PM Lee: Free press not for Singapore
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Speaking of opacity, sandwiches and being an island..Originally posted by ShutterBug:GOSH!
I laughed so hard and long I'm now in tears!!
I mean, I look around at all the white haze outside my window, and thought of all the issues we face as a people of a country sandwiched between two other sensitive neighbors, I couldn't stop laughing...!!!
It's not all fun and games, being the tartar sauce on the fish and chips plate is no fun, people take a few licks out of you, and you are alone once more. Fish and chips need tartar sauce to taste good, but when you are poor, fried ikan bilis will do.
Who needs the tartar sauce?We must move beyond being the tartar sauce and start being the fish -
Originally posted by Quincey:the haze is not free, it's an import. We export fire fighting equipment to fight the fires.
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Actually this is true. Sometimes, it amazes me how similar Singapore is in terms of politics to China.Originally posted by ShutterBug:You know, the way I see it; we're like going back the way China used to be!
China is breaking out into the world, and here, we're like clamping down the shutters and going back the way China came!!!
Like China, many in Singapore still harbours this type of mentality that being an Asian country, we are not destined for democracy. Their logic is like the imperial days of China, in which as long as the emporer provides one with food, shelter, work, education, one should show unquestionable support for the regime. One should also not poke your head into the business of governance as one is not considered to be "elite" enough, thus should just keep your heads down and accept wad it is.
A typical Singaporean will say.......... Hey, I noe with got no freedom of expression and lacks fair election........... but who cares as long as the PAP gives us food, education, etc........ world class this and dat........
But sadly, many do not see that this would means some Singaporeans are still not benefitting from this economical development, especially the low-skilled, low-payed and the disable. They don't see that some of PAP's policies are killing and driving more Singaporeans into difficulties (eg. streaming, FT). Worst still, elitism and transparency being diminshed, we are starting to see the problems of the ruling class. MPs/minister roles being reduced to a cash-cow or stepping board and many cases of misconducts, ppls attempting to have "deep pockets", forming of elite familee/syndicates in SG.
All the above is done "in the name of economical progess"!!!
The proble is same for China. The news papers sensor off news of negative stuff and potray China and the CCP as if ppls are living in Utopia. We have read of cases of rural urban migrations, peasants clashing with police leading to deaths, coal mines collapsing due to lack of security, greater economical disparity between the inland and coastal regions. We also see recent cases of corruptions being exposed. Like Shanghai mayor and his syndicates, PLAN eastern fleet senior commander caught for emblezzling funds and keeping 5 mistresses. But the sad thing is many PRCians are just like SGreans. They choose not to see the truth, but to see things thru state produced rose tinted glasses. Many choose to believe civil rightist and lawyers fighting for the rights of the poor are bribed by westerners to smear the reputation of the CCP, while all negative comments made are quickly shot down as attempting to disrupt the economical progress in China.
I have seen many discussions on China web forums. Their moderators are known to delete post that are deem to protray a negative image of PRC. Anybody that attempts to discuss serious problems in PRC are inviting themselves to be bombarded with hate-mails and vulgarities. Many even question these posters if they are spys send by Taiwan to spread evil propaganda on the PRC forums!! Thus their forums are some wad like our straits times, only good news or some minor comments by Angmohs, deemed to be praising them to high heaven. Just to show u how powerful their state media is, I will discuss this thread I see on this PRC forum. the title is "How China fairs in democracy". These are some of the comments....... "Oh!! U dare say we dun have democracy? Tell you this, u can go to sch, go to work or even take part in the anti-Japan demonstration in May, comes to show that we are a very open country." Another comment. " You better STFU!!! Wad u own today, your property, money, and other stuffs comes from the party CCP. So you dun ask qns whether we have freedom! Dun forget the country belongs to the CCP"
By seeing their comments, it acts as a mirror to reflect upon our attitude towards politics and nation building. -
The Haze seems like an appropriate metaphor to the endless waves of FTs flooding to SG... and the funny thing is, citizens are being suffocated by both of them...Originally posted by Quincey:the haze is not free, it's an import. We export fire fighting equipment to fight the fires. -
And this is precisely the attitude we must discard. It's an insult to an Asian as a human being to tell him that he is only fit for a totalitarian "imperial" system of government.
Education is , like always, the key. A proper broadbased education with grounding in subjects like inquiry and politics/world affairs is key to producing all rounded citizens.. -
the Sandwich.Originally posted by diuneahpa:The Haze seems like an appropriate metaphor to the endless waves of FTs flooding to SG... and the funny thing is, citizens are being suffocated by both of them... But also worth noting that many people only desire the meat inside the two buns. 
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hahaha....Originally posted by LazerLordz:the haze.
That's a good one.
Guess thats the only thing our goverment can't milk for cash from the people.
But then again.. who knows... they may start charging us for clean air soon -
Worst still! we paid our health 4 it!!!!Originally posted by Quincey:the haze is not free, it's an import. We export fire fighting equipment to fight the fires.
LHL is like his father!!! talk one means two!!!!Do u know his sister name??? Brue Lee -
well.. "free press" is for lees to define
our dear mr brown publishes his thoughts and get fired
FEER gets banned in singapore for publishing an interview with dr chee
and finally,
our dearest lky, "during an international forum in Singapore", "he was speaking to a liberal audience of Westerners " about our neighbours' system of marginalising
let us not try to think too much, what are we allowed to speak and what we are not. we have no way of guessing right -
Two key words used in PM Lee's advice to the press need closer scrutiny - "responsible" journalism for better lives of the "people"
Are his meanings of "responsible" and "people" the same as ours?
My meaning of "responsible" when used in regard to press and information is being responsive, answerable and accountable to the people.
Secondly, "People" - has the controlled press really brought about better lives of all ordinary people or the average joes or is he referring subconsciously to the lives of the upper class or elites who seem to be doing well because the controlled press has failed to report or highlight protectionalism of jobs in the public service based on good connections to the party. -
PM Lee want to make Singapore sounds "Big",but in fact,we are so small that no one give a damn about our PAP government!!!!Originally posted by LazerLordz:I do not like it when our PM is so presumptious to announce on behalf of Asia, that liberal democracy is not the way. Since when did he speak on behalf of Shinzo Abe, Donald Tsang and Roh?
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I guess the people has the right to discern for themselves 'fact from fiction'. If the government continues to maintain this mentality that only they know what is good enough for us, we'll be no different than adolacents struggling to make sense of the real world. Furthermore, when one touches on 'respnsible' journalism, one has to realize that responsibility in journalism does not mean reporting one side of the truth , but it also means bearing the responsibility as a source of information to larger society by reporting all sides of the truth even it means stepping on someone's toes. That is responsible journalism, it is a whole different proposition from stoic dictation.
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They can form a popular band locally and call themselves "WordPlay".Originally posted by robertteh:Two key words used in PM Lee's advice to the press need closer scrutiny - "responsible" journalism for better lives of the "people"
Are his meanings of "responsible" and "people" the same as ours?
My meaning of "responsible" when used in regard to press and information is being responsive, answerable and accountable to the people.
Secondly, "People" - has the controlled press really brought about better lives of all ordinary people or the average joes or is he referring subconsciously to the lives of the upper class or elites who seem to be doing well because the controlled press has failed to report or highlight protectionalism of jobs in the public service based on good connections to the party. -
Responsible Journalism is good for Singaporeans. Read more here: http://ZhuKoLiang.blog.com
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Just pass on the word and encourage each other to read widely, and ignore the 146th when they put on their wayang masks..
It's sickening, but we do actually have a choice to boycott the local media if they cannot look beyond regulations and realise their real role. -
Ok, this is a story from Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian.
A King from the state of Zhou, King Li4, once heard an adviser of his telling him that the people is in a poor state now. this King immediately stricten the freedom of speech. Like George Benard Shaw had said, "Assassination is the ultimate form of censorship", he kill those who critise him. Therefore, the people of Zhou dare not talk to each other even while walking on the street. The King happily tell his adviser that, "Now it's peace and quiet, they don't critize me now"
(Some translation error, please do point out my error)His adviser reply, "It is merely stopping the critizism. Preventing the people from speaking is more difficult than stopping rivers from flowing. When the river floods, there is bound to have plenty of casulties. Preventing the people from speaking is the same. To prevent floods, people will divert the flow. To prevent people from rebelling, they should be allow to speak. The minister will let the King listen to what the average Joe speaks in the public. Those who are in close to the King will advise him on governing issues based on these speeches. After some serious consideration, then new policies will be issue. The people have speech freedom, is like the land have mountains and rivers, where the revenue and minerals comes from; is like the land to have fertile lands, where clothing and food comes from. In order for the government to nib the problem while it is still in its bud, people's speech is essential. These speech will give the tell-hows of prosperous and also the fault of the present policy. Since it is the tell-hows, it is also the way to increase the citizen's wealth. The people express their worries through their mouth, how do you stop it? How could you stop the people from worrying? How long could you stop them from speaking?"
The King refuse to listen to his adviser. Three years later, a rebellion occured and the King was forced into an exile.
So does that applies to our society now? -
Ya! So GODDAMN true. I am one of the moderator in one of these forums. Then I was suaning how the CCP government (it is a thread about Zhou Enlai, the legendary Premier who helped Deng Xiaoping to tide over the Gang of Four period) prevent their netizens from accessing Wikipedia. Then one of them replied, "Don't think that everything foreigners say are correct, what CCP said are all wrong!!". I was like, "OK lor, if you want to continue to live in your fairytale land, please do so."Originally posted by equlus84:I have seen many discussions on China web forums. Their moderators are known to delete post that are deem to protray a negative image of PRC. Anybody that attempts to discuss serious problems in PRC are inviting themselves to be bombarded with hate-mails and vulgarities. Many even question these posters if they are spys send by Taiwan to spread evil propaganda on the PRC forums!! Thus their forums are some wad like our straits times, only good news or some minor comments by Angmohs, deemed to be praising them to high heaven. Just to show u how powerful their state media is, I will discuss this thread I see on this PRC forum. the title is "How China fairs in democracy". These are some of the comments....... "Oh!! U dare say we dun have democracy? Tell you this, u can go to sch, go to work or even take part in the anti-Japan demonstration in May, comes to show that we are a very open country." Another comment. " You better STFU!!! Wad u own today, your property, money, and other stuffs comes from the party CCP. So you dun ask qns whether we have freedom! Dun forget the country belongs to the CCP"
By seeing their comments, it acts as a mirror to reflect upon our attitude towards politics and nation building.
Then another time, I was suaning anout how their history lesson went wrong. Then another chap came along and told me off, saying I should be more discreet as a moderator. Again, I was like, "OK lor, if you want to continue to live in your fairytale land, please do so."
But when I saw one thread that boost about how the PLA (People Liberation Army) won the Korean war with suicide attacks, I refer them (those doing suicide attacks) as the Japanese kamikaze pilots. Then KNN, no one dares to rebuke me. That one is si bei soong ah. -
Prime minister Pressures Public Broadcaster
Japan's new prime minister Abe Shinzo, less than a month after taking office, has declared that his government will direct "special orders" to the influential public broadcaster NHK demanding that it "pay attention" to the North Korea abductions issue. [1,2]
Associated Press reports that "the Ministry of Internal Affairs will ask a regulatory council to approve ordering state-owned Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, to boost coverage of abductions in its overseas shortwave radio broadcasts," in order to, among other things, "raise international awareness of the abductees' plight," according to ministry official Osumi Yutaka. Abe told reporters that the government must take "appropriate action as we think about what can be done for the sake of the victims who are waiting in North Korea for us to rescue them." In response, NHK stated that it already gives enough attention to the abductions issue and that it aimed to continue to do so under "independent editorship." [2]
The move met with widespread hostility, drawing criticism even from within Abe's own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Internal Affairs Minister Katayama Toranosuke, who has himself previously issued orders to NHK, drew a distinction, noting that his orders had been "in general and abstract terms," and that he had "to a large extent left it to NHK's independent judgment" to make changes. [3] Indeed, the ministry has in the past restricted its orders to requests for increased public-interest programs related to government policies and views. [1] Katayama argued that "it's sufficient for the government to convey its position in other ways," and wondered if directly interfering in NHK's affairs will be "a good thing and if it will be acceptable [to the public]." [3] The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party Ozawa Ichiro was less diplomatic, stating that he "question[s] the government using its authority to unilaterally push national policy." [2] Hattori Takaaki, a professor of broadcasting systems at Rikkyo University, attacked the move as going "against the principles of Article 1 of the Broadcast Law, which stipulates political neutrality and freedom of expression." [1]
The abductions issue centers on a series of kidnappings of Japanese civilians by North Korean agents in the period between 1977 and 1983, involving (according to Japan) 16 abductees and (according to North Korea) eight deaths.
Abe's predecessor, Koizumi Junichiro, had managed in 2002 to extract an oral apology from Korean leader Kim Jong Il and to secure temporary release of five of the victims, who returned to Japan on Oct. 15 of the same year. Yet the Japanese government, before the five had even set foot on Japanese soil, made a decision to renege on its promise, refusing to return the abductees and effectively putting an end to chances for a possible reconciliation. Relations between the two countries have since considerably worsened, as Japan -- under pressure from groups representing the victims' families, championed by Abe and his supporters -- has cynically used the threat of sanctions and freezing of humanitarian aid to precipitate "regime change," [4] much to the approval of Japan's U.S. allies. [5]
The abduction tragedy has been a boon for Abe, whose "hardline" stance against Pyongyang, repeatedly praised by the Japanese media, has elevated a little-known politician with a lackluster career to the status of national hero. Much of this "meteoric rise" -- the term used by Mainichi Shimbun, a faithful supporter [6] -- is thanks to a crassly opportunistic strategy of capitalizing on small-scale, politically-convenient misery to cover up for massive state and corporate misdeeds.
As McNeill observes: "Day after day for five years, every tiny development in the abduction drama has been obsessively played out here in the media," at the expense of "more deadly issues affecting Japan that have yet to receive anywhere near the same lavish media attention." Domestically, such issues include, for example, the link between smoking and cancer, covered roughly 20 times less than the story of Yokota Megumi -- the most famous of the abductee cases -- alone. While killing 100,000 people annually in Japan, the cancer connection, were it to be extensively covered, would certainly cut into the profits of Japan Tobacco, the third largest tobacco manufacturer in the world, who understandably prefers these victims not be granted "appropriate action." [7]
At an international level, the hypocrisy is significantly more acute. The Japanese government's continued refusal to address its war crimes stands in stark contrast to its international reputation as a "peace-loving nation" -- a reputation due in no small part to its pacifist constitution, the preamble of which Abe refers to as "degrading." [8] In contrast to the Japanese abductees, who number at most 80 in total, over one million Koreans were forcefully taken to Japan to service the military industry, mainly working in mines under miserable conditions. Former slaves, moreover, include not only Koreans, but also Chinese, Filipino, Taiwanese, Thai, Australian, British, and Dutch, to name a few. As Christopher Reed writes:
"A major argument of those seeking redress from a shamefully reluctant Japan, is that while it has made numerous 'apologies' of varying sincerity, none amounts to proper atonement. And atonement includes financial compensation of which, it is estimated, Japan has paid one percent of Germany's disbursements." [9]
Arguments that critics are "hung up" on history and should "move on" [10] -- wake up, in other words, and welcome the "brave new Japan" of Abe Shinzo [11] -- fail to acknowledge, or simply willfully ignore, the pre-war and post-war inter-generational continuity that lines the pockets of leading LDP politicians and increasingly subverts the democratic process.
Abe's admiration of his "statesman" grandfather Kishi Nobusuke, a class-A war criminal directly involved in the forcible abduction of thousands of Chinese workers to Japan in the midst of the war, [12] stands as one striking example of this legacy; Foreign Minister Aso Taro's steadfast refusal to acknowledge (let alone pay compensation for) the crimes of his family business, Aso Group (formerly Aso Mining Co.), a company that profited handsomely from the forced labor of 12,000 Koreans "compelled to work under grotesque conditions," [9] is another.
And there are many more. According to William Underwood, a researcher investigating Japan's wartime forced labour, most of the profits from these wartime exploits are "probably still sitting in Japan's Postal Savings accounts ... including unpaid money for the much larger contingent of Asian slave workers forcibly taken to Japan ... worth today about $2 billion." [13] -
continued from previous post
Considering this record, it is not surprising that leading members of the LDP wish to focus attention away from less savory aspects of Japan's wartime past. Current pressure on NHK to "pay attention" to Japanese victims recalls equally direct -- if less overt -- attempts five years earlier by Abe and his associate Nakagawa Shoichi, both prominent members of the "Association to Consider the Future Path for Japan and History Education," to censor the contents of a film about Korean wartime sex-slaves ("comfort women" ).
As Gavan McCormack recounts, the film, scheduled to be broadcast in January 2001 and featuring proceedings of a civil tribunal convened in Tokyo one month earlier, was subjected to a series of last-minute changes "in a state of semi-siege, as rightists mobilized and sound trucks circled the NHK building blaring hostile messages and employees were jostled and abused as they entered or left the premises." [14] Days before the film was to go on air, Abe and Nakagawa met with senior executives of NHK, demanding major alterations that included insertion of "an interview with Hata Ikuhiko, a nationalist historian who denied that there had ever been a system of sexual slavery, and some gratuitously irrelevant footage of U.S. bombers in action over Vietnam." Henry Laurence writes that the tone of the film "changed from one basically sympathetic to the goals of Tribunal to one that was broadly negative and much closer in line to the government policy on the reparations issue." [15] Despite having openly violated both the Japanese Constitution and the Broadcast Law, when confronted and forced to admit his meddling, Abe was remarkably frank, declaring: "I found out that the contents were clearly biased and told [NHK] that it should be broadcast from a fair and neutral viewpoint, as it is expected to." [16] Needless to say, the media did not pursue the issue, leaving Abe to go on with his career, unscathed.
NHK censorship is unfortunately symptomatic of a transformation ongoing in Japanese society that threatens to completely sanitize or otherwise eliminate the few remaining public forums available for open and critical discussion. Only two months ago, one such forum, an online journal run by the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), was forced to issue an apology after featuring a number of pieces critical of government policies. Particularly fiercely targeted was an article by the journal's editor Tamamoto Masaru, described in attacks as "a radical left scholar," expressing concern for Japan's new "hawkish nationalism." As McNeill noted at the time:
"Many foreign academics and journalists found the JIIA articles, which began to appear in April 2006, to be thoughtful, at times independent or even critical attempts to engage Japan's undigested history, growing diplomatic assertiveness and increasingly troubled relations with China, Korea and much of East Asia. They were widely read, quoted, and discussed."
The articles received a somewhat less positive response from correspondent Komori Yoshihisa of the nationalist Sankei Shimbun, who decried the use of public money to attack "the thinking of the government and ruling camp." A public relations onslaught followed, prompting JIIA to shut the site, only to later re-open with all copies of the texts removed. [17]
Komori's attacks represent the diplomatic front for a violent undercurrent in modern Japanese politics. Around the same time as the JIIA incident, an official from an ultra-right wing organization set fire to the countryside home of Kato Koichi, an LDP member who had openly voiced criticisms of Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni shrine.
Numerous prominent public figures have in recent years faced similar retaliation for publicly opposing a xenophobic and historically myopic vision, currently gaining popularity thanks to generous corporate backing, of Japan as moving "toward a beautiful nation." As Steven Clemens explains, promoted by Abe and enforced by "an increasingly militant group of extreme right-wing activists," supporters of this vision "yearn for a return to 1930s-style militarism, emperor-worship and 'thought control'." Having found "mutualism in the media," this group has "begun to move into more mainstream circles -- and to attack those who don't see things their way," notably on questions of "Japan's national identity, war responsibility [and its] imperial system."
At least as reprehensible as any one of the North Korean kidnappings, incidents of intimidation are given implicit backing by leading politicians, who fail to publicly denounce them and even occasionally voice support. When Deputy Foreign Minister Tanaka Hitoshi discovered a time bomb in his home in 2003, allegedly for being soft on North Korea, Tokyo mayor Ishihara Shintaro famously declared that Tanaka "had it coming." [18] An editorial in The Hankyoreh noted the double-standard:
"It is a bad omen when the same politicians who have taken the lead in defining North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese citizens as 'state terror,' and have used the issue to promote a hardline stance towards Pyongyang, become mere onlookers when the Japanese right commits political terrorism." [19]
Pressure on NHK to fall in line with the narrow views of the LDP leadership -- in other words, adopt this double-standard -- is part of a larger strategy to cover-up complicity in a historical legacy of corruption and war crimes. In its eagerness to target an easy scapegoat in the form of a bankrupt and dysfunctional dictatorship, the Abe government has descended to a level of moral hypocrisy roughly on par with the vision of "pride" trumpeted and enforced by its yakuza and ultra-nationalist supporters. If this is an indication of the "freedom of expression" that must be honored "at all times," terms given generous lip service in defense of the new policy [3], then one might reasonably expect more of the same tactics to come. -
if it works for hong kong and taiwan it works for us.
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Ask those who pooh-pooh the implications of our ingominous 146th ranking, and they will say, 'So what? Do you want to live in Third World countries where they have a free press and poor living conditions?'
I shake my head sadly at such backward-looking mentalities. After all, the Scandinavians can have the benefits of a free press and good living standards - how about aspiring to reach their standards?
But of course, I'm not too surprised at those attitudes when our leaders ourselves keep looking back. During the elections, they would keep telling us to look to their long history when it comes to judging them. But dude, I don't care what you did in the past - what concerns me right now is what you've been doing recently and what you can do in the future.
There's one maxim which I've held on to quite dearly: 'If you keep looking back, you can never see what's ahead of you.'
With the tendency of our leaders to constantly look back, and the willingness of the general populace to overlook this looking-back mentality, I'm not looking ahead to a very glorious future for Singapore. -
So, how you people feel about being on that ship that ranks 146th on the
Singapore Freedom Index
Press Rank: 146th out of 167 countries
Press Freedom: Difficult Situation
Economic Freedom: Free
Democracy Rank: 83rd of 149 countries (Division 4)
http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/2006/10/mm-lee-were-not-despots.html
also read this piece of news,
www.akha.org
do the journalist/reporters dare to publish this? the west are well aware of this.
I have since send this piece of info to ChannelNewsAsia Singapore, heck, i am in their banned list after posting this.
Freedom of speech? I doubt so.