CALD Internship Report

Name of Intern: M. Ravi

Country: Singapore Democratic Party

Internship period: 5 February 2007 – 20 February 2007

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Alliance of Liberal Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) for allowing me this opportunity to participate in this internship programme which is a valuable experience that I will cherish. I am also grateful to Mrs Carine Van Der Plassche who is in charge of internship for her support during the internship period.

The first week was really an eye opener to see the way the European Parliament (EP) operates. The law making process is a tedious one where no stones are left unturned. I was amazed at the patience that members took to details and with meticulousness various issues were canvassed.

Some sessions were contentious but not hostile which is often the case in Asian forum when opposing views are expressed. In this way the debate went smoothly without any interruptions. Unlike other interns in the past, I was not assigned to any particular committee or had a specific task but rather left on my own to witness whatever proceedings that interested me.

As a human rights lawyer, my interest lay in human rights issues. The debate on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners was rather an exciting one and also formed a useful insight into how civil liberties are preserved in the wake of terrorism in Europe. The following resolutions C. and D. in the Motion for the EP (2006/2200(INI) encapsulate the aforesaid: 

"C. whereas the member states cannot circumvent the requirements imposed on them by European Community(EC) and international law by allowing other countries' intelligence services, which are subject to less stringent legal provisions, to work on their territory; whereas, in addition, the operations of intelligence services are consistent with fundamental rights only if adequate arrangements exist for monitoring them,

"D. whereas the principle of the inviolability of human dignity is enshrined in international human rights law, notably in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the preamble to and Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and whereas that principle is guaranteed by the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights; whereas this principle appears in most member states, constitutions, as well as in article 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and whereas that principle should not be undermined, even for the purpose of security, in times of peace or war."

The  CIA issue was hotly debated with some varied responses from MP's captioned as follows :

Mr.Rogalski urged EP to put aside personal differences. He said it is a greenlight for terrorists. The report is a kind of a sick anti-American sentiment. Mr.Karatzferis retorted by saying that the EU must place a restraint on the Americans otherwise it will be dragged by the Americans like the Cold War with Russia as well as the War in Iraq. Mr.Ryan criticised the report as speculative in that the conclusions are not findings and they are politically motivated. On the whole most MP's came in support of the report and emphasised Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights that the war against terrorism does not mean such secret detentions and secret flights that is characteristic of the Bush administration must be tolerated and that anyone extradited must not be tortured.

In addition there was a debate on whether to have one common language for the EP's proceedings. Having multiple translations and voluminous documents prepared in 12 languages came under serious criticism as a sheer wastage of resources and time. Currently there are three working languages in the EP, namely, English, French and German. The feasibility of having one language especially English was mooted but eventually that idea was defeated when members spoke against it passionately.

The second week commenced in Stratsbourg where the plenary sessions of the EP are held every month for four consecutive days in the second week of the month.

On the evening of the first day, there was a press conference held by Mr. Francois Baylou one of the three most popular candidates who is contesting the French Presidency. He belongs to the ALDE. It was fascinating to watch the conference in seeing how the countries in the EU take interest in the elections of their neighbours and incorporating such political contests within the framework of the European Parliament. The press conference was heavy going with various questions being bombarded on Mr. Francois Baylou.

On a separate note, on 14th February 2007 together with a Falungong practitioner I met met up with two European MPs Mr Pannella from the Transnational Radical Party and Mr.Marc Tarabella who is the First Vice-Chairman of the EP-ASEAN delegation. I raised the issues on Human Rights violations in Singapore and the urgent action required from the EU. I also requested if the MP's could push for a special hearing on Singapore.

Mr.Tarabella said he would try to raise the issue about human rights abuses in Singapore on 27th Feb 2007 where there is a hearing scheduled on ASEAN.

I had indicated to the 2 MP's that Mr. Graham Watson is supportive of the idea of a special hearing on Singapore. In addition I informed them that I would be meeting Mr.Scott Macmillan, Vice-President of the European Union  on 21st February where I will garner similar support and urged the 2 Mp's to work with Mr.Scott Macmillan and Mr.Graham Watson in planning a hearing on Singapore. The 2 MP's fully supported the idea for a hearing on Singapore which they said must be carefully planned ahead.

The more I'm here , I realise how important it is to have an ASEAN Court of Human Rights which I would recommend to CALD in this Internship report. That will be the day Singapore will wake up to the reality that human rights are inalienable and inextricable to economic growth. I think there are enough support except for Vietnam for ASEAN Court of Human Rights to take its roots in South East Asia. Speaking to MP's here, they are very keen to assist on the formation of such a court for ASEAN. The first step in this direction is to draft an ASEAN Convention on Human Rights.