Political rules to be relaxed & Political films to be allowed

[NgEjay]

(A more complete summary of PM Lee’s National Day Rally speech will be provided later. These short notes are my critique of various key points raised in his speech.)

PM Lee said in his National Day Rally speech that an outright ban on party political films is no longer sensible. He attempted to illustrate how easy it was to be an amateur film maker by fishing out a mobile phone and filming the audience before him in the auditorium.

Currently, Section 33 of the Films Act (Chapter 107) bans the manufacture or distribution of party political films.

I think PM Lee should realize that being a film maker, even an amateur one, takes much more than just whipping out a mobile phone and capturing random images. Where political films are concerned in particular, it is the message that is of utmost importance.

PM Lee said that censors will allow factual footage, documentaries, and recordings of live events, but he drew the line at what he termed “purely made-up material, partisan stuff, footage distorted to create a slanted impression”. He said that “those should still be off-limits”.

Political films will be dealt with in ways similar to non-political films, with censorship and film classification standards, PM Lee said. “The overriding consideration is to preserve the integrity, quality, and honesty of our political discourse.”

While I am glad that PM Lee has acknowledged that an outright ban on political films is no longer sensible (it never has been sensible regardless of technology), his new move to me is hardly liberalization. It is hardly liberalization if it is still up to the authorities to determine what is true or untrue, what is partisan or non-partisan, what is distorted or not distorted.

It is hardly liberalization if the government still wants to have the right to disallow films based on its own self-serving criteria.

I simply do not know how all this can be remotely construed as even a small step forward.

PM Lee also said that by the next General Election, due in 2011, Singaporeans should be able to post political videos and campaign materials on the Internet without running foul of the law.

He even said that the rules set just before the 2006 polls were “very restrictive”, but he also added that there remained a need to maintain accountability and responsibility.

PM Lee said, “The overall thrust of all these changes is to liberalise our society, to widen the space for expression and participation. We encourage more citizens to engage in debate, to participate in building our shared future. And we will progressively open up our system even more.”

My take on the whole matter is that the government has realized that current laws regarding the banning of party political films or the regulation of election advertising on the Internet during an election period under Section 78A of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218) are not enforceable at all, given the freewheeling nature of the Internet.

They have thus decided to make modifications to existing laws so as to given an outward appearance of liberalization.

However, hardly anything has been liberalized if the government insists, in PM Lee’s own words, on retaining a panel to decide whether or not a political film would pass censorship. It is back to square one, literally.

[rainnix]

Well I would love to see PM Lee's "Fixing opposition... Buying votes" speech resurfacing during the next election.

[Erudio]

i m always surprise a authoritarian gov like PAP can survive thru democratic election fer so long ......

Wat we c here is dat the evil PAP is now ready wif their own political broadcasts, so they liberailize ... but they leave a 'case-by-case' clause in their rule to stop Oppo fr gaining grds .... play dirty

here i hv to say SDP is clever ... they fock the rule n do it any way ... forcing PAP to catch up ...

[fanta]

It looks like the activist have won the preliminary rounds. The One Nation movie is now screening in Malaysia

[troubledtimes]

Thats very true. LKY may dare to sue FEER, but he will never, ever dare to sue a Malaysian newspaper. The thought of suing any Malaysian publication will cause his balls to drop... wonder if SDP should start changing tact, and start promoting Singapore's cause across the Causeway? It makes sense after all to make friends with our neighbours, if the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend'.

[The_Latest_H]

God forbid the day when S'poreans start uploading amateur videos online youtube by the thousands.

It'd be a nightmare for the panel when they realise that they have to spend days reviewing video on youtube that are of local political content. Its not like in the past, after all, when you had only one copy on video tape and needed a distributor. Now you just need a digital cam recorder, and upload on youtube, in your own privacy.

How the government is gonna stop free will is something pretty much baffling. Besides what happens if some of the S'poreans do that when they are overseas- and not returning anytime soon? How can they reinforce a Singapore political law against a S'porean who's in the US and is not liable because in the US, he's considered to be exercising his right to free expression?

[gambler]

Originally Posted by troubledtimes

Thats very true. LKY may dare to sue FEER, but he will never, ever dare to sue a Malaysian newspaper. The thought of suing any Malaysian publication will cause his balls to drop... wonder if SDP should start changing tact, and start promoting Singapore's cause across the Causeway? It makes sense after all to make friends with our neighbours, if the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend'.

Are you stupid or you have nothing to say ... by now all Sporean should know how the regional politics work ... anything they not happy whether they right or wrong, they will threaten cut off water line ... so here we try to avoid saying anything about them ....

It is because of people like you that cant think for yourself that the govt has to be authoritarian

[Nomad]

still have a few taboo areas that cannot be touched - race and religion
it is good,slowly slowly relax a bit and soon we will be fully free.

[troubledtimes]

I dont think you understand what I meant. What I was trying to put across is to get Malaysia on SDP's side. Give our neighbours ammo against PAP. Lets be honest about our relationship with our neighbours, any tension is caused by MM and his arrogance, hence all these threats. Cooperation with our neighbours is possible in the short and medium term while maintaining our soverignty. Please, any replies on how malays will 'bite the hand that feeds you' is racist, and anyone suggesting that is just frankly a dinosaur and probably never been out much...

Besides, once we are done using them, we can always spit them out!

[Alu862]

SDP has noted all of the MIW's wrongs. It is also time to note the "skeletons in the closet" of the opposition. There should be a political video on SDP members, WP members, NSP, SDa and RP members. Especially Chee Soon Juan. Is he really that pure and righteous?