Comments, opinions and an occasional ramble
Loosen up a little, PAP
Finally, I have time to actually sit down and put my thoughts into writing again. The end of semester hell has passed, at least for now.
The twin stories of the World Bank managing director calling for loosening up of restrictions in Singapore and the seizure of a film during a private screening by the SDP caught my attention.
I’ve always favoured less restrictions, particularly with regards to speech. Sure, giving complete freedom of speech may result in lots of irresponsible talk but well, as the Chinese saying goes, genuine gold does not fear fire. The truth will eventually surface. Those who repeatedly spout nonsense and lies will eventually end up like the boy who cried wolf; people will not take them seriously.
This is why I don’t understand why the MDA has to step in to seize the film that was shown during SDP’s screening at Excelsior Hotel. Sure, the film is probably unkind to our founding prime minister but that’s life. There will be people who love you to bits and there will be people who hate you to the core.
By attempting to prevent people from saying unkind things about you, I think it sends off a signal of insecurity. Despite his flaws, I think Lee Kuan Yew has done alot for Singapore and no one can take that away from him. I really think he should let the nay-sayers do that they want and let people judge for themselves what is the truth. Sure, people might be dissatisfied with Lee Kuan Yew (or the PAP for that matter) in one way or another but that’s normal. You cannot please everyone.
I think Singapore should adopt a light touch approach not only to Internet regulation but to the entire media landscape. I think the PAP will gain alot more respect that way. Clamping down on words that are not music to the ear gives off a whole host of negative signals. I believe that young and educated Singaporeans are leaning towards the left and to court these young voters, there’s a need to loosen up.
I disagree with many of the methods employed the SDP but the acting of seizing a film screened for a small group of people isn’t going to make me like the PAP. The Worker’s Party suddenly seem like a nice in-between. 
| Print article | This entry was posted by Aaron Ng on 21/05/2008 at 10:13 am, and is filed under Perspective. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 4 years ago
Aaron,
What LKY afraid of is the truth of his doing all this time! The film depicts all the things done to Singapore and his people by LKY himself. A very good film. I catched it in youtube. Clamping down on the film just show LKY is afraid of his own deed. If he has the gut to do why afraid to let all singapore knows.
FG
about 4 years ago
“Had they engaged the west, all this would have turned out differently,” said Lee. “Why didn’t they? Because there was a chasm between their mental makeup and that of the west. So they say all western correspondents out, that means you’ve got something to hide. I think that was not very wise.”
Lee said the Chinese should learn to “take the western media on the western media’s terms.”
If protesters get into the Olympic stadiums waving “Free Tibet” banners, China should shrug it off, he said.
“If I were them I would expect that and say `so what?”’ Lee added. “Unfortunately they are still in the old set way they react, but they’re learning.”
(source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aXex8X6R9JMI and http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2008/05/mm-lee-speaks-wisdom-on-protests.html#links)
I guess the MDA people are still in the old set way they react, but they’re learning.
If only they have followed more keenly on Mr Lee’s media contributions.
Perhaps Mr Lee can conduct a session with them.
about 4 years ago
Perhaps some over-zealous people in MDA are acting like
mini-LKYs all the time and they have forgotten to change their
habits when LKY himself has changed.
.
It is always easier to learn than to unlearn. Old habits die hard,
especially so when leaders are in the habit of telling people to
“do what I tell you to do but don’t do what I do!”
.
If you asked me, I would say MDA is redundant, even MICA and
Ministry of Law are redundant. In fact, these entities can be abolished
to save some taxpayers’ money. What is needed is for the Judiciary
to have some clout and muscles to exercise its independence from
the Executive, e.g. the Ministry of Law should go under the Judiciary
instead of under the Cabinet.
about 4 years ago
My question is what the HELL are these MDA officers doing at a private function. Don’t they have better things to do ? To me, it seems they act more like intelligent officers than normal civil servants.
MDA, or for that matter, PAP seems to be making a big farce out of the whole matter. Why are they so keen that the film must pass the Censors Board ?
Is it because the film is telling the whole world the bare truth against what has been the official propanganda ? What is it in the film that really make them look so uneasy ? Why are they afraid from letting Singaporeans learn a bit of the true facts of our own history ? It really baffles me. Is it because people always say that the truth always hurts ?
Looking at the video clip when the MDA officers were adamant in seizing the DVD and projector, I just can’t help feeling that we are still living in the Japanese occupation where a few traitors were collaborating with the Japanese intelligence officers to catch the Chinese dissidents.
Have these MDA officers overstepped in discharging their duties ? I can’t help feeling there is some political persecution on the part of these civil servants.
When will these political persecution going to stop ? Do we have to wait for the next political tsunami to occur in Singapore ?
about 4 years ago
His sins have been forgiven. All. Past, present and future sins. There is no need to remember, there is no need to recall or bring it up again. You are righteous and therefore untouchable.
You are g-o-d incarnated.
Sees no evil, hears no evil and certainly, speaks no evil.
All is well and at peace.
about 4 years ago
” I’ve always favoured less restrictions, particularly with regards to speech. Sure, giving complete freedom of speech may result in lots of irresponsible talk but well, as the Chinese saying goes, genuine gold does not fear fire. The truth will eventually surface. Those who repeatedly spout nonsense and lies will eventually end up like the boy who cried wolf; people will not take them seriously. ”
The old foes should just come into the light and be on a level ground for the people to judge!
about 4 years ago
hmm..maybe he doesn’t know the piece of good news you think?
lol
about 4 years ago
Desperate times require desperate measures?
This is how I see it: The act of seizing the DVD is a desperate act
carried out by desperate people who desperately wanted to “fix
the opposition and buy the supporters’ votes”. Someone had
already laid bare his intention openly right from the very
beginning.
Why would one tell the public that he would make the society more
open and then shortly after came out with 19 new laws and 19
amendments to existing laws to curb freedom of assembly and
freedom of speech? Isn’t that a sign of desperate action that goes
against his own promise to the masses?
When such a grave matter as the Mas Selamat’s Limping Escape
happened, someone after 11 days, then came out and said:
“Its happened, its a lapse, what to do?”
Why can’t the same be applied upon such trivial matters as the viewing
of the One Nation film in a hotel for a select group of people? Where is the national priorities?
Are the police only good at catching and bullying the weak but are
totally useless when come to catching Mas Selamat?
Killing an ant with a hammer! This is really going too far!
about 4 years ago
I think just some guy in MDA who wants to suck up to the Old Man….and perhaps score some points.
about 4 years ago
For years, the bullying has kept many from criticizing and telling the bully he has been wrong. As he wanted to be feared, no one dare correct his greatness and brilliance so the bully’s head swelled considerably. Because he got his way, he became very successful, rich and prospered. The heavens above looked down in silence amusement at the clever man’s ways. But the heavens didn’t intervene and allowed his pride to rise. Many too rode on his pride. The pride carried them across many lands, across many waters. Their fame spread far and wide. Many came to know of their successes. But alas, have they also been set up to such a time when the judges became judged by their own follies?
I wonder what’s the moral of the story is.
Could it be:
1) If you relish throwing stones at little people, one fine day, the stone will gather into a huge rock and fall on you?
2) Or that you enjoy using the media to condemn and shame little people that a day may come and the same medium turned on you except on a much larger scale?
I hope the end won’t be like the young man who killed Jesse James, because he was cowardly, and hope to capitalize from his ‘good deed’ but instead, the people turned against him and he ended in a similar fate as james?
about 4 years ago
Does it all matter?
about 3 years ago
Coz I doubt they care about how ya going anyway. Typical PAP. If the old man wanted to loosen up, he’d have done years ago. Singapore is just his family business. Makes good money.
about 3 years ago
Would you have found it as objectionable, if the film being screened was a hardcore pornography flick, and the organisers said “actually this is a private screening, do you barge into weddings and ask for the film?”
i.e. If one is campaigning for political speech to be treated no differently from other forms of speech, then political speech should not receive special concessions, any more than it should receive special restrictions.
I also heard that a fee was charged for those wanting to see the film… if true (and it would be a nice bit of investigative reporting to find out), then it would be very odd for the screening to be considered a “private gathering”.
about 3 years ago
Scotty,
Yes I will still object. A private screening is a private screening. I don’t see any widespread ‘harm’, if any, to others. I don’t think I am applying double standards. If something is a private affair, then the state should get their ass out.
about 3 years ago
Aaron,
Does it still count as private?
So, in summary, you believe there should be no restriction on media screenings, so long as they happen in private?
What about if a fee is charged to attend the event?
about 3 years ago
Well, what has fees got to do with whether an event is private or not? In fact, I will argue that fees make an event private because there is a barrier to being part of the event.
And as long as it’s private and steps have been taken to create barriers to the event, I don’t care whether it’s a media screening or mass orgy. Private affairs are, private.
about 3 years ago
In that case, all paid cinema performances would be private by your definition.
And thus, there should be no restrictions on any form of media, so long as a fee is charged for the viewing?
about 2 months ago
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about 4 weeks ago
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