Censure of Polytechnic debater
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A Nanyang polytechnic student was mysteriously silenced...,no, recalled from the finals of an inter-varsity debate after brushing on political standpoints. Reasons given were deceivingly guised under the pretext of requiring him to be back for work commitments in his polytechnic. People are of mixed views. Some say leh..some say lah..some say foul play.
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At least state the source so we can go read on it and discuss wat
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yea...post some sources please?
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I'm in Ngee Ann but i've not heard of this incident you describe nor was there any mention of it in the new media, where exactly did you get this information from?
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i heard of this from one of the forums i attended. yes its slightly heavyhanded. but please remember - its the school which overreacted and recalled the team, not anybody else.Originally posted by SolidSnake:A Nanyang polytechnic student was mysteriously silenced...,no, recalled from the finals of an inter-varsity debate after brushing on political standpoints. Reasons given were deceivingly guised under the pretext of requiring him to be back for work commitments in his polytechnic. People are of mixed views. Some say leh..some say lah..some say foul play. -
I apologise. It was NYP not NP. The sources are extracted from the copy of Weekend Today on the July 26-27. Ok i managed to skim the more salient and relevant parts of the article for your perusal due to the fact that i cannot find any online sources.
DEBATING STORM
When NYP returned home early from an international debating tournament, the institution had no idea it would leave university debaters across the globe up in arms.
The strong reaction was sparked by the perception that the polytechnic was trying to censor- and censure- one of its students, who gave a speech that was critical of the Singapore Government.
Now, from Canada and Britain to Asia and Australia, various debating communities have expressed concern about the World Universities Debating Championships, which will be held here in December, the first time Singapore is hosting the event.
Scotsman Andy Hume, a previous world champion, said the issue is whether or not the debater would be able to stand up in a debate to castigate the Singaporean model of democracy. Recent moves by the Government to open up drew scant notice as murmurs of government regulation rumbled throughout several debating fora.
The episode began on July 6 with the NYP student's speech in hte public speaking competition at the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships in Malaysia. After getting the topic "What the Matrix means to me", he decided to speak about democracy in Singapore, and suggested it was found wanting. Another debator, Mr Ravi Viswanathan of NTU, described the speech as "funny, entertaining and tongue-in-cheek." He added: " I don't think it was very pointed."
The NYP student, a foreigner who has been here for 17 years, made it to the finals of the competition. But according to the student, the NYP authorities told him the next day that he would be withdrawn from the competition. The following day, NYP's debaters, who did not make it to the knockout stages of the tournament, were told that they were returning home- one day before the championship finals.
However, NYP's director of academic services, Mr Anthony Woon, stressed that the student's political speech was not the reason for the polytechnic's early departure.
"As far as we are concerned, the debates were over for us and the school term had started. We didn't want students to miss lessons," he told TODAY.
But what about the fact that the student had qualified for the finals of the public speaking event, which was part of a larger competition? The team's decision to return home apparently came as a surprise to the organising committee from Multimedia University, the tournament hosts, and the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Association (AIDa).
On behalf of the two bodies, the AIDa secretary drafted a letter to NYP expressing their "disappointment" at the polytechnic's decision and their concerns regarding the impact such a decision would have on debating in Singapore. -
Which anyone else do you think i would be referring to?Originally posted by wuming78:i heard of this from one of the forums i attended. yes its slightly heavyhanded. but please remember - its the school which overreacted and recalled the team, not anybody else.
I am not pointing any fingers here. I just find it disheartening to see that the true essence of debate has to be stifled and caged within certain regulatory frames. From the article, i do not think the debater meant to go overboard. No bashing to be anticipated, i just want more justice and more freedom in speech accrued to the spirit of debate. -
looks like the anal-retentative braindeaths leaned on the school... and they stood up as well as a house of cards in a hurricane and folded...
score one for the close-minded, ivory tower-dwellers...
alas -
The fact that the school reacted is quite immaterial, considering the Singapore Government's ultra-sensitive and thin skin approach towards non-complimentary remarks.Originally posted by wuming78:i heard of this from one of the forums i attended. yes its slightly heavyhanded. but please remember - its the school which overreacted and recalled the team, not anybody else.
This is reflected by the thinly vieled threats of Government right to react when OB Markers are crossed by Singaporeans' criticism towards the Government.
Such OB (Out-of-Bounds) Markers have never beem clearly or explicity defined; and purposefully done so, in order to give the Government broad interpretation of any criticism directed at itself or the Ruling Party that form the Government.
With the Ruling Party being in power for so long that any criticism directed at the Ruling POLITICAL Party is similary seen as disloyalty in criticising the Singapore Government. -
Pathetic bunch of mindless and immature children who think the world should treat them on their own terms..Dickheads..
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Pathetic bunch of mindless and immature children who think the world should treat them on their own terms..Dickheads..