FACEBOOK POST BY: JOLOVAN WHAM
In addition to the 7 charges, I was given a ‘stern warning’ for an event I organised last year at Hong Lim Park in solidarity with the Malaysian Bersih movement. In this warning, it says I committed the offence of allowing the flag to touch the ground (though I’d like to clarify that I placed it on a mat! ) and displaying the Singapore and Malaysian flags in public.
What’s interesting is that the letter now comes with a clarification on the back page that a warning does not amount to a conviction or finding of guilt by a court of law, does not mean that you have a criminal record, cannot be raised by the prosecution as a criminal record against you in any future court matters for the purpose of enhancing a sentence and does not affect your legal rights, interests or liabilities.
Before this, the effect of a warning letter wasn’t clear. But this was clarified by a high court challenge I initiated 2 years ago with Remy Choo Zheng Xi representing me in which I tried to quash the warning. Even though I ended up being slapped with a 6k cost, I think it was worth it.
