside polling centres located in the hotly-contested Cheng San GRC on Polling Day. The Parliamentary Elections Act stipulates that candidates are not allowed to loiter “in any street or public place within a radius of 200 metres of any polling station on Polling Day”.

The then-Attorney General (now Chief Justice), Chan Sek Keong, who had to investigate the case, demonstrated his legal creativity by finding that the PAP candidates had no case to answer because they were not loitering within a 200-metre radius of the polling centres by virtue of actually being inside them.

Meanwhile, irate netizens have posted comments on various forums asking whether it is an offence to remove the PAP flags. Others have called for PAP candidates in the respective constituencies to be disqualified.

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The writer is a Staff Writer at The Satay Club. He is also final-year law undergraduate at a reputable university in Australia. He returns to Singapore at least twice a year.

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