International judges presiding in Singapore – What a foolish idea?

I hope readers will spend time to re read the serious implications of this silly idea that is submitted to Parliament for approval. Try to understand the thinking behind silly Parliamentarians, what is inside their numbskull, where are they leading us to, and how it would make Singaporeans irrelevant in their own country and would lead to their own self destruction and extinction.

‘(Oct 8, 2014) Singapore’s move to allow foreign judges to hear commercial cases may boost its standing against regional rival Hong Kong where concerns have mounted that its judicial independence is being undermined by China.

Judges from other jurisdictions will be able to hear cross-border disputes at the Singapore International Commercial Court, according to proposed changes tabled in Parliament yesterday. Singapore, which earlier allowed foreign lawyers to advise clients on its corporate laws, will also let them appear in the new court.’

The above is posted in TRE under the heading SG Welcomes Foreign Judges as H.K. Lawyers Fret.

I must say I have mixed feelings on this. And this is a very polite way of expressing what I am thinking. We have set up an international court to arbitrate over inter state/juridistiction issues and must have foreign judges? I remember that when the International Court idea was first broached it was the integrity and reputation of our courts that we were marketing. We were marketing the Singapore brand, the place where people can see justice done and served in a clean, incorrupt and fair environment by competent legal professionals. 

Litigating parties were looking for such a jurisdiction and judicial system where they could find justice when they could not find it elsewhere. And Singapore’s reputation was the key factor for such a court. And this reputation must have been derived from our clean govt and impartial justice system run by great legal minds with impeccable record for delivering justice when justice needs to be seen and done. And judges were honest, upright, not beholden to any party and very competent. It is the Singaporeans that make our system upright and desired by people that cannot find justice in other places.

Are people suspecting that our judiciary and judges are not up to mark that they need foreign judges to give the litigants a fair trial? Did anyone complain that our judges are not good enough and foreigners best? Or our judges are incompetent? Can our judges be trained in international laws to judge in the international courts? If foreign judges can be trained to handle international cases, why are our judges not capable of being trained to do so? Are our talented less talented than foreigners? Come on, our law students have proven themselves to be the best in many international moot courts over and over again. We are not inferior unless we believed we are inferior.  But these are secondary!

What is really important is the integrity of the system and the legal professionals. If litigants are looking for smartest and cleverest lawyers and judges, there is no need to come to Singapore, there is no need for an International Court here. They are coming here because it is Singapore, that they are confident of getting a fair judgement by the clean and no nonsense Singaporeans.

The international court is here most of all is because of our integrity. Once this premise is lost, once our competence and integrity are undermined, why would people want to bring their cases here for arbitration? They might as well go to countries where these foreign judges are presiding. They did not go to them because they don’t trust them no matter how smart they are.

If we are thinking along the lines that foreign judges should rule in our country, should we designate some parts of the island into foreign concessions like Old Shanghai where foreign laws and jurisdiction ruled? Then they can even bring in their police and soldiers to run the concession and Sinkies will be treated as foreigners in the concession?

If international arbitration business is so big, Should we turn the whole island into a foreign concession too to make more money from this business. How far are we prepared to go to turn our little island to foreigners for a little revenue? How far are we prepared to accept that we are not the best and the best are from elsewhere? Are we kicking our own backside?

Or is this part of the New Concept City State? We have made our Singaporean bankers obsolete, our IT professionals extinct, our professors in the universities have been replaced by foreigners. Our tertiary students are also being replaced. Now we also want to replace our judges and legal professionals in our own country with foreigners. Would they be thinking of replacing our men in uniforms too, because they could find better foreigners?

The people that really need to replace are the silly crackpots in Parliament who came out with this idea of foreigners are the best and Singaporeans are daft and must be replaced. We cannot continue down this slippery road to oblivion. We cannot let them bring in all the so called foreigners are betterer to replace us, the owners of this island and make us drive taxis and be security guards. This is our only place in the sun.

Are you thinking? What are they smoking? Look ahead 20 or 30 years and see what kind of Singapore will it be and where is the place for Singaporeans, your children and grand children.

Kopi Level - Green