Freiheit? Oder lieber nicht?
Was idly surfing reporters sans frontières when i discovered (or maybe re-discovered. Or maybe i have nothing better to do.) something:The general impression of us by many other nations is, simply put,
wir haben keine Pressefreiheit.
Perhaps that's true, in that no one openly lashes out at our government. Oder, auf das Teil Freiheit in Pressefreiheit hervorzuheben, one could say that in exchange for what we are today, we may have paid the price with the sacrifice of personal freedom.
Let's face it.
1. You don't see anti-governmental criticism in the newspapers.
2. There isn't any open reporting on governmental scandals (the NKF fiasco probably came close enough)
3. Some websites are openly blocked...so if you are a good responsible user you wouldn't surf them.
It's a wicked blend of East-meets-West here in our sunny, tropical island...Western technology, but Eastern mindsets. It's evident by how there was a period of time when students in Secondary schools were indoctrinated to write about 'influences which degrade moral standards' which actually implicitly meant, of course, Western influences. Isn't it easy to have something to compare against? One accuses the other of being morally degrading and the other accuses the former of being draconian. But oh, well.
It's evident in other ways. Doesn't the way mister lee remains indirectly in control of the workings of the country vaguely resemble the way any family patriarch still has the final say of what goes and what's a no-go in the huge extended family? Why do i always get the vague impression that someone is always pulling the strings? It's just a nagging suspicion...but you have to give him the credit. He was the one who brought us where we stand today...
Somethings still have to be considered, i guess...for example, the virtually one-party government here. I mean, the way they practically have a walkover every elections, i almost don't see the point for having them in the first place. And people have come to include that particular party as part of the norms of being a Singaporean. An entire generation (coming to two generations) have grown up since they took power...it's come to a point where if you think of going into politics, only one party comes to mind. It's come to a point where politics here doesn't refer to politics per se, not about Grand Alliances between ruling parties, but has taken on a warped meaning, more in the context of office politics, about bootlickers and the like. Politik here is more or less a taboo subject...you don't even hear people talking about it over coffee.
Perhaps that has also generated the feeling that whatever the government does should be right. And that feeling might had led (misled?) the government into a sense of omnipotence, by granting itself more power and resorting to heavy-handed techniques without fear or anyone complaining. Of course, every organisation would wish to consolidate its power - any government is no exception.
Sadly, some individuals are taking the government's stand as their own - have you read in the papers who a certain someone wished that some people be charged with disturbing the peace because of potentially offensive clothes? Is he taking the law into his own hands? I mean, what the fuck. If you find them distasteful, go and tell them yourself, rather than whine and bitch through the Forum. If you have the cojones to write to the papers, then go and tell them what you think to the face! What's more, give them some leeway. Your field of vision and tolerance level is obviously even narrower than the government's. Right of expression is limited, but no one is going to cause a riot because they wear such clothes. I have a shirt which says 'addicted to aerosol writing.' So i should be arrested because i am a potential vandal? Get Real.
It was once commented that benevolent despotism was an ideal form of government - the very embodiment and truth of that statement is here. Although we may not have complete personal freedom, but look at what we are today. It's not as if we live under total repression. Our borders are not closed, and the media does not run news praising any particular Great Leader or such while the majority starves to death on tree bark. Perhaps as pertaining to Pressefreiheit, there was never a requirement for it anyway. Who's going to act if you complain against a one-party government? Unless your complaint is serious enough to warrant affirmative action, you are very likely to spend some time behind bars for 'disturbing social cohesiveness', yadda yadda. And because only one party holds power, any scandals would be blanked out, because, firstly, it benefits no one (no opposition which could probably capitalise) and secondly, the government probably has a huge say in the media anyway.
So...do we live with what we have? I guess no matter what the circumstances, we have the make the best of what we've been given. That's why you don't see people rioting for freedom, no Tian an men-esque demonstrations, etc. It's because we're satisfied with what we've got. And we have much reason to be. Not that we don't appreciate freedom if it were allowed us - but that with what we have, this is a sacrifice well worth it.
posted by quatscherei @ 23:11
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