Vincent Wijeysingha Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location (actually opposite 51 Nassim Road): Inventing the law 1 Policeman #1: Please stop taking photos. (While I was taking photos of their 8 cars and 14 personnel.) Me: Why? P1: It’s sensitive. Me: I’m just taking pictures of cars parked on a public street. P1: You’re not allowed. Me: Could you tell me the specific provision of the law that prohibits it? P1: (Silence. Me: (Carry on taking photos.) Inventing the law 2 Me: Why did you have to despatch 14 policemen in 8 cars? Isn’t that a waste of resources? Policeman #2: It’s a sensitive area. Me: What’s sensitive? Is it because this is a rich area. (Nassim Road) Do you only take care of rich people? P2: No, because of the embassies. Me: Orr, you only take care of foreigners, is it? Jolovan: Orr, I tell Gilbert Goh, then you know. Inventing the law 3 Policeman #3: Can I have your ICs please? Me: Under what provision of the law are you requesting them? P3: You are required to provide your details to a policeman when requested. Me: Yes, but I would like to be told which law requires me to. After all, as a citizen I have rights and I wish to know which law requires me to abrogate them. Policeman #4: You are required to provide your details to a policeman when requested. P3: (Silence; wanders away.) P4: (Suddenly brightening up) NRO. Me: What’s NRO? P4: National Registration Act. Me: That’s NRA not NRO. P3: (Wanders back after some minutes, looking happier) Section 16b of the National Registration Act, Chapter 201. Me: You just radioed back to your office to find out, right? Very good, you are showing initiative. P3: (Reading from his mobile phone): Where any person on demand by a registration officer or a police officer (i) does not give his name and address; (ii) gives a name or address which the officer has reason to believe is false; or (iii) gives as his address a place outside Singapore, that person may be arrested without warrant by the registration officer or police officer. Me: So, I actually don’t have to provide my IC but just give you my details? P3: Yes. (Our details are taken down by another officer without any ICs produced.) Inventing the law 4 (Senior police officer questions us about visiting the Russian Embassy. Junior officer starts to film the questioning on a videocam.) Me: Why is he filming us? P3: (Tries to change the subject.) Me: No, sorry before you continue questioning us, why is your colleague filming us? P3 (Tries to change the subject several times more.) Me: We are happy to talk to you but not before you tell us under which provision of the law he is entitled to film us. P3: (Changing the subject again.) Me: If you cannot cite the relevant provision, we insist that your colleague stops filming. P3: Ok. (Requests his colleague to stop filming; colleague wanders away.) (Conversation continues in a genial and friendly fashion with rather a lot of gratuitous flirting…)
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 00:22:56 +0000
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