I told you there had to be a good reason why WP could not cycle at East Coast Park but PAP could at West Coast Park:
ST Forum 9 Sept 2008, Why WP didn't get permit for eventI REFER to last Thursday's letter by Mr Tan Ghee Gay, 'Why 'no' and 'yes'?', regarding police decisions with respect to the Workers' Party's (WP) proposed mass cycling event last year, and the carnival on Aug 31.
Police do not issue permits for outdoor political events in public places due to the potential for disorder and unruly behaviour. This applies to events organised by all political parties. For this reason, police rejected WP's application to hold a mass cycling activity in East Coast Park, to commemorate its 50th anniversary in September last year.
The event on Aug 31 was very different. The permit was issued after taking into account the organiser and the nature of the event. It was organised by the PAP Community Foundation, which is a registered charity and not a political party. The event was not assessed to have the potential for disorder and unruly behaviour. It was a carnival that involved children and families from various kindergartens and educational institutions. The Prime Minister, as guest of honour, and a few other guests, made their entrance by cycling a short distance. During the event, a sum of $664,000 (which had been raised earlier) was distributed to 17 charities, including Beyond Social Services, Children's Aid Society and Chung Hwa Medical Institution.
DSP Paul Tay
Assistant Director (Media Relations)
Singapore Police Force
The police, in explaining why approval was granted to the PAP Carnival, even took the trouble to tell you how much the PAP Community Foundation raised for charity.
I liked one comment on the ST forum page, about this letter:
"LPPL. Charity organisation or political party. No difference.
Same location and scene, producer, director, actors, actress, carelifare and audience."
