Authorities 'proactively engaged' Progress Singapore Party to facilitate permits, say police

SINGAPORE — The police said there has been no delay in the granting of permits for the Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) launch, adding that the authorities were proactively engaging the party with the intent of facilitating the permits before the planned date.

However, the party postponed the event off their own accord, the police said.

The party wanted to play music and screen a video at the event and thus needed the necessary permits, the police said in a statement on Monday (June 3) in response to media queries.

The party’s launch was originally slated to be held at the Singapore Expo on June 15, but party leader Tan Cheng Bock said on Monday that it had to be postponed as the police permit and “other related permits” were still pending.

In their response, the police gave a timeline of the events since the party started applying for the permits.

PSP chairman Wang Swee Chuang applied for a police permit on May 3, said the police, who asked him on the same day for more information. On May 7, the police reminded Mr Wang to provide the information.

“As PSP wanted to play recorded music and screen a video/film, Mr Wang was advised to apply for a Public Entertainment Licence (PEL), and submit the video/film to IMDA (Info-communications Media Development Authority) for classification,” the police said. “This is a standard requirement for all public screenings of videos/films.”

The police said they reminded Mr Wang on May 27 to apply for a PEL and to submit the video to IMDA for classification.

The PEL application was submitted on the same day, the police said, adding that “PEL applications will usually take 12 working days for approval, as stated in the application portal on the Police website”.

“Nevertheless, to assist PSP, IMDA contacted Mr Wang, via phone and email, on 29 May, to advise him to submit the film for classification,” the police said.

“IMDA also shared with him the submission process so that the film can be classified in time for the launch of the PSP. To-date, PSP has not done so.

The police said that they and the IMDA had “proactively engaged Mr Wang several times” to get details of the event and were processing the applications, “with the intention of facilitating their approval before the planned event date”.

“PSP has since postponed the event, without further contacting Police.”