Lift the Ban on Thaipusam Music

Lift the Ban on Thaipusam Music

Friday 28 August 2015

Crowd Funding Campaign



Summary

Thank you for your interest in this crowd funding effort . We are raising funds for a judicial review in the High Court to lift the ban on playing musical instruments during Thaipusam foot processions. The ban (  in existence since 1973) restricts the Hindu community in practicing their traditions, cultural beliefs & religious rights.

On the 29th April, Mr Eugene of Eugene Thuraisingam LLP  served  an Ex Parte Originating Summons   ( Case No.: HC/OS 394/2015 ) in the high court of the Republic of Singapore  on the Attorney General, on  behalf of 3 Singaporean applicants :  Mr Balasubramaniam , Mr Sathiyamoorthy s/o Murugiah & Mr Vijaya Kumar s/o Rajendran. Mr Eugene is fighting this case pro bono which means he is not charging the 3 men for his services. You can follow the sequence of events leading to the present court status  at this  Timeline.

The three gentleman who are all Hindus, are seeking for the ban of musical instruments by the SPF to be lifted during Thaipusam processions. The court has ordered that the three men have the right to practice Freedom of Religion but dismissed the case on the ground of Public Order Act of the Singapore constitution article 15 (4) which do not authorize any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality.

Mr Eugene has filed an appeal and placed a security deposit of $20,000 out of his own pocket. Now that the High Court Judge has released his grounds of decision, we await directions from the Court of Appeal on when to file  written arguments for the Court of Appeal.  Once the  written arguments are filed and the AGC file their response, the Court of Appeal will fix the matter for an oral hearing before them. We will keep you informed once we get the dates of the trial .

What can you do to help?

Donate. We need to raise a total of $30,000 hopefully within 60 days  or until the targeted amount is reached. The breakdown of the costs involved so far is as follows:

Invoice 1: S$928 (Disbursements incurred in filing Court papers in the High Court)

Invoice 2: S$2910.95 (Disbursements incurred in obtaining an expert opinion from an overseas expert witness)

Court charges 1: S$6,000 (Legal Costs awarded to the Government for the unsuccessful High Court application)

Court charges 2: $ S1, 923.80 (Disbursements awarded to the Government for the unsuccessful High Court application)

Current total charges: S$11, 762.75

Share . Besides donating in cash, you  can also assist  by sharing this crowd funding page to others. Send an email to your friends, or share this on your social media platforms!You may also want to consider consolidating funds from their family members and  friends in order to meet our target .

There are no perks or rewards as this campaign is non-profitable. A"Thank You', note together with an acknowledgement of your contribution will be sent by email. You can also print a copy of your contribution for reference .

Why Support Us

I'm  ( Sathiyamoorthy ) founder and administrator of Voices of Singaporeans Indians (FB community page). As a patriotic son of Singapore, I believe that unjust practices should be addressed.

Hinduism is an ancient religion. Dance, music and songs have been in existence since the Vedic period 1750-500BCE. It is a religious rite past down from generation to generation from our forefathers. While our government has made efforts in  preserving the culture of our forefathers, is seems that we are marginalized in their decision making.  It’s very saddening  that we, Singaporeans Hindus are deprived and discriminated in practicing our religion and our festival as it used to be in the olden days. I am typing these words with tears flowing down my eyes. What kind of future do we want to leave for our children? One that is authentic? Or one that carries the shadow of meaning?

We are just ordinary people fighting this case on behalf of the Hindu community. We don’t want to pass down a watered down version of our religious rites, practices and culture to the next generation. We want our children and grandchildren to know how Thaipusam as is really celebrated around the world. We are working together to establish a better and authentic future for our children and our community

Terms and Conditions

1) Personal data & information would be protected in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act;

2) The collected funds are on a voluntary basis;

3) The funds are collected for the purpose of financing the legal, administrative and/or other cost related to the case;

4) All collected funds are non-refundable;

5) All collected funds would be audited;

6) After all expenses are paid, the balance funds (if any) would be distributed evenly in the form of donation to 4 charitable organizations:  List of voluntary welfare organisations in Singapore

Payment Mode


Payment mode: Anyone who has a PayPal account, American Express Credit Card, VISA, MasterCard Credit Card or debit card can make a contribution.

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