Witnesses to animal abuse should turn up in court: Shanmugam
Singaporeans cannot expect animal abusers to be prosecuted if witnesses are not willing to turn up in court to testify against them, Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said at an animal welfare forum on Saturday.
The grassroots adviser was responding to animal lovers' concerns that some offenders seemed to have been let off the hook too easily.
Shanmugam said that while the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have made recommendations "for bad behaviour to be punished more severely", "every case has got to be proven beyond reasonable doubt" at the end of the day.
"You need witnesses who turn up in court, to give testimony from their direct knowledge," he explained. "It's not enough for them to do a written statement."
Shanmugam also made clear that he was speaking at the forum in his capacity as a Member of Parliament (MP) and "a concerned person", and that he has "no ministerial ability for any of these issues".
The minister was also speaking up for Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) which had, in an earlier presentation, highlighted its challenge in getting eye witnesses to come forward.
"From what I understand, people are prepared to file a complaint. They're prepared to write something but they're not prepared to actually turn up in court," shared Shanmugam.
And if you don't have that (testimony)… how does the court conclude that the person who's accused was the abuser? That's the problem that is often faced in such prosecutions," he stressed, before adding that they "cannot change the law just for animals".
Remy Ong's case
When asked next if national bowler Remy Ong ought to be prosecuted for allegedly running over a dog last week, the MP for Nee Soon group representation constituency advised the floor against "getting into a lynch mob mentality" before any truth in the case is revealed.
"He (Ong) has a version of events which is out of the newspapers… I think, in the context of fairness to everyone, we should avoid getting into a frame of mind of presuming the worst of anyone and assuming that he is guilty well before investigations have concluded," Shanmugam said.
"The law applies equally to everyone, it doesn't matter if he's a man on the street, you, me, or a national bowler," he asserted. "Investigations will be conducted impartially."
He added, "And he, like anyone else in any situation, ought to have every opportunity of explaining himself, defending himself and an impartial authority will decide on that."
Turning to the issue of stray animals, Shanmugam went on to highlight their plight, as well as that of the AVA, following recent reports of joggers being attacked by stray dogs in Punggol.
"Today, Singaporeans expect the AVA to solve the problem immediately. And if the dogs are still around the next day or the day after, AVA gets a lot of complaints," he said.
"AVA is in a very difficult position. On the one hand, they have to assure the safety and security of the residents who are complaining about the stray dogs, and on the other hand, you have animal lovers saying 'I don't want you to catch them and cull them,'" he said.
"It's a balancing act," the minister concluded. "If there's a clear security risk or clear health risk, I think AVA has no choice and we have to accept that."
Possible national adoption centre for strays
But stray animals could get more help. Following a recommendation from last year's forum, discussions are now underway for a national adoption centre that will re-home stray cats and dogs, said Louis Ng, executive director of animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES).
"Minister Shanmugam and MND (Ministry of National Development) are supportive of the proposal and (they are) currently reviewing the setting up of this centre which will be managed by ASD (Action for Singapore Dogs) and ALL (Animal Lovers League)," said Ng.
"We will provide a dedicated community facility that supports and encourages adoption in a way that will benefit the animals, our environment and the community," he pledged.
Details of other proposals from local groups, such as a possible licensing requirement for puppy mills and alternative population control measures besides culling, are also currently being reviewed by relevant agencies.
ACRES also said it will push for a ban of inhumane animal traps. Last week, a community cat had to be euthanised after it got caught on a glue board trap at a HDB bin centre in Jurong.
While the animal protection movement has seen significant progress over the past year, both minister Shanmugam and ACRES' Ng agreed that there will always remain a need to balance conflicting interests in society.
"Any responsible, civilised society should also be judged by how it treats its animals," said the minister.
Ng added to that, saying, "But while some of us want progress to happen at a faster pace, we must ensure that we have a balanced approach, and understand that there will always be alternative views to animal protection issues."
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