By Nurmatha Murthi
Much academic debate has recently centred around the extent that culture should play in a nation’s legal system. While some argue that including culture as a consideration when delivering judgments will lead to much uncertainty in the laws of a country, others argue that cultural differences have to be taken into consideration in order for a fair and just result to be attained.
In Singapore, this controversy is apparent in the recent commercial case of Ting Sing Ning v Ting Chek Swee [2008] 1 SLR 197. In Ting, the …

by Eric Hu
The recent saga between SMRT and its Chinese bus drivers has drawn much attention locally[1] and internationally[2]. The bus drivers went on a strike on Nov 26 and 27 over lower wages compared to their Malaysian counterparts. The strike conducted over 2 days has disrupted “public transport services [island-wide] and Singapore’s industrial harmony.”[3]
This article focuses on the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act[4] [CLTPA]. The strike by the drivers was illegal because it has contravened Section 6 of the CLTPA. According to Section 6(2), workmen in essential services[5], including …

By: Jonathan Ng
The recent strike by Chinese SMRT bus drivers has thrown into the spotlight Singapore’s law on industrial action. To date, five drivers have been charged under section 9(1) of the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act[1], which provides that any workman who commences, continues or otherwise acts in furtherance of an illegal strike is guilty of an offence. The reference to an “illegal” strike suggests that a strike per se is not necessarily illegal. Indeed, section 6 of the Act provides that aside from workers in water, gas and …

By Denzel Chua
Since the beginning of 2012, there have been ongoing debates about whether Pro Bono Work should be compulsory for all lawyers in Singapore. A proposal has been made that lawyers should put in a minimum of 16 compulsory hours of free legal service a year, of which some of the 4,200 lawyers in Singapore are against. The issue has already affected legal education; starting from the academic year 2013, a mandatory pro-bono programme will have to be included in the law curriculum. It is obvious that the issue …

Dear Law School and Friends,
in the last few months, we have seen, amongst other events in the world, a shocking turn of events with respect to the Hillsborough disaster in the United Kingdom and yet another furore over the public transport in Singapore. Amidst these events which move and shake society, questions about the role of law arise and sometimes we find ourselves pondering about why we are doing what we are doing too. The Singapore Law Review has lined up a slate of articles on the above themes, and …