By Dr Wong Wee Nam
On the 12th of August 2004, a young man confidently declared, “We will continue to expand the space which Singaporeans have to live, to laugh, to grow and to be ourselves. Our people should feel free to express diverse views, pursue unconventional ideas, or simply be different. We should have the confidence to engage in robust debate, so as to understand our problems, conceive fresh solutions, and open up new spaces.”
With these words, he was sworn in as Singapore’s third Prime Minister.
At that time, this speech did not immediately raise the hopes of those Singaporeans who were looking forward to living in a less stifling political atmosphere. Nevertheless these Singaporeans did not dismiss the declaration outright and preferred to wait and see.
The eight years that followed showed some progress. But the pace was so slow that even up till this day, the fear of the government is still there and not a lot of people have the confidence to engage in robust political debates.
The state of our press is a reflection of how far we have come. Sad to say, for years, it has continued to hover at the bottom of world rankings and this year, it even moved few rungs lower. On the Reporters Without Borders annual report 2013, Singapore’s Press Freedom ranking fell from 135th to 149th. The Freedom of Press Report by Freedom House ranked it at 153rd, down three rungs. What is the press trying to do by staying at the bottom of the class? It appears as if it is trying to mock the vision that the new Prime Minister had shared with the people in 2004.
If you are trying to look for diverse views, unconventional ideas, robust debates and alternative opinions, you are not likely to find them in our mainstream media.
A friend who had left Singapore before 2004 came back for a visit in 2011 during the height of the General Election. He thought Singapore had been transformed into a freer state. He observed that people were no longer afraid to stand for elections. They were not afraid to attend opposition rallies and have their photos posted on Facebook. The voters were openly saying they were going to vote for the opposition.
However, the credit for such a change in political climate cannot go to the PAP.
Singaporeans need to be thankful to the Internet.
In a short space of time, the Internet has suddenly provided Singaporeans with alternative views, different perspective and lots of information that were once shielded by the nanny state through a controlled media.
With the Internet, Singaporeans suddenly began to feel the high cost of living, realize the prices of houses are moving out of their reach, fear that they could not afford healthcare and get angry that they were being squeezed out of their jobs by cheap foreign labour, the poor were getting poorer and many did not even have livable wage.
Suddenly the astronomical wages of ministers became common knowledge.
“I had this feeling that something was wrong with this country but I thought I was wrong,” someone said just before the GE. “I dared not say anything because I thought I was the odd minority. But with the Internet, I suddenly realized I was not alone. There are so many people out there who share the same problems and beliefs. Then I felt brave enough to voice my opinion freely.”
As a result of the Internet, the PAP cannot continue, with the help of the state-controlled media, to appear indispensable and flawless. As a result of the Internet all the faults in government policies are straightaway exposed by the many experts who surf cyberspace. With the growing influence of the Internet as a source of information, opinion and news, there is no doubt it affects the credibility of the mainstream media.
Who would want to read sanctioned articles in the official media when bloggers give you alternative viewpoints everyday and posters give you all kinds of opinion through social media every minute to reflect?
There is no question that the Internet has leveled the political playing field somewhat. From 2011, the PAP haas suddenly become less formidable and more vulnerable.
The signposts of citizens’ dissatisfaction are there for them to see. In the 2011 General Election, they lost a GRC for the first time and had their majority reduced significantly in almost all constituencies. Following that they lost the Hougang and the Punggol East by-elections, the latter considered a very safe seat for the PAP. Their preferred candidate also won the Presidential Election by a slim margin and garnered only slightly more than a third of the total votes.
The other ominous signs are the two rallies at Hong Lim Park in February and May this year when huge crowds turned out to protest against the White Paper on population. This is the first time Singaporeans turned up in such numbers to demonstrate against something.
Is the PAP worried? There are indications to show that they are not feeling secure.
Bloggers have been asked to take down their postings and apologise with the threat defamation suits. An opposition politician, Vincent Wijeysingha, was sued for defamation and had to pay damages. A journalist, Lynn Lee, was interrogated for hours for making a video interviewing two SMRT drivers who had been involved in a strike. Recently a cartoonist, Leslie Chew, was arrested and is being investigated for sedition.
Nowadays there is also no attempt to be discrete about surveillance by our plainclothes police. Recently they went around openly filming people who had gathered in Hong Lim Park to show their support for the Malaysians who felt cheated by their own election results;
The most recent sign of an insecure PAP government is the latest legislation to license online news sites. The Media Development Authority has reassured Singaporeans that this is not meant to control the bloggers and the Internet.
What then is the intention? Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, revealed – perhaps inadvertently – the real purpose of the new rules in an interview with the BBC. The minister said:
“I think it is important for us to ensure that they (ordinary Singaporeans) read the RIGHT thing…”
In short, the aim is to control what Singaporeans should read. Ensure we read The RIGHT thing? Who does the minister think Singaporeans are? Kindergarten kids? Surely Singaporeans are mature enough that there is no need for them to be taught how to suck eggs?
In the principle of Tao, it is said,
“The more restrictions and prohibitions in the empire; the deeper will the people sink into destitution.” (天下多忌讳，而民弥贫).
“The more overt the laws and decrees; the more prevalent will be the thieves and brigands.” (法令滋彰，盗贼多有)
The Internet acts as a good feedback channel for any government which should, therefore, be like “the Sage [who] is without a fixed mind (prejudiced mind), and takes the opinions of the people as his own opinions (圣人无常心，以百姓心为心).”
By trying to ensure people read the right thing, the PAP government is just trying to go back to its old ways in a new world. It will just end up a futile exercise.