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Making mediation available to all |
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| By
making mediation available to
everyone, the CMU helps members
of the public to manage their
disputes. |
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The idea of reconciliation may appear miles away
when a dispute escalates to the extent that the
only way out seems to be litigation.
But by making mediation available to everyone, the
Ministry of Law’s Community Mediation Unit
(CMU) opens the door to reconciliation.
It has set up four Community Mediation Centres (CMC)
that provide trained mediators who help members
of the public to manage their community and social
disputes.
As a neutral and impartial third party, the mediators
are often able to facilitate discussions that enable
conflicting parties to resolve their differences
and agree on a settlement.
The mediation process, which is flexible and confidential,
empowers the parties involved to come together to
work out solutions that meet their interests, which
in turn ensures the preservation of important relationships.
As a result, the disputing parties also do not have
to fork out large sums of money and/or await a judicial
hearing.
As of 1998, more than 2,300 mediations have been
conducted with a 74% success rate. Deputy Prime
Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security
and Minister for Law Professor S. Jayakumar attributed
this success to the skills, time, energy and devotion
of the mediators.
The panel of 139 experienced and committed volunteer
mediators are of varying ages and from all walks
of life, ethnicities and professions.
All of them have to undergo basic media-tion training
before they are appointed for a two-year term.
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| Mrs Heng
finds great satisfaction in helping
people to resolve their differences. |
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The title of “Master Mediator” is bestowed
upon those who have achieved a requisite level of
expertise and experience in mediation (read story
on facing page).
Each centre has two CMC officers who inform interested
parties of procedures and matters which fall within
the purview of the CMC. If the issue at hand falls
outside CMC’s purview, they will highlight
other alternatives.
Mrs Diana Heng, Centre Executive at CMC (Regional
East), shared the benefits of the system: “It
is an achievement when parties leave CMC with smiles
on their faces knowing that we had created the opportunity
for communication.” |
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By
PS21 Office
Next: Volunteer peacemaker |
