ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Most modern legal systems in the world today, including Singapore's, function on the premise that the legal entities under it possess a certain quantum of rights which the courts will recognise. The nature of this quantum and its scope differs from country to country in accordance with the unique social, political, cultural and economic conditions present therein. Yet the possession of any quantum of rights serves no real purpose unless one can obtain redress when his rights are infringed - unless justice is accessible, there is no justice. Justice cannot be served in the abstract. The law must not only be just but must also be seen to do justice. This thesis seeks to examine the level of accessibility in the Singapore context, the interactive relationship between accessibility and the local social conditions and lastly, the resulting implications of the level of access in Singapore.