Singapore—Tan Cheng Bock announced on June 3, Monday, that the launch of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) would be postponed since the police permit and other permits are still pending.
However, the police have said that it is the party itself that has postponed the launch date.
Dr Tan wrote in a Facebook post that he was “disappointed” to inform the public about the postponement of the party launch, which was scheduled for June 15 at EXPO Hall 5. The postponement, he wrote, is because “the Police Permit for the event and other related permits such as the Public Entertainment Licence are still pending.”
PSP launch date postponedMy dear friends,In my last Facebook post of 27 May, I mentioned that, pending police…
Posted by Dr Tan Cheng Bock on Sunday, 2 June 2019
He added that he has told his organising team to comply with all the necessary permits “no matter how many there are” and that the launch is scheduled for “end June or sometime in July.”
However, the police have responded to questions from the media concerning Dr Tan’s post.
In a statement released later, the police provided a timeline of events which occurred since PSP applied for their launch permits, TODAY reports.
According to the police, the Chairman of PSP, Wang See Chuang, applied for a police permit for the event on May 3, after which the police asked Mr Wang to provide more information.
By May 7, they sent him a reminder that this information was needed.
The statement from the police said, “As PSP wanted to play recorded music and screen a video/film, Mr Wang was advised to apply for a Public Entertainment Licence (PEL), and submit the video/film to IMDA (Info-communications Media Development Authority) for classification. This is a standard requirement for all public screenings of videos/films.”
On May 27, the police sent Mr Wang a reminder to apply for a PEL as well as furnish the IMDA a copy of the video so it could be classified.
That same day, PSP submitted the PEL application.
However, the police said that “PEL applications will usually take 12 working days for approval, as stated in the application portal on the Police website.”
Then the police reminded Mr Wang again about the film. “Nevertheless, to assist PSP, IMDA contacted Mr Wang, via phone and email, on 29 May, to advise him to submit the film for classification. IMDA also shared with him the submission process so that the film can be classified in time for the launch of the PSP. To-date, PSP has not done so.”
According to the police, both they and the IMDA had proactively engaged Mr Wang several times” in order to obtain details of the launch.
They had also processed these applications “with the intention of facilitating their approval before the planned event date”.
However, the police said,
“PSP has since postponed the event, without further contacting Police.”
Dr Tan announced his return to the political arena last January. Along with eleven other Singaporeans, he filed an application with the Registry of Societies for a new political party named the Progress Singapore Party on January 16.
In the post wherein he explained his motives for returning to politics, Dr Tan said that he has had the opportunity to speak to Singaporeans “from all walks of life.” Hearing their concerns and fears, and feeling their pains, Tan wrote that he “felt a sense of duty to come forward and represent them in Parliament,” hence the choice to form the Progress Singapore Party “to add another voice in Parliament,” and “an alternative voice in Parliament.”
He was also transparent about the difficulty they had in making this choice and that he and his co-founders discussed different options such as joining or taking over an existing opposition party, running as an independent, and others.
But forming a new party is what he believes is the right course of action.
However, Tan put out the call to opposition members who “are passionate about putting the country first – before either party or self.”/ TISG
Read related: Launch of Tan Cheng Bock’s party postponed – pending police permit and licenses