All things bright and
beautiful, for instance online
Many have speculated about what is the true intent of
the Singapore government's recently announced new licensing regime for news
websites.
We of course got some insight from Minister Yaacob
Ibrahim's statement about the need for Singaporeans to read the
"right" thing online. More important, but less widely reported, was
his definition of what the "right" things might be. A more complete
quote of what he said to the BBC is:
"We want to protect the interest of the ordinary
Singaporean. As long as they go online to read the news I think it's important
to make sure that they read the 'right thing', insofar as if there's an event
yesterday it is reported accurately."
Singapore's Media Development Authority, which comes
under Ibrahim's ministry, appears to have re-iterated the point on accuracy and
good intent in their emailed response to Mr Ngerng who blogs at The Heart
Truths. They wrote:
"Nowhere do the guidelines state that news sites
cannot question or highlight the shortcomings of government policies, as long
as the assessments are well-intentioned, and not based on factual inaccuracies
with the intention to mislead the public"
The obvious issue emerging from both these quotes is
the question of legislating or regulating for accuracy, as well as whether an
article is "well-intentioned". There does not appear to be any
objective means by which the MDA intends to assess any given "Singapore
news program" for accuracy or good intention before exercising their power
to issue a take-down notice. To see why legislating in these terms is a very
short step from outright censorship, we only need to look briefly at the
history of state censorship of print media in Singapore.
Since MDA has oft-repeated their intent to seek parity
between print and online media, the government's stance on accuracy and intent
in the context of silencing critics in the print media is particularly
enlightening.
I'm sure most readers are familiar with "mr
brown" - real name Lee Kin Mun - who is a prominent blogger, tweeter and
general internet pioneer in Singapore. But mr brown in the past has not just
enjoyed online fame - I'm sure many are also aware he used to write a column
for Today newspaper - until he penned a satirical and stinging critique of the
ruling party in June 2006 titled "Singaporeans are fed, up with
progress".
The government of the day - under the leadership of
Lee Hsien Loong - were extremely displeased with the article, making assertions
that it contained inaccuracies but also proceeding to denounce it in extremely
strong terms. mr brown was suspended from writing his column within a week and
I believe has never returned to the pages of Today newspaper.
Let us be clear that the outcome of this episode was
that mr brown's voice - critical of the government - was silenced from the
pages of the mainstream media. In light of the MDA's stated intent to regulate
websites along the lines of accuracy and good intent, as well as on a par with
print media, it is interesting to note the extreme terms in which the
government framed mr brown's criticism in the lead up to and aftermath of his
suspension.
Printed on the first working day following publication
of mr brown's article, MICA wrote to Today, denouncing mr brown for
"distorting the truth" and asserting that he "poured sarcasm on
many issues".
"mr brown is entitled to his views. But opinions
which are widely circulated in a regular column in a serious newspaper should
meet higher standards. Instead of a diatribe mr brown should offer constructive
criticism and alternatives. And he should come out from behind his pseudonym to
defend his views openly.
"It is not the role of journalists or newspapers
in Singapore to champion issues, or campaign for or against the government. If
a columnist presents himself as a non-political observer, while exploiting his
access to the mass media to undermine the government's standing with the
electorate, then he is no longer a constructive critic, but a partisan player
in politics."
No less than PM Lee Hsien Loong himself apparently
followed up on this, stating "mr brown had hit out wildly at the
government and in a very mocking tone" and as such the government had to
respond, otherwise "untruths would be repeated and eventually treated as
facts".
In the context of regulation versus censorship, this
is where the contention will surely arise. It is not hard to imagine the MDA
writing to a blogger or news website using similar language as when they wrote
to Today in response to mr brown. If the bar is set as low as "pouring
sarcasm", MDA will have their hands full. If MDA are waiting for an online
commentator to "hit out wildly at the government and in a very mocking tone"
before issuing take down notices, then still - they are likely to be busy.
If "diatribe" in lieu of "constructive
criticism" is deemed to not meet MDA standards of good intent, I fear our
regulators will be overwhelmed with complaints. Via all these avenues - and no
doubt more exist - just as the critical voice of mr brown was removed from the
pages of Today, so the critical voices of many contributors are liable to be
removed from the pages of Yahoo! and presumably also TOC and TRE in the future.
For all of these reasons, it seems clear that the new regulations will have a
silencing effect on Singapore's online contributors.
It is important to reiterate that what mr brown wrote
in 2006 was in fact not particularly unreasonable. The freedom to engage in
stinging or harsh criticisms of government failings are essential to democracy
and good governance. Inaccuracies can ordinarily be corrected or apologized for
- if in fact they can objectively be shown to exist. Whilst most bloggers do
not have the wit of mr brown, equally scathing criticism of the government is
as common online in 2013 as mr brown's article was groundbreaking in 2006.
If the government - as they state - seeks to hold
online contributors to the standard that they held print media in the form of
Today newspaper in 2006 then a lot of take-down notices will be issued, and a
lot of performance bonds forfeited between now and the next general election.
It is this - and the fact that it embodies nothing less than government
censorship of criticism - that underpins many of the concerns around MDA's new
licensing regime.
Andy Xian Wong
Business & Investment Opportunities Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Health care and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN 's area. We are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, if any request, please, contact directly Dr Christian SIODMAK, business strategist, owner and CEO of SBC at christian.siodmak@gmail.com. Many thanks.
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