SINGAPORE: The vice president of the Law Society, Chia Boon Teck, has been in the news since Monday (Mar 24), with calls made for Mr Chia to resign, including from Lisa Sam, the society’s president.
Mr Chia stepped down on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the Law Society, with his resignation taking effect immediately.
The trouble began last weekend when Mr Chia posted on LinkedIn about the case of Lev Panfilov, the YouTube personality, and Wah! Banana actor who was found guilty of rape on Friday (Mar 21).
In the post, which Mr Chia later deleted without an apology or explanation, the former Law Society vice-president asked a series of questions revolving around the victim in Panfilov’s case, which appeared to lay the blame, at least in part, on her.
This angered many, who posted screenshots of the deleted post, as well as their reactions to it, especially given Mr Chia’s high position in the Law Society.
The Law Minister took the matter seriously. While acknowledging that Mr Chia expressed his personal views in the post, he added that, given Mr Chia’s high position, his “concern is that some people might actually think that the views he has expressed indicate the norms in Singapore, and I worry what impact his statement may have on other victims.”
The gender equality advocacy group AWARE wrote, “When those in senior legal positions echo these views, it perpetuates the victim-blaming mentality that we need to eradicate. It affects how people see the justice system. It affects whether survivors come forward to seek justice. This isn’t just bad for survivors. It’s bad for public trust in the justice system. We can’t afford messages like these anywhere — especially not from people in power.”
Lawyer Stephanie Yuen, who had commented on Mr Chia’s post, shared her comment after the post was taken down, saying, “The perpetrator has been found guilty in the courts, and the High Court judge found the survivor to be an ‘unusually convincing witness who gave a detailed and textured account that was internally and externally consistent’ reports the press.
Victim shaming goes against what the Courts have actually said is appropriate cross-examination,” she added, inviting Mr Chia to “explain himself to the legal fraternity.”
While most commenters online agreed that Mr Chia’s comments had been, at best, inappropriate, there were some who defended the former Law Society officer, saying he had only been expressing his opinions.
One man even called it a “loss to society” and a “mockery of justice,” while another considered Mr Chia’s questions to be “common sense.”
Another, however, opined that people should think twice before commenting, “With the strokes of your pen or keyboard, your senior position in the law society just gone like that, super fast.”
Many, however, expressed relief that the saga has come to a close.
“Finally….there is no room for misogynistic outdated insensitive comments about victims” of assault, one wrote.
“Chia, as a senior lawyer should know that casting aspersions on the victim or victim’s character is a no-no. Red card, off you go,” chimed in another. /TISG