Faith in institutions will be lost without governance: Minister

The more countries do not deliver governance, the more people will lose faith in existing institutions, the judiciary and the rule of law.

- Selina Lum

Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said on Jan 14 that until governments get their act together and deliver better governance, the rule of law is going to continue to erode.

He was responding to a question posed during a discussion held at a conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC).

The session was moderated by Senior Counsel Cavinder Bull.

SICC international judge Jonathan Hugh Mance noted that the world seems to be dividing into countries which have a "traditional" perception of the rule of law, one that is shared by Singapore, and countries which have a completely different view.

The British judge asked what could be done to promote those who believe in the rule of law.

Mr Shanmugam said the bigger problem today was governance. Even countries that are traditionally seen as having good rule of law standards are not delivering governance, he said.