The Singapore Government has persistently rejected attempts to legislate freedom of information, claiming it serves frivolous and nefarious purposes while affirming the state’s right to amass and control information. This reflexive disdain for Freedom of information (FOI) suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of such legislation, or that the government has some different ideas about building public trust.
In 2012, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam acknowledged the need for transparency and accountability in government but drew the line at releasing government data in defence and economically sensitive overseas investments. “Trust and transparency are two different parts of a system of accountability,” the minister stressed.
This misguided view would continue to pervade the Singapore Government’s thinking.
