While Members of Parliament supported the intention of the Public Order and Safety (Special Powers) Act (POSSPA) during the debate over the new legislation yesterday, several of them raised concerns about its scope and the potential for abuse. Advertisement

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“In several overseas incidents, police forces had appealed to the public not to transmit or broadcast videos of ongoing operations, to protect the safety of their officers and the public,” said Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo in Parliament. We did so only after studying the terrorist attacks that had taken place in other countries, and the limitations and problems they faced in dealing with the attacks.”

She cited the April 2013 Boston marathon bombing and the January 2015 Paris terror attack as examples where existing regulations would be inadequate if Singapore was hit with similar assaults. In other words, a civilian can refuse to assist and no action will be taken against him.”

POSSPA also retains and updates existing provisions from the Public Order (Preservation) Act (POPA) enacted in 1958 - such as the power to impose cordons, power of requisition to use equipment, electricity or space within the target area, and the use of lethal weapons as a last resort. It depends also where the protest is conducted, how it’s conducted, and the consequences on Singapore whether intended by its organisers or not.”

Mrs Teo added that peaceful assemblies would not be subject to the Communications Stop Order (CSO) - which prevents people in the vicinity from taking or sharing pictures or videos of the incident area, and to not send text or audio messages about security operations. Mrs Teo said on Wednseday that the range of special powers under the Bill do not automatically come into force even if activated by the Home Affairs Minister, and each power has to be unlocked by the Police Commissioner "only as and when deemed necessary". “The CSO (communications stop order) is not an information blackout throughout the terror incident,” Josephine Teo, minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, told parliament ahead of the vote. Special powers granted to police under the proposed laws include that of imposing a cordon and - more controversially - enforcing a communications stop order that penalises taking photos and videos of an incident area when the order is in place, among other things. “After the incident has been dealt with, and the danger has passed, we can have a debate, including here in Parliament, about whether the Minister and the police did the right thing, and hold them to account,” said Mrs Teo.
The Singaporean Parliament approves the Public Order and Safety (Special Powers) Act, which makes it a crime to take pictures and relay information during terror attacks.