Angola, Djibouti, Myanmar and North Korea. It is not often that Singapore is mentioned in the same breath as these countries.
But, like these four nations, the Republic has yet to sign the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Cerd).
All but 23 of the 191 members of the United Nations have signed Cerd, making it the most signed human rights instrument in the UN after the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Of the non-signatories, Singapore is the highest ranked in the UN's human development index and one of only three high human development countries. The other two are Brunei and Saint Kitts & Nevis.
- Today 20 Apr, Conventional wisdom
Reading on, it seems the only problem with ratifying this convention is this. I don't really think that should be a show-stopper, unless there are some lingering policies which the government is afraid would trigger complaints, like perhaps the racial quotas for HDB flats.
..Currently, the closest thing to a monitoring body on racial discrimination in Singapore is the Presidential Council for Minority Rights, which is meant to ensure that Parliament does not pass any discriminatory legislation.
If Singapore were to ratify Cerd, its reports would have to be made public. It would also be possible for someone to submit a complaint about racial discrimination directly to the committee.
For a Government which prefers a "softly, softly" approach, the publicity and moral pressure that might ensue as a consequence of signing the convention would not be welcome, suggested Dr Thio.
- Today 20 Apr, Conventional wisdom
On another note, it's not altogether surprising that we can be grouped with countries like "Angola, Djibouti, Myanmar and North Korea" when it comes to not ratifying international agreements. We're not that high & mighty all the time you know.
