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Singapore's first report to the United Nations (UN) on the state of human rights in the country highlights its achievements in health, housing and education. It also takes a firm stand in areas such as the death penalty, detention without trial, and limits on certain freedoms including those of speech, assembly and the press.

Singapore respects the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the report released yesterday makes clear. But it maintains that the manner in which all rights are attained "must take cognizance of specific national circumstances and aspirations."

With its multi-racial, multi-religious and multilingual population, the young city state has "no margin for error."

It insists on the rule of law to ensure stability and security - the prerequisites for economic growth, the Government says in the 10,700-word report, which several agencies worked on for more than a year.

Yet, Singapore is open to change: "We recognize that as the demands of our people change over time, so too must our goals and policies."

Singapore submitted its report card on human rights to the UN earlier this month as part of a peer review process known as the Universal Periodic Review. The next step for Singapore will take place on May 6, when Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam will lead a delegation to Geneva, make a presentation to the UN Human Rights Council, and take questions from member states.

On economic, social and cultural rights, the report lays out Singapore's approach and achievements, and cites glowing reviews by leading global bodies.

These include the World Economic Forum and the International Institute for Management Development's ranking of Singapore's legal system as among the best in the world.

In health care, the World Health Organization ranks Singapore's system the best in Asia and sixth-best in the world.

Singapore, the report stresses, considers "human rights to be indivisible, with economic, social and cultural rights as important as civil and political rights."

In the report, the Government also explains how it seeks to safeguard the rights of minorities and other vulnerable groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities, and migrant workers.

In the area of political and civil liberties, where Singapore could come in for critical questioning in Geneva, the report emphasizes the challenge the diverse society poses "in balancing social harmony with the preservation of human rights."

Singapore stands firm on its right to carry out capital punishment and detention without trial. It considers capital punishment to be a criminal justice issue that remains legal under international law.

The Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial, is used to pre-emptively neutralize threats to national security such as racial and religious extremism, espionage and subversion.

"Governments around the world increasingly recognize the need for preventive powers within a comprehensive institutionalized legal framework to deal effectively with terrorism," the report says.

Siew Kum Hong, from the human rights advocacy group Maruah, called the report a "missed opportunity," with the Government reiterating its oft-stated positions. Maruah, for instance, had called for the death penalty to be revoked and a review of the ISA.

It was also disappointing, he said, that the Government repeated the idea of national difference trumping universal human rights, as such differences "cannot justify violations and abuses."

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 2553 5055.