LIKE its economy, Singapore’s judiciary, left behind by the British, has been a strong national asset.
Now people who wish the city well are hoping that society’s widening “elite vs commoner” divide will not be allowed to creep into the courtrooms.
Their concerns stem from society’s growing wealth inequality and several recent court sentences that they saw as favouring the rich and prominent.
“These may be early days, but unless the Government acts decisively it may affect the court’s integrity,” one lawyer commented.
“Don’t forget, justice lies very much in the hands of judges and prosecutors, who mostly hail from the elite class.”
If that happens, it would cast a dark shadow across one of the least corrupt countries in the world, shaped largely by its strict anti-corruption laws and judiciary. Full story
