By MP for Aljunied GRC, Low Thia Khiang
[Delivered in Committee of Supply on 10 March 2015]
Mdm, as Singapore celebrates 50 years of independence, there is renewed interest in our shared past as we look back on the difficult early years of our Singapore story. Naturally, we want Singaporeans to be able to understand our history and how it has shaped our current and future national identity. It is therefore important that both researchers and members of the public must be able to easily access material that relate to our past.
At the last budget debate, I asked for declassification of cabinet papers but was rejected by the minister and he said that all government records beyond a 25 years period are deem as public archives.
However, one of the current problems researchers have raised is that the researcher still needs to get approval from the relevant ministry or agency to access the document. I acknowledge that there are certain situations where the release of documents may be denied for particular purposes but the existing process is inefficient and it is also unclear what are the reasons for decisions made.
One possibility to make the process more efficient would be to have a structured de-classification system for material. When documents are transferred to the National Archives after the 25 years limit, can we have documents categorised as “Restricted” and “Confidential” to be automatically unclassified. At the same time, material marked as “Secret” will still be subject to requests and approval by the relevant Minister. Such secret material can also be subjected to extended closure.
Secret material that is subject to extended closure should still be governed by clear guidelines that state the reasons to be considered, together with the period of extended closure.