6 December 1998

The Prime Minister of Singapore

Mr Goh Chok Tong

Prime Minister’s Office

Istana Annexe, Singapore

Dear Prime Minister

We celebrate with all peoples of the world this 50^th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The spirit of the UDHR is the belief that fundamental freedoms and basic rights are essential to human life and dignity. The UDHR inspired major international covenants and conventions which set out norms and standards for all rights, economic, social, cultural, civil and political. These instruments have become decisive points of reference for all countries, even those which are not members of the United Nations.

Singapore is an active member of the United Nations yet it is party to only two major instruments, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In the spirit of the UDHR and its continuing relevance today, we call upon the Singapore Government to ratify the two primary international instruments, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

We also call upon the Government of Singapore to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows arbitrary arrest and detention without trial. Not only is the ISA contrary to the principles enunciated in the UDHR and the ICCPR, it is also incompatible with Singapore’s commitment to democracy and civil society.

Yours truly,