Shall the Twain Never Meet? Competing Narratives and Discourses of the Rule of Law in Singapore

34 Pages Posted: 23 Apr 2013 Last revised: 15 Jul 2013

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Date Written: December 31, 2012

Abstract

This article aims to assess the role played by the rule of law in discourse by critics of the Singapore Government’s policies and in the Government’s responses to such criticisms. It argues that in the past the two narratives clashed over conceptions of the rule of law, but there is now evidence of convergence of thinking as regards the need to protect human rights, though not necessarily as to how the balance between rights and other public interests should be struck. The article also examines why the rule of law must be regarded as a constitutional doctrine in Singapore, the legal implications of this fact, and how useful the doctrine is in fostering greater solicitude for human rights.

Suggested Citation

Lee, Jack Tsen-Ta, Shall the Twain Never Meet? Competing Narratives and Discourses of the Rule of Law in Singapore (December 31, 2012). Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, p. 298, December 2012, Singapore Management University School of Law Research Paper No. 9/2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2255269 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2255269

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