Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
(Singapore)
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41659.htm
Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including:
a. Freedom of Speech and Press
The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and freedom of
expression but permits official restrictions on these rights, and,
in practice, the Government significantly restricted freedom of
speech and freedom of the press. The Government's authoritarian
style fostered an atmosphere inimical to free speech and a free
press. Government intimidation and pressure to conform resulted in
the practice of self-censorship among journalists; however, there
continued to be some limited progress towards greater openness
during the year, including a moderate level of ongoing debate in
newspapers and on the Internet on various public issues.
Under the ISA, the Government may restrict or place conditions on
publications that incite violence, counsel disobedience to the law,
have the potential to arouse tensions in the country's diverse
population, or might threaten national interests, national
security, or public order. While the ISA has not been invoked in
recent years against political opponents of the Government,
political opposition and criticism remained restricted by the
Government's authority to define these powers broadly. In the past,
occasional government references to speech that it considered
"out-of-bounds" were understood to be implicit threats to invoke
the ISA; however, these limits are not codified, and journalists
and others generally believed these limitations have shifted toward
greater tolerance in recent years.
Government leaders urged that news media support the goals of the
elected leadership and help maintain social and religious harmony.
In addition, strict defamation and press laws and the Government's
demonstrated willingness to respond vigorously to what it
considered personal attacks on officials sometimes led journalists
and editors to moderate or limit what was published.
On August 22, newly inaugurated Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
announced that beginning September 1, citizens no longer needed
police approval to speak at indoor public gatherings unless the
topic impinged on race or religion. Foreigners still needed a
permit, and police further specified that any such indoor public
gatherings had to be held in enclosed spaces that were not within
hearing or view of non-participants.
Prior to this relaxation, under the Public Entertainment and
Meetings Act (PEMA), a permit was required for virtually any form
of public speech or entertainment (see Section 2.b.). In 2002,
opposition leader Chee Soon Juan was charged under the PEMA for
holding an unauthorized rally outside the Istana, the government
compound that houses the offices of the President and Prime
Minister; Chee served 5 weeks in prison rather than pay the $1,715
(S$3,000) fine.
In 2000, the Speakers' Corner opened in a financial district park;
however, government restrictions limited the ability to speak
freely. Prospective speakers must be citizens, must show their
identification cards, and are required to register in advance with
the police. However, they do not need to obtain a public
entertainment license. Speakers Corner rules were relaxed during
the year to allow exhibitions and performances; however, sound
amplification is still banned. A list of registered speakers was
posted on a notice board outside the police station. While it was
not necessary to declare speech topics in advance, government
regulations governing the Speakers' Corner state that "the speech
should not be religious in nature and should not have the potential
to cause feelings of enmity, ill will, or hostility between
different racial or religious groups." In 2002, opposition figure
Chee Soon Juan was fined $1,715 (S$3,000) for a speech criticizing
the government ban on schoolgirls wearing the "tudung," a headscarf
that some Muslims consider a religious requirement (see Section
2.c.); under the Constitution, anyone fined more than $1,140
(S$2,000) cannot run for Parliament for 5 years.
The Government strongly influenced both the print and electronic
media. Two companies, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. (SPH) and
MediaCorp, own all general circulation newspapers in the four
official languages--English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. MediaCorp
is wholly owned by the government investment company. SPH is a
private holding company with close ties to the Government; the
Government must approve (and can remove) the holders of SPH
management shares, who have the power to appoint or dismiss all
directors or staff. As a result, while newspapers printed a large
and diverse selection of articles from domestic and foreign
sources, their editorials, coverage of domestic events, and
reporting of sensitive foreign relations issues closely reflected
government policies and the opinions of government leaders.
However, columnists' opinions and letters to the editor expressed a
moderate range of opinions on public issues. In October, an annual
survey of journalists conducted by the international
nongovernmental organization (NGO) Reporters Without Borders ranked
the country as 147th out of 167 countries in terms
of press freedom; the organization's report on the country noted
strong government and ruling party influence over the media as well
as continued censorship and self censorship.
Government-linked companies and organizations operated all
broadcast television channels and almost all radio stations. Only
one radio station, the British Broadcasting Corporation World
Service, was completely independent of the Government. Some
Malaysian and Indonesian television and radio programming can be
received, but satellite dishes are banned, with few exceptions.
However, cable subscribers have access to three foreign television
news channels and many entertainment channels, including some with
news programs.
