Free Speech Versus Walking Safely at Night?

[Pic Source]

Ibrahim Conrad Abdullah needs to be applauded. For starters, and unlike me, he used his real name and even has a picture of himself for his article/blog on his Quora account. I, on the other hand, would hesitate to put my real name and picture to my articles; not because I’m ashamed of them, but because what I write goes against the accepted narrative set out by the government and I’m reasonably concerned about reprisals. He’s also studying to be a lawyer and has already secured a place with a Solicitor’s firm, which is highly commendable, if not for how society perceives lawyers and all the lawyer jokes out there!

But that’s about as much praise as he’ll get from me because his article championing Singapore over the UK, smacks of PAP partisanship (almost as much as Calvin Cheng’s articles, which is saying a lot), and I’m here to get rid of that god-awful smell!

I’ll start with the most glaring statement – “Back in Singapore, I didn’t feel as if I had a lack of freedom of speech. Quite frankly, I felt free to walk the streets safe at night. I felt free to meet my friends wherever and whenever and I felt free to know that a roving mob of English Defence League hooligans wouldn’t throw beer bottles at us”.

What I’d like to know is how a prodigal lawyer like Mr. Abdullah can confuse “freedom of speech” with being attacked by hooligans? Mr. Abdullah, you do realise that “freedom of speech” means the ability of the people to express beliefs and ideas without unwarranted government restriction. It has been held up most recently and most loudly by the Americans, but it’s a concept that dates back to the people who gave us democracy – the ancient Greeks (not the modern ones, who can’t even spend their way out of a recession).

Now, look carefully at that link, it’s not saying that you can say anything and everything. With the right to free speech, also comes the responsibility to free speech, which is why here in New Zealand, just because we have free speech, it doesn’t mean that people go around throwing racial, religious, sexual, or any other genre of slurs and insults at others.

However, what it does mean is that when the government does something questionable (and that could be as mundane and hilarious as the NZ Prime Minister tugging on a waitresses’ ponytail to something as serious as signing the TPPA and being part of the international spying club – the Five Eyes), the people have the ability to question, challenge, fight, and even take the Prime Minister to court! For those who are unsure of the last point, remember the time when the Singaporean Prime Minister took a citizen to court? Well, it’s very similar to that, but opposite!

What you’re describing – people attacking other people or crime in general – can happen anywhere, from my awesome new home of New Zealand, to Singapore, to Switzerland – the country that always seems to top any sort of safety ranking. It has nothing to do with “freedom of speech”, and in fact, throughout history, hooliganism (as well as crime) has been present regardless of whether a state allows or restricts “freedom of speech”. For you to obfuscate that term “freedom of speech” with your own cowardly outlook of crime in the UK is either myopic or worse; deceitful!

In your attempt to justify that Singapore is so much better than the UK, you also added some inane and asinine points, such as expensive groceries, the lack of a nightlife, and unreliable public transport. If those are the best points you can think of, then I seriously suggest you do a little more soul-searching and have a slightly deeper look at how the world works.

Yes and just like in New Zealand, groceries are more expensive, but that’s due to a number of factors; factors like higher wages being paid to the people who grow, process, transport, and sell said groceries to you. They could also be higher due to the fact that people are earning more, and that the GBP is worth twice as much as the SGD (at the time of writing). If your “poor” parents are converting SGD to GBP for you to buy groceries, of course they’ll be expensive. Maybe if you got off your entitled arse and got a part-time job earning Sterling Pounds, you’d realise that UK groceries aren’t that expensive after all.

Yes, and just like in New Zealand, there is a lack of nightlife. But could it be that the reason is because you live in a small, hick town (like myself), where the population is unable to sustain the fancy nightclubs, like the ZOUKs, the FIREs, and the CANTOs (arg, I’m old), that you yearn for? If I really, really wanted to go out clubbing, the closest city is a mere two-hour drive, just like how London is three-hours away from your town. Could it also be that unlike yourself, the Poms put a higher priority on the more important things in life; things like family, friends, culture, arts, sport and not on getting pissed and dancing away in a dark, noisy club, and praying to whatever god they believe in that they’ll “pull” at the end of the night?

Yes, and just like in New Zealand, public transport is unreliable, bordering on being non-existent. But that’s because both countries are rather large, and to build a public transport network to a level like Singapore’s, which virtually covers every inch of the country, is nigh-on impossible. However, that’s easily mitigated by the abundance of cheap and easily available motor vehicles, more commonly known as “cars”. By pulling out the “public transport” card, you’re demonstrating what many a PAP supporter loves doing – comparing apples with oranges. It’s tantamount to me proclaiming that Singapore’s aviation industry is backward, compared to the rest of the world, for its lack of a domestic route. Also, just in case you haven’t heard, the public transport system back in Singapore isn’t too healthy either.  

I’m so happy for you that you’ve never had to hate and preach against other classes and groups of people (although I would argue that your general opinion of the English in the South as uneducated or ignorant might prove otherwise). This also shows that you’ve never had to exercise your ability to have free speech in Singapore. Maybe if you tried speaking against the government; tried criticising them, you’ll realise that free speech is merely a well-choreographed illusion; one that seems to be there right in front of you, but quickly disappears when you try to touch it.