All are equal
Saturday, 6 September 2008, 8:56 am | 152 views
The Rule of Law means that compliance with Acts of Parliament is not a matter of choice. No one is above the law.
Email this to a Friend
Bookmark this
Email this to a Friend
Bookmark this
Comments
20 Responses to “All are equal”
Leave a comment
Other Stories
 |
Is anyone safe? 28 comments | 1,133 views |
|
|
TOC turns two! 20 comments | 419 views |
|
|
Letter to TOC (Dec 1) 5 comments | 553 views |
|
|
TOC Weekend Reads (Nov 30) Leave a comment | 516 views |
|
|
Singaporean killed in mumbai 54 comments | 2,358 views |
|
|
PM Lee prescribes bitter medicine - again 159 comments | 3,295 views |
|
|
Breaking News: Singaporean held hostage at Mumbai’s Oberoi Hotel killed 56 comments | 5,170 views |
|
|
Can we ever become global citizens? 21 comments | 790 views |
| Read previous articles |
Elsewhere on the Net
| |
A 4.3% wage hike, really? Today |
| |
Town council investment bank of singapore Mr Brown |
| |
Relentless attacks on Tan Kin Lian
My Singapore News |
| |
....how to get the govt to relax... Lucky Tan |
| |
Laid to rest Straits Times |
| |
In Memoriam: Ms. Lo Hwei Yen
|
| |
Key issues not addressed David Lam (ST Forum) |
After this incident, I am never as sure and convinced how ‘Equal’ the system is.
There is no doubt about it.
Tang gets 1 day, the rest gets a few months.
How much fairer can you get?
sporeans so lucky living in a Equal system.
congratulations! people wan oso no have ler.
Yeah right… ‘no one…’
I agree, no one is above the law. Otherwise it will prove that ours is just a Kangaroo Court. Anyway, it is nice to see that there is also compassion in the law.
The IBA report sums up everything about the part that no one is above the law.
I am still waiting for this govt and the Law ministry to give a more positive respond to IBA, open debate comes to mind. Anything less is not acceptable !
Aiya people. Stop complaining.
When the former Chief Justice imposed harsh sentences, Singaporeans took objection.
Now when the Court gives judicial mercy, it is also criticized.
Because of all this uproar over the Tang fellow, the Court has gone back to the old ways and imposed longer imprisonment for criminals who assault public transport workers.
Spore is touted to be hub of so many things.
Why not make spore a Legal Hub since its laws are so Equal, Fair and Just ?
Can spore ever be a legal hub?
A lot of money to earn leh.
Economy leh.
how come no one suggest legal hub? IBA ? what IBA ? spore the most stedi until cannot stedi any the more ah.
Those who sided with the AG, like Prof Woon himself, hv no blain.
Not a question of nobody above the law lah……….go think more critically.
Personally I am happy that the courts are merciful to Mr Tang.
I hope someone will bring to light that on the day Mr Tang was given one day jail, a cancer sticken man was given 7 months jail.
Nope - not fair. Mr Walter Woon should take this up on behalf of the man and relook this sentence. It smacks of elitism. Read the comments here…
http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2008/09/justice-law-crying-shame-in-singapore.html
Tang gets only 2 hours. While cancer massage parlour boss gets 7 months.
This is truly a kangroo court. Rich man Tang gets such a light sentence while the middle man and donor gets week or months. This is the type of fair just and no body above law treatment for the poor and sick. Elite class gets a special modified treatment SOP.
I say F*** AG and the Judge NG for giving such a unfair treatment and poor judgement. Since the whole organ transaction is illegal. Tell Mr Tang to cut out the kidney and dispose it. It is illegally acquired and by law any illegal stuffs should be destroyed. Why is the law not uphold? We should boycott CK TANG from now on. Elite support Elite. I am no Elite, am middle class so hell to these people.
FG
It is good that Prof Walter Woon (A.G.) reassert that nobody is above the law and clarified the two charges under the HOTA n ODA Act. While there is no question about the penalty where the Magistrate can use the guidelines set out in the law when delivering the sentence, the disquiet in the cases mentioned are the percieved disparity in the sentencing process taking into consideration the health status of the parties concerned.
One is a sufferer of Cancer and the other is having Kidney related problems being given two sets of penalties ie: few months as opposed to one day jail sentence.
It would be good if Prof Woon would perhaps explain to the bloggers and ideally the general public the differences in the two cases. If compassion is a factor, then such should apply to both cases as otherwise the general public may see it as “two” sets of penalties - one for the rich and the other for the rest.
Also, it would be helpful if Prof Woon could enlighten the interpretation of “one day’s jail” as the press stated that it was a few hours from around 2.30pm onwards and released within the same day. There is much confusion as to this defination from the bloggers’ comments.
.
The public understands that laws are passed in Parliament however the execution of such laws is at the discretion of the Magistrate of the day so long as he/she stay within the perimeter of penalty it can award.
No one is above the law. Yet, the consequences of breaching the law in similar contexts are vastly different.
Using “No one is above the law” to imply equality under such circumstances is an attempt to deceive, rather than support the impartiality of our courts.
It is a technicality that has been abused.
The Law Minister owes Singapore an explanation on the disparity of treatment.
Imagine yourself to be a terminal cancer victim - and get locked up for 7 months while another chappie who might get a new lease of life just sat thru a couple of hours and can be re-united with his loved ones.
What is equal treatment for all - an idiot can tell you that it is not so and it is happening in “first world Singapore” administered by “Div 1 talents” ? Is the “LBW mentality” so endemic in our system already ?
“No one is above the law.”
Who is the the “No One”. Is it the nickname for a party or a very bunch of elites who ruling the country as business-man ?
Should have been more specific.
“No one” is above the law.
gods is above the law that is reform party
gods is great
i love reform party
pple still dun get it.
It\’s not abt whether Mr Tang is rich ……..he is suffering from END STAGE renal failure & deserves all the compassion……….he din harm nobody.
the wife of the CEO of Venture Corp, Mr Wong, wasn\’t even prosecuted even though she slapped an SIA stewardess on a flight to Japan, whereas the person who assaulted the taxi dvr kenna jail.
so much for no one is above the law and abt equal treatment………got it?
why dont he reminds that great “helmsman” of singapore ?
I think A-G Walter Woon is not into the different punishment meted to Mr Tang (1 day) or Mr Heng Wa Seng, terminal cancer patient ( 7 months). From what I read, he is only interested in responding to MM’s daughter Dr Lee Wei Ling’s claim of ‘token sentence’. He’s got a job to do.
On the different sentences meted out, well, he can tell you that that’s not his baby. It’s the judges’ prerogative.
Why did the prosecutor in Tang’s case asked the judge for minimum sentence?
As written by A-G himself: “The prosecution did not press for a custodial sentence beyond the minimum. The shortest sentence a judge can mete out is one day’s jail. This is exactly what the learned District Judge did. It was not ‘a token sentence’. It was the minimum sentence prescribed by law.”
Did the prosecutor in the massage parlour case asked for the same minimum sentence for cancer-stricken Mr Heng Wa Seng who was sentenced to 7 months jail? Or is 7 months the minimum prescribed by law?
In trying to sound compassionate as well as just in replying to the daughter of MM, I think AG Walter Woon should have checked if his prosecutors did right in both cases.
If it’s not about double standard and ‘token sentence’, why was compassion given to a kidney patient? Why wasn’t compassion given to a terminal cancer patient?
To be fair, if 7 months is the minimum custodial sentence for running an illegal massage parlour, I rest my case and stand corrected.
No one is above the law.
However, some get better law than others!
feedmetothefish
mr heng got 7 mths because his crimes were more serious……….that\’s what I think.
correct me if I\’m incorrect, but cancer patients don\’t require almost daily treatment like an end stage renal failure patient like mr tang who has done no HARM.