The ST reported that Hri Kumar continued his attack on WP’s silence on controversial issues this morning. WP was invited to a seminar, dunno who was the organiser, with a topic, ‘Is it true to say…there is freedom of expression in Singapore’. Two days before the seminar the WP declined to send a representative. In Hri Kumar’s view, WP had missed a good opportunity to talk about such a hot and troubling issue in this city state. And as usual, WP chose to remain silence.
The attitude or strategy of the WP is something only they understood and outsiders can at most speculate on what they were up to. Coming back to freedom of expression, whether there is or there isn’t, nothing will come out from a seminar except allowing some blowing of hot air.
To some quarters, there is definitely freedom of expression here. If in doubt, ask the politicians, or ask the main media. They will swear with the lives of their grandfathers that there is definitely freedom of expression. Just because the WP chooses to be silent and many people choose to be reticent do not mean there is no freedom of expression. It is their fault for not speaking out. How true. For those who want to be double safe, just say the right thing and you can express anything you like. Why is Alex in court? This is nothing to do with freedom of expression. He was allowed to express his view freely. That was how they heard him. Otherwise they would not know what he said.
I remember an old Russian joke of an American leader visiting Moscow in the days of the Cold War. The Americans could not help to take a jab at the Russians by challenging them about freedom of expression whenever they met. The American said to his Russian host, ‘In America, we can even say fuck President Johnson in public’. The Russians nodded and said they too could do that. And he climbed on top of a table to mean business and shouted, ‘Fuck President Johnson’. See, freedom of expression.
Anyone wants to argue there is no freedom of expression here?
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/