“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Should People’s rights be forsaken for security to be achieved?
In order for Singapore to manage security threats, Singapore counters the financing of terrorism, protect their infrastructure and also maintains racial and religious harmony.
However, in countering the finance of terrorists, Singapore formed Inter-Ministry Committee on Terrorist Designation (IMC-TD) in 2012 to act as Singapore’s authority for the designation of terrorists. Designation prohibits any person or entity from dealing with or providing any financial assistance to designated terrorists, as required under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act. The names of persons or entities who have been designated as terrorists are transmitted to the relevant government ministries and agencies, financial institutions and FATF DNFBPs. When a person or entity has been designated as a terrorist, all funds or assets are frozen and dealings with the designated subject and its funds or assets are prohibited with immediate effect.
Yet I question how exactly does one designate whether or not a person is a terrorist? Is it with concrete evidence? What if none is found and the suspect persistently denies claims that he is a terrorist? What then? Would their human rights with privacy be trespassed and ignored?
However, Singapore has also protected people’s rights while ensuring the security of its citizens. From The Straits Times, new offences to address common types of harassment and abuse faced by security officers while on official duties were introduced, with heavier maximum penalties than if they were committed against members of the public.
In the US, the No Fly List is a small subset of the U.S. government Terrorist Screening Database (also known as the terrorist watchlist) that contains the identity information of known or suspected terrorists. This database is maintained by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center. SA is among the U.S. government agencies that screen individuals using information from the Terrorist Screening Database. TSA implements the No Fly List through its Secure Flight program. Individuals on the No Fly List are prevented from boarding an aircraft when flying within, to, from and over the United States.
What is concerning here is where and how they derive this information? Is it not a violation of privacy and ultimately a limitation of people’s rights in doing so?
According to iPleaders, any person who is an asylum-seeker or a suspected terrorist can be detained indefinitely in certain countries. Such persons do not know till when they will be detained and the suspected ones may or may not have committed a crime, but no matter of their innocence, they will be kept in detention. Indefinite immigration detention has also been seen as a breach of rights to freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment, under Article 3 of the HRA.
Thus, should people’s rights be exchanged for security? Are there not other methods that could be equally as effective in protecting citizens? Then again, without these methods would terrorists not dare to attack the countries of weak security? What is your take on this?
