Originally posted by pearlie27:
Hi robertteh
a lawyer friend told me that the 3 racist internet users were arrested because somebody reported them to the police.
You said that action taken against the 17-year-old was "an excuse to perpetuate political grip of power by the existing party". If that is so, then why didn't the party jump on the excuse provided by the sarong party girl? I think that only show the govt views racist issues more seriously than pornography and not because internet postings are not as serious as mainstream mass media.
Don't you find your statement "If there is grave concern about racism in blogs, the excessive cases wilfully perpetuated and unrepentent can still be checked educationally. socially by warning or smaller fines." contradictory? Can issues of "grave concern" be checked by "warning or smaller fines"?
Do you really think that sedition is too strong a condemnation when the maximum sentence is $5,000 fine or 6 months imprisonment, or both? Remember Micheal Faye? He was also a teenager when he was caned (forget how many strokes) for vandalism.
It is easy for somebody to report some white elephant to the police while nobody cares to report some nudity to the police.
But when reported whether the police will view a matter as serious or not may be a purely discretionary decision.
Citizens will not perceive white elephant placards as insinuations of any kind to report the matter. However because white MRT stations had become a hot political potato so its associations to white elephant is too apparent a threat to tranquility of the masses.
There will be a case of implications of white elephant than as serious enough to merit attention and investigation whereas nudity of sarong party girl has no such implications but can be viewed as art.
The decision of the police then will depend on overall political control agenda. If racism is a good case to extend the long arm of sedition law which will also give follow-up police power to justify more control on the net posting, then there will be a case for investigation and action as that will be a good political agenda. For nudity the case for intervention on net posting might not be as sound. GRC was conceived of for racial harmony or balance but there is a political agenda behind as well - political positions will be hampered from fielding larger no. of group candidates to form the next alternative government.