domho8 Posted April 23, 2013 Posted April 23, 2013 Singapore police arrested Mr Leslie Chew, 37, the person behind the cartoon strip, Demon-cratic Singapore, on Friday morning, for alleged sedition. He was held in custody and questioned over the weekend, and was released at 8.45pm on Sunday after posting bail of S$10,000. The police confiscated his handphone, computer and hard disk. He was also asked to surrender his passport to the police at the Cantonment Police complex. The charges relate to two of the comic strips on his Demon-cratic Facebook page. Mr Chew has produced more than 600 cartoons thus far, including those on the page. The two in question are this one and this one. The first cartoon, published on his Facebook page on 14 December last year, and titled “Demon-cratic Singapore Episode #438, Eliminating the thorn first...”, had also been the subject of a letter of demand from the Attorney General Chambers (AGC) last year. The AGC, in a letter to Mr Chew on 17 December, said the cartoon “scandalises our Courts through allegations and imputations that are scurrilous and false." However, it said it would not commence further legal proceedings against Chew if he posted an apology on the page, removed the cartoon and “all accompanying comments” related to the post, which has gathered over 600 likes, shares and comments since December. Chew, however, decided not to comply because he said his work is fictional, and not related to any real events or persons, as stated on his Facebook page. On its page, which has 19,000 likes, Demon-cratic Singapore describes itself as a "100% fictional comic series about a country that does not exist". In the second cartoon, Chew said the police questioned him about the population statistics in the cartoon, and its words – “Malay population… Deliberately suppressed by a racist government.” Under Singapore's Sedition Act, among other things, it is an offence to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government; and to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore. Anyone found guilty of the offence can be fined up to S$5,000 or jailed up to three years, or both. Chew, however, denies any such intentions, again pointing to the disclaimer in each of his cartoons which says that the portrayals in them “are purely fictional”. “I also explicitly stated that Demon-cratic Singapore is an entirely imaginary country and is not the Republic of Singapore,” Mr Chew says, referring to this page. The latest arrest follows a spate of legal action by members of the Government against online commentators and sites. In January, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong demanded writer and activist, Alex Au removed his blog posts about Action Information Management, the PAP-owned company embroiled in the controversy over the PAP-run town councils’ computer system. And on 18 April, the AGC demanded an apology and the removal of posts from several websites which it alleged cast doubt on the judiciary's integrity. Chew, who says that the police was “very professional” in the way they treated him, has been asked to report to the police on 30 April. “Most fans know that Demon-cratic Singapore is fictional and are just for laughs,” said Chew. “Even when there are new readers who thought otherwise, they are usually quickly reminded by other readers that everything on my Facebook page is fictional." 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.
meatballz Posted April 23, 2013 Posted April 23, 2013 this is crazy. these people have crossed the line.
jimi1624705950 Posted April 23, 2013 Posted April 23, 2013 Love these cartoons! Hope they can continue. Fictional without explicit reference means not liable isn't it?
bolts1624705732 Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 Love these cartoons! Hope they can continue. Fictional without explicit reference means not liable isn't it? I cannot imagine, how "Demon-cratic Singapore" can be a construed as a fictional country in a Court of Law. If the cartoonist call the country "Demon-cratic RedWhite Nation", that will be harder to prove that it refers to Singapore.
vajrasattvasg Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 I cannot imagine, how "Demon-cratic Singapore" can be a construed as a fictional country in a Court of Law. If the cartoonist call the country "Demon-cratic RedWhite Nation", that will be harder to prove that it refers to Singapore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore,_Michigan
wizardofoz Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 I assume there are those among us (singaporeans not xpl members specifically) who's job it is to sift the internet for such posting on a daily basis and report it...who would want that job man?
jeromelang Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 who's job it is to sift the internet for such posting on a daily basis and report it... who would want that job man? I imagine the pay must be good - so good that the person would be able to afford to have dedicated room, with full acoustic treatment, buy and change new diamond coated speakers every 2 years, and big expensive esoteric CD players every 6 months. And work from home some more. ;D
flowerpower Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 I imagine the pay must be good - so good that the person would be able to afford to have dedicated room, with full acoustic treatment, buy and change new diamond coated speakers every 2 years, and big expensive esoteric CD players every 6 months. And work from home some more. ;D Doubt it. Probably good enough to buy state of the art digital components without even auditioning, or fly to exotic locations to buy rare speakers. ;D
jimi1624705950 Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 I suppose can be glad there is some kind of trial. Perhaps many years ago in a country not too far away, for a charge of sedition there wouldn't be any trial and he'd just be slapped in prison.
domho8 Posted April 25, 2013 Author Posted April 25, 2013 Singapore Probes Cartoonist for Alleged Racial Insensitivity SINGAPORE—Singapore police are investigating a local artist over cartoons he drew that a citizen charges were racially insensitive and that might fall foul of the city-state's tough anti-sedition laws. A 37-year-old man was detained late Friday for alleged sedition after police received a complaint from a member of the public "regarding a series of racially insensitive cartoons which are circulating online," a police spokeswoman said Wednesday in a statement. Police didn't name the man, but cartoonist Leslie Chew has identified himself as the person being investigated. Mr. Chew "disagrees with the premise of the investigation and hopes that it doesn't result in a formal charge," Choo Zhengxi, a lawyer currently offering Mr. Chew legal advice, told The Wall Street Journal. Singapore law broadly defines sedition as acts agitating against the government and the administration of justice, fostering discontent among citizens, and promoting hostility between ethnic groups. Human-rights groups say the law stifles political dissent, but officials defend its use as essential for maintaining social harmony in multi-ethnic Singapore. Mr. Chew has not been charged. Mr. Chew publishes a comic strip on Facebook titled "Demon-cratic Singapore," which he describes as a "totally fictional comic" based on fictional events and characters in a fictional country. The comic strip has over 21,600 followers on Facebook. Police released Mr. Chew on Sunday evening after questioning, but confiscated his passport, mobile phone, laptop and a hard disk drive, his legal adviser Mr. Choo said. According to Mr. Choo, the artist was questioned by police over a cartoon published on March 27. The cartoon criticized the government's treatment of the city-state's ethnic Malay Muslim minority. Mr. Chew posted bail of 10,000 Singapore dollars (US$8,055) and must report to police again on April 30. Under the Sedition Act, a first-time offender could face a fine of up to S$5,000 or a prison term of up to three years, or both. Repeat offenders face up to five years in jail. Mr. Chew was also questioned over a Dec. 14 cartoon, according to Mr. Choo. The cartoon referred to the recent retirement of a Supreme Court judge. The Attorney-General's Chambers had sent Mr. Chew a letter in December saying the cartoon "scandalizes" Singapore courts through "scurrilous and false" allegations, the lawyer said. The AGC declined to respond to queries about the letter, saying "the matter is under police investigation." Singapore is home to a broad historical migrant mix mainly from China, the Malay archipelago and India. The former British colony retains bitter memories of racial turmoil in 1950s and '60s, when deadly riots contributed to Singapore's exit from Muslim-majority Malaysia in 1965 to become an independent state. In 2012, Singapore's current resident population of 3.82 million citizens and permanent residents comprised about 74% ethnic Chinese, 13% Malay and 9% Indian. While no major ethnic violence has occurred here since 1969, authorities have occasionally dealt with racially and religiously inflammatory acts using anti-sedition laws. In 2005, authorities jailed two men for making racists remarks against Malay Muslims—the first persons to be imprisoned under the Sedition Act since 1966. Several others were since warned or punished over insensitive comments on race and religion, including a couple that was sentenced in 2009 to eight weeks' jail for distributing Christian tracts—which the court determined portrayed the Prophet Mohammed negatively—to a number of Muslim Singaporeans. In a comic strip published late Tuesday on Facebook, Mr. Chew recounted his arrest, saying that police investigators had "treated me with courtesy and were mostly cordial in their approach." "Hang in there fans! And watch out for the next episode of the fully fictional Demon-cratic Singapore coming your way soon," he wrote. This article originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal Asia.
qrm Posted April 26, 2013 Posted April 26, 2013 Very sad, one of the few Sgers with genuine creative talent and humour.... if people can't laugh at life what hope is there.
tane0019 Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/disclaimers-no-use-if-cartoonist-charged-20130428 A-G CHAMBERS TO TAKE 'A FIRM LINE' The Attorney-General's Chambers said yesterday that it would take "a firm line" in dealing with "heinous" words or deeds. In a statement, the AGC said it would respond to any words or actions that insult a particular religion or race, or seek to engender hatred among races or religious groups, or which suggest that the Government is using race or religion for its own purpose. It was replying to queries it has received on the general principles as to when investigations would be conducted and action taken against people. The statement came after the April 19 arrest of cartoonist Leslie Chew, who is being investigated under the Sedition Act for "a series of racially insensitive cartoons which are circulating online". The AGC statement noted that "there are hundreds of commentaries...on socio-political matters both in the mainstream media and online", many of which "do not contravene the law, and no legal action will be taken by the AGC on behalf of the State". But due to the importance of racial and religious harmony to society and peaceful living in Singapore, the AGC urged Singaporeans to "remain vigilant against any threats to racial and religious harmony" as "words or deeds touching on race or religion have the potential to create fault lines within our society". Any responses from the AGC would "depend on what is uncovered by investigations". The AGC said that "where comments are made in the heat of the moment, or by relatively immature persons who did not know better, a more nuanced response may follow". It added "any statement or action that seeks to impugn or undermine the independence of the Judiciary" will similarly be met with action from the AGC because "the rule of law is another fundamental tenet of our society", and "unwarranted allegations of bias or partiality strike at the heart of the judicial process".
Chowbotak Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 Wat abt LKY's Hard fcukin Truth? Some ppl tot tat it has also insulted Malays.
jeromelang Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 Facebook user by the name of Maribelle Sibungcal, presumably a Filipino, posted a follow-on message, saying, “FTs could help reduce the number of Muslims in Singapore.” A netizen decided to file a police report against Maribelle Sibungcal. The netizen in his police report said that on 21 Apr, he came across a comment on Facebook page of Yahoo! Singapore Newsroom, which he believes to be racially insensitive targeting at the Malay Muslim community. He thinks the person is a Filipino. The netizen then emailed AGC on 22 Apr regarding the alleged racist comment. AGC replied him on 23 Apr advising him to file a police report if he believes an offence has been committed. The netizen said he lodged the police report because he believes that a crime may have been committed based on the racially insensitive remark of the posted message.
Doggie Howser Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 *ahem* http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hmM9iHjTTGwAC-MZv19__oNqX3zw Where was the AGC then? Maybe Mr Chew just needs to issue a statement : "I stand corrected" for him to be absolved from his sins.
kzone Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 R the 2 cartoons still available online? r they as offensive as these? “One evening, I drove to Little India and it was pitch dark but not because there was no light, but because there were too many Indians around.” The influence from the Middle East has made them have head-dresses for no rhyme or reason. Well, we make them say the national pledge and sing the national anthem but suppose we have a famine, will your Malay neighbour give you the last few grains of rice or will she share it with her family or fellow Muslim or vice versa?”
darkeststar Posted April 28, 2013 Posted April 28, 2013 *ahem* http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hmM9iHjTTGwAC-MZv19__oNqX3zw Where was the AGC then? Maybe Mr Chew just needs to issue a statement : "I stand corrected" for him to be absolved from his sins. You expect the same standards to be applicable to him...? Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk 2
domho8 Posted April 29, 2013 Author Posted April 29, 2013 Leslie Chew a Singaporean cartoonist was arrested last week. (Screengrab from Facebook) COMMENT In order for Singaporean society to deal with race, religion and other sensitive issues in a mature way, they have to be discussed and debated publicly, not suppressed. Singapore needs to learn to talk honestly about race. In that light, the most disturbing thing about the arrest last week of Leslie Chew, a Singaporean cartoonist, is that he appears to have been targeted for asking, through his cartoons, a very pertinent question: is there institutionalised discrimination against Malays in Singapore? This is not a new assertion, yet it rarely gets the proper treatment it merits. Those who believe that Singapore has succeeded in building some multiethnic utopia might balk at the suggestion. And yet there is plenty of fodder to support it. Consider the views of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, on genetic determinism. In a meeting at the University of Singapore on 27 December 1967, Chandra Muzaffar, a Malaysian political scientist, recalls Lee Kuan Yew sharing this anecdote: Three women were brought to the Singapore General Hospital, each in the same condition and each needing a blood transfusion. The first, a Southeast Asian was given the transfusion but died a few hours later. The second, a South Asian was also given a transfusion but died a few days later. The third, an East Asian, was given a transfusion and survived. That is the X factor in development. This world view was not unique—it is worth noting that Mahathir Mohammad, Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981-2003, cited genetic differences as one of the key justifications for bumiputera affirmative action in his seminal work The Malay dilemma. Mr Lee has recently said things that might offend many Malays. Mr Chew’s cartoon portrayed a high-level corporate dialogue in March, where Mr Lee suggested that companies in Singapore can recruit talented Chinese, Indians and “Caucasians” workers. The Malays were conspicuous by their absence. Given his overarching presence in Singapore over the past 50 years, one wonders what impact Mr Lee’s views on Malays—and Chinese and Indians, for that matter—have had on Singapore’s politicians and citizens over the years. Separately, as Mr Chew’s cartoon did, one might also point to the fact that the proportion of Malays in Singapore’s population has been declining over the years despite them having higher fertility rates. The reason is simple—Singapore has been naturalising relatively higher numbers of Chinese and Indian migrants. Why? Again, Mr Lee’s comments provide guidance. In 1989 he said that the lower Chinese birth rate justified the government’s programme of encouraging Chinese immigration from Hong Kong. According to him, the Chinese majority must be maintained, “or there will be a shift in the economy, both the economic performance and the political backdrop which makes that economic performance possible.” Singapore can argue that its policies are guided by realpolitik considerations, not racial ones. However, even if “pragmatism” is the cherished ideal that drives these policies, we must accept that their ultimate impact might be to disenfranchise Malays in society—hence sowing the seeds for institutional discrimination. Given all that, is it really wrong for Mr Chew to probe the way he does? To be clear, I do not want to suggest that the government actively discriminates against Malays. But I am convinced that, given the available evidence, it is an argument that must be entertained, not dismissed offhand—to say nothing of calling in the police. One might disagree with how Mr Chew framed the discussion. “Damn racist government!” is not the most flattering descriptor. But that is certainly not the first time I have heard that phrase muttered in this country. Moreover, Mr Chew is not in the business of writing diplomatic pleasantries. In a mature, thinking society, we need to accept—even celebrate—artists who ply their trade across the socio-political spectrum. Mr Chew’s cartoon presents an opportunity for society to debate these fundamental issues. Does Singapore need to maintain ethnic proportions in society? Why does Singapore not have as many Malay immigrants? If there is, indeed, institutional discrimination, what can be done about it? Race and religion have long been taboo topics in Singapore. But the salient point here is that given our level of economic and political development, it is absolutely crucial for society to start having open, honest dialogues about them. Many Singaporeans have been shocked by the uptick in racist and xenophobic sentiment in the country—online and offline—over the past few years. But by suppressing discussion and dissent, we simply encourage opinions to fester in silos. That is a climate in which bigotry thrives. Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh is the author of Floating on a Malayan Breeze: Travels in Malaysia and Singapore. He blogs at sudhirtv.com
jeromelang Posted April 30, 2013 Posted April 30, 2013 Chew will be at the HLP tomorrow. What would say to him if you happen to meet him? ;D
chase78 Posted May 7, 2013 Posted May 7, 2013 One of his cartoons alluded that mass import of FT is to lower the local Malay population ratio.
ssi2 Posted May 7, 2013 Posted May 7, 2013 One of his cartoons alluded that mass import of FT is to lower the local Malay population ratio. There could be some truth in it. Getting FTs from neighbouring countries make more sense than getting from far away China or India. Anyway it is widely known that many of the policy here is not favouring the Malay community but many Singaporean do not want to talk about it. Either pretending that all is well or just couldn't be bothered because it does not affect them. So the Malay community is fighting a lone battle. And the so called Malay leaders are not helping either. Sorry, get carried away la. Should talk about the cartoon. Cheers
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