This paper examines the key societal developments underpinning the growth of mediation in Singapore with a view to analysing the evolving conceptualisation of justice within mediation. The introduction of mediation corresponded with a shift from adversarial justice to an indigenous form of conciliatory justice, in which a respected mediator played an adviser role for the disputants and was trusted to ensure the fairness of the process. However, this trajectory was tempered by the need to ensure that Singapore mediation practice conformed with international practices concerning the protection of parties’ autonomy. The ambivalence concerning the mediator's role has resulted in uncertainty about whether the mediator bears primary responsibility for ensuring procedural and substantive fairness. The paper discusses the implications of this ambiguity and proposes ways to resolve it. The current phase of professionalisation in Singapore's mediation movement offers the opportune moment to resolve these existing tensions and to crystallise the mediator's role in facilitating access to justice.

中文翻译：

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新加坡调解运动中不断演变的司法救助概念

本文探讨了支撑新加坡调解发展的关键社会发展，以分析调解中不断演变的正义概念。调解的引入与从对抗性司法向本土和解性司法的转变相一致，在这种形式中，受人尊敬的调解员为争议者扮演顾问角色，并被信任以确保过程的公平。然而，由于需要确保新加坡的调解实践符合有关保护当事人意思自治的国际实践，这一轨迹受到了缓和。对调解员作用的矛盾心理导致了调解员是否承担确保程序公正和实质性公正的主要责任的不确定性。本文讨论了这种模糊性的含义，并提出了解决它的方法。新加坡调解运动目前的专业化阶段为解决这些现有的紧张局势和明确调解人在促进伸张正义方面的作用提供了良机。