Sunday, July 8, 2007
Singer believes that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy and therefore should not be limited. On the other hand, Szilagyi believes that more focus should be placed on social responsibility.
which author’s view do you think should be adopted?
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
Article 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore provides for the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression in Singapore states:
“Every citizen of Singapore has the right to freedom of speech and expression” but “Parliament may by law impose… such restrictions as it considers necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of Singapore… friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or to provide against contempt of court, defamation or incitement to any offence”
Freedom of speech or Social Responsibility
We observe that there is an increase in emphasis on the freedom of speech and expression in the recent years. When we say “freedom” it means without limit so freedom of speech and expression simply means speech and expression without any form of control.
Singapore is often referred as a little red dot on the world map; a mere sneeze is enough to cause the whole country to catch a cold. As a small multi-racial state where there is cultural and religious pluralism and human resource is our only form of natural resource. Freedom of speech may be often regarded as the most fundamental human right. However, there is a need to strike a balance between the values of this right and the potential harm of it to public interest. Therefore, I believe that Szilagyi’s point of view is more applicable to Singapore.
I remembered someone ever asked me “ Why are the fishes in Singapore so difficult to fish?” and the answer to it was “This is because the fishes in Singapore are like Singaporeans, they will never open their mouths.” Singapore may have been criticized for its policy of restricting freedom of speech and expression and even ranked 147th out of 167 countries on press freedom. Furthermore, the freedom of speech and expression may seem ideal since it means no one will control what we say and we can do, as we like. However, we should also consider the fact that not everyone has the maturity and social responsibility to know what is deemed wrong and not say it. One may not have ill intentions when conveying the message but “once messages are out in public, they develop a life of their own and become subject to multiple interpretations, and often manipulation that serves political agendas.”
Whether the majority or the minority, everyone in Singapore carries different identities, we have different cultures and beliefs. This has lead to a more vibrant cosmopolitan city to live in. At the same time, it also means we have to be more careful about certain sensitive issues since what we think is harmless may not apply to others. Freedom of speech and expression “hails individual freedom” but it is also important to “strike a balance between individual and collective press freedom rights.” which the latter “places more emphasis on the media's responsibility in leading an informed, high-quality discussion, with due respect for minority rights.” Social responsibility and respect especially for the minority creates a more ideal and harmonious country.
Nonetheless, “freedom of speech is essential to democratic regimes” as it ensures a healthy democracy. With the freedom of speech and expression, citizens will be able to exercise their right to vote effectively since they have the access to more information and ideas. As stated many times, Singapore is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, which also means, there is bound to be divergence of opinions on some matters. The freedom to express even controversial points of view is important address key political, social and cultural issues. Therefore, “without that freedom, human progress will always run up against a basic roadblock.”
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