ASEAN EFFORT TO ASSIST FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN CAMBODIA (Steps taken by Singapore)

Mr Simon S. C. Tay asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what steps Singapore has taken as part of the ASEAN effort to assist free and fair elections in Cambodia.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs (Prof. S. Jayakumar): Mr Speaker, Sir, the United Nations is coordinating an international team of observers, known as the Joint International Observer Group (JIOG), to observe the elections in Cambodia. ASEAN has agreed to join the JIOG. As part of this ASEAN effort, Singapore will be sending eight officers from the Singapore Police Force to serve as electoral observers in the JIOG in Cambodia. Our observers will be deployed in Cambodia from 19th-30th July 1998. The JIOG will observe the electoral process in Cambodia and is expected to announce the results of its observations at the end of the electoral process. Therefore, in an answer to his question, our decision to send observers to be part of the JIOG reflects our willingness to assist Cambodia in its efforts to hold free and fair elections.

Mr Simon Tay: May I ask the Minister how the figure of eight compares to Singapore's contribution to the last election in 1993?

Prof. Jayakumar: The last election in 1993 was different because what was needed was election monitors and also other category of support staff. Here, what was expressly requested by the United Nations team were election observers in certain parts of the country. And after consultation between the United Nations and ASEAN, ASEAN decided to send eight from each country, but there will also be electoral observers from many other countries.

Mr Jeyaretnam: May I ask the Minister, now that Singapore is sending observers, would his Government agree to have observers in Singapore observing Singapore's elections?

Prof. Jayakumar: Singapore is an open society. Anyone can visit Singapore during the hustings and the campaign period and observe and follow Mr Jeyaretnam all over Singapore and any other candidate, and there is no bar to that.

Mr Simon Tay: While I understand the wish for Singapore to take part in the UN process, would the Minister not agree that since Cambodia's membership in ASEAN will trigger on the elections, thus ASEAN and Singapore should actually take a larger role in this beyond provision of eight officers, like what we did in 1993?

Prof. Jayakumar: Whether eight, 10, 20 is not a critical point. If the numbers who collectively make up for the JIOG effort are insufficient, I am sure the United Nations will indicate to the member countries.

Mr Simon Tay: If I may direct my question in more detail. Given that the question of Cambodia's membership in ASEAN is important to ASEAN, should we be leaving it to the UN to dictate how many people we should send rather than to actually increase our numbers ourselves? In this connection, given that we have committed a 100-man peacekeeping force, should 100 not be the kind of number we are thinking about, rather than 8, 20 or 30?

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think that the central issue is numbers. The central issue is whether there are sufficient numbers of observers for the JIOG to make a reasonable assessment of whether the process of the elections in Cambodia was free and fair. If the total number of observers that collectively have come from ASEAN and the friends of Cambodia, or EU and other participants, would enable the JIOG to come to a fair and considered assessment, that should be the main criterion.

Mr Speaker: Mr Tay, would you like to ask your next question?

Mr Simon Tay: May I ask one last question?

Mr Speaker: All right.

Mr Simon Tay: The question relates to observations by non-governmental organisations looking at Cambodia. Some have felt that elections ---

Mr Speaker: Mr Tay, can you get to your question?

Mr Simon Tay: Does the Minister have an opinion on the view of NGOs that free and fair elections are not possible in Cambodia, given the suppression by certain forces?

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would not like to speculate at this stage and pre-judge whether the elections which will be held will indeed be free and fair. I think it is best to let the elections proceed. Let the international observers who will be there observe, and at the end of the process, let them come to a considered conclusion whether the elections were free and fair. I am aware of the many comments made by different parties that the run-up to the elections has given rise to concerns. Indeed, the ASEAN troika, as well as the friends of Cambodia, recently have expressed concerns that the atmosphere must be neutral and I agree with their view. 1.30 pm

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question time.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No. 21(3), Written Answers to Question Nos. 10 and 11 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the section "Oral Answers to Questions Not Reached" (Cols. 539-42).]