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[h=2]ST doesn’t want Dr Chee to mention LKY and FTs[/h]
January 17th, 2015 |
Author: Editorial
Yesterday, Minister Chan Chun Sing wrote to ST Forum (‘Chee sacrifices S’pore to win points overseas: Chan Chun Sing’, 16 Jan) accusing Dr Chee of “sacrifice Singaporeans and Singapore” to “win points” overseas.
Mr Chan said that Dr Chee “has always preferred to play to foreign galleries”.
“For instance, when he (Dr Chee) writes in the right-leaning WSJ, he attacks our government-linked companies – never mind the many Singaporean jobs at stake if foreigners do not do business with our companies,” Mr Chan said.
“And when he writes in the left-leaning Huffington Post, he attacks the US-Singapore free trade agreement – never mind that this FTA allows our companies to compete in the US market and creates jobs for Singaporeans,” he added.
“Dr Chee has always been ready to sacrifice Singaporeans and Singapore if he can win points overseas.”
Dr Chee wrote a reply and sent to ST Forum, hoping that Straits Times will publish his letter in full. Unfortunately, Straits Times wanted to cut off a whole chunk of words from Dr Chee’s letter. Dr Chee refused and so, Straits Times did not publish his letter.
Dr Chee’s reply to Minister Chan has been published in full on TRE today (‘Dr Chee: I wrote not to criticise SG but PAP policies‘, 17 Jan).
In his reply, Dr Chee said, “I did not write these pieces to criticise Singapore, I wrote them to criticise PAP policies. The PAP and Singapore are two different things. We must not equate one with the other.”
“The reason I have written in these news sites is because Singaporean newspapers are reluctant to publish my pieces. Just in the last three month, the Straits Times has rejected all three of my op-eds which I submitted,” he added.
Dr Chee concluded his letter by inviting Mr Chan to an honest debate of ideas, “There are genuine differences in how the SDP and PAP want to take Singapore forward. On this we can have an honest, even robust, debate.”
“But let us not continue to demonise each other just because we hold different views. Singaporeans want us to have a contest of ideas, not call each other names,” he added.
ST wants to censor Dr Chee’s letter mentioning LKY and foreigners
The part that ST wanted to remove from Dr Chee’s letter is as follows:
ST editors appointed by PAP Govt
Former Straits Times’ editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng, who has since retired, wrote in his memoir, ‘OB Markers: My Straits Times Story’, that the government is regularly meddling in the media [Link].
The Singapore government’s intervention in media is legendary. Mr Cheong described many episodes in his book – from appointments of editors to shaping coverage of political and foreign events and even to minor stories like stamp-collecting, carpet-buying and MSG.
Mr Cheong’s memoir put on record the media-government tensions and the astonishing governmental meddling that editors like Mr Cheong had to deal with regularly.
Did the government also meddle in the publication of Dr Chee’s letter in this case? Or perhaps the ST editors afraid of rattling their “bosses” decided to apply some self-censorship?
The bigger question is, does it even matter now in this 21st century when high speed internet, social media, super fast smart phones and smart TVs are thriving?
What do you think?
Mr Chan said that Dr Chee “has always preferred to play to foreign galleries”.
“For instance, when he (Dr Chee) writes in the right-leaning WSJ, he attacks our government-linked companies – never mind the many Singaporean jobs at stake if foreigners do not do business with our companies,” Mr Chan said.
“And when he writes in the left-leaning Huffington Post, he attacks the US-Singapore free trade agreement – never mind that this FTA allows our companies to compete in the US market and creates jobs for Singaporeans,” he added.
“Dr Chee has always been ready to sacrifice Singaporeans and Singapore if he can win points overseas.”
Dr Chee wrote a reply and sent to ST Forum, hoping that Straits Times will publish his letter in full. Unfortunately, Straits Times wanted to cut off a whole chunk of words from Dr Chee’s letter. Dr Chee refused and so, Straits Times did not publish his letter.
Dr Chee’s reply to Minister Chan has been published in full on TRE today (‘Dr Chee: I wrote not to criticise SG but PAP policies‘, 17 Jan).
In his reply, Dr Chee said, “I did not write these pieces to criticise Singapore, I wrote them to criticise PAP policies. The PAP and Singapore are two different things. We must not equate one with the other.”
“The reason I have written in these news sites is because Singaporean newspapers are reluctant to publish my pieces. Just in the last three month, the Straits Times has rejected all three of my op-eds which I submitted,” he added.
Dr Chee concluded his letter by inviting Mr Chan to an honest debate of ideas, “There are genuine differences in how the SDP and PAP want to take Singapore forward. On this we can have an honest, even robust, debate.”
“But let us not continue to demonise each other just because we hold different views. Singaporeans want us to have a contest of ideas, not call each other names,” he added.
ST wants to censor Dr Chee’s letter mentioning LKY and foreigners
The part that ST wanted to remove from Dr Chee’s letter is as follows:
[If Mr Chan insists that I am undermining Singapore, then he should note that it is not I but Mr Lee Kuan Yew who, in an interview with National Geographic, a Western magazine, rather uncharitably likened Singaporeans to indolent animals where "spurs" had to be "stuck into the hide” to make us work harder.
It is not I but the PAP who are persuading young Singaporeans not to pursue a university education while giving foreign students generous financial grants to study at our universities.
It is not I but the Government who has allowed in millions of foreigners to work in Singapore at the expense of Singaporeans' jobs and wages.]
It’s not known why ST wanted to censor this part as what Dr Chee stated above are known facts.It is not I but the PAP who are persuading young Singaporeans not to pursue a university education while giving foreign students generous financial grants to study at our universities.
It is not I but the Government who has allowed in millions of foreigners to work in Singapore at the expense of Singaporeans' jobs and wages.]
ST editors appointed by PAP Govt
Former Straits Times’ editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng, who has since retired, wrote in his memoir, ‘OB Markers: My Straits Times Story’, that the government is regularly meddling in the media [Link].
The Singapore government’s intervention in media is legendary. Mr Cheong described many episodes in his book – from appointments of editors to shaping coverage of political and foreign events and even to minor stories like stamp-collecting, carpet-buying and MSG.
Mr Cheong’s memoir put on record the media-government tensions and the astonishing governmental meddling that editors like Mr Cheong had to deal with regularly.
Did the government also meddle in the publication of Dr Chee’s letter in this case? Or perhaps the ST editors afraid of rattling their “bosses” decided to apply some self-censorship?
The bigger question is, does it even matter now in this 21st century when high speed internet, social media, super fast smart phones and smart TVs are thriving?
What do you think?
