Events & Speeches

Welcome Address by Justice Andrew Ang at SMC’s 10th Anniversary Luncheon

17 August 2007, Four Seasons Hotel

The Honourable the Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong,
The Honourable the Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good afternoon.

Welcome

It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the Singapore Mediation Centre’s 10th Anniversary Luncheon. We at the Singapore Mediation Centre (“SMC”) are truly honoured to have you here to celebrate this special occasion with us. We are particularly grateful to our friends from the Hong Kong Mediation Centre, the Indonesian Mediation Center, the Malaysian Mediation Centre and the Philippine Mediation Center for travelling long distances and gracing this celebration with their presence.

2 Much as I am tempted to trot out our achievements in the past 10 years on an occasion such as this, I shall stoutly resist the urge and make sure that all of us have ample time to enjoy the food, the programme and each other’s company. I will therefore limit myself to just 2 points - acknowledging those who have brought the SMC to where it is today, and sharing with you, very briefly, one of the areas of focus of the SMC in the next decade.

Acknowledgments

3 First of all, we at the SMC must thank Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong. We would not be here celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the SMC if not for the foresight of the Chief Justice. It was Chief Justice Chan, who as the Attorney-General back then in 1996, observed at the 1996 Opening of the Legal Year that amicable settlement of disputes through mediation ought to be encouraged. He expressed the hope for mediation to be institutionalised in Singapore through the establishment of a commercial mediation centre. That planted the seed for the SMC, and marked the beginning of the centre. That expression of hope came to fruition on 16 August 1997, exactly 10 years and 1 day ago, when the SMC was launched by our retired Chief Justice Yong Pung How.

4 Next, I wish to acknowledge my illustrious predecessors, the 2 previous chairmen of the SMC. Firstly, there was former Justice Goh Joon Seng, who steered SMC through its formative years, laying down the foundation for a strong and dynamic organisation. He was succeeded by JA Chao Hick Tin (as he then was), who brought it to even greater heights. Under these 2 chairmen, the SMC built an impressive body of accomplishments. But I have a bone to pick with them. I have not quite forgiven them for leaving me these big shoes to fill.

5 The SMC has been blessed with many supporters right from its inception. You will see that the people the SMC wishes to express its gratitude to would make the acknowledgment list of any Oscar winner appear rather short.

(i) We thank the Judiciary, which has been unstinting in its support. In particular, we are very grateful for the strong endorsement of the former Chief Justice Yong Pung How, which accounted for the quick acceptance of mediation and the early successes of the SMC. Both the Supreme Court and Subordinate Courts have been referring cases suitable for mediation to the SMC since its launch in 1997.

(ii) We thank the Attorney-General’s Chambers, previously under the helm of Chief Justice Chan and now, under Attorney-General Chao Hick Tin, which has been unwaveringly encouraging the inclusion of mediation clauses in Government contracts and setting an example for industry groups in the private sector to follow.

(iii) We thank the Ministry of Law and the Singapore Academy of Law, which have been generously providing financial and many other forms of invaluable support.

(iv) We thank all our Mediators, Adjudicators, Singapore Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy Panellists and Neutral Evaluators, who have worked tirelessly and contributed many hours of their time to the growth of the Centre.

(v) We thank the members on our Board of Advisors, Advisory Committee on Construction Mediation, Singapore Information Technology Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee and Resource Panel on the International Promotion of ADR, who have patiently guided the centre with their wisdom and unique industry experience throughout the past decade.

(vi) Last but certainly not least, we thank all our MOU partners and clients, to whom we are most grateful for their goodwill and friendship.

6 The contributions of all of you whom we have just acknowledged have helped the SMC to grow from strength to strength. It now offers not only mediation but a full suite of dispute resolution services, including neutral evaluation, med-arb and adjudication under the Singapore Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy and under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act. Today, it has diversified its training repertoire and offers more than 10 different types of conflict resolution programmes. It has established for itself a reputation as one of the leading training providers having trained people from more than 50 countries worldwide.

Focus in the Next Decade

7 Looking ahead, with globalisation and rapid technological advances, transnational dealings will become even more common. The SMC has been building up its resources and capabilities to resolve disputes arising from such dealings for some time now. For example, the SMC has an International Panel of Mediators with experienced and well-known peace-makers, like Ambassador-at-Large Professor Tommy Koh (who is our special guest speaker for today), former President of Finland Mr Martti Ahtisaari and Adviser and Special Envoy of the President of Indonesia Mr Ali Alatas. In the next decade, the SMC will intensify its efforts and work together with the best centres in Asia to create a framework for, and to facilitate, regional co-operation in the provision of conflict management for cross-border disputes. It will work together with these centres to set up common platforms for promoting the use of mediation, developing a culturally appropriate model of dispute resolution in Asia, and creating a system of case referral that will serve the best interest of businesses operating in the region.

8 To this end, the SMC, together with the Hong Kong Mediation Centre, the Indonesian Mediation Center, the Malaysian Mediation Centre, and the Philippine Mediation Center, will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding to form the Asian Mediation Centre (“AMA”) a little while later. By pooling our expertise, experience, best practices and other resources together, we can advance the field of dispute resolution thus meeting the needs of businesses operating in the region, particularly those engaged in cross-border transactions.

9 I have promised to be brief and to touch only on 2 points. I will therefore close now by asking for your continued support. You have made possible for the SMC a decade of excellence in resolving disputes. We look forward to working together with you to make the next decade an excellent one as well.

10 Thank you.