A review of OB Markers: My Straits Times Story, by
Cheong Yip Seng, former Editor-in-Chief of the Singapore Press
Holdings, published by Straits Times Press. Asia
Sentinel:
From the very first chapter of
this book to the last, it is full of detailed and astonishing
revelations about the mainstream media in Singapore.
It is an incredible resource for those trying to
understand the control of the media and Singapore’s brand of
self-censorship. Indirectly, Cheong Yip Seng’s My Straits Times
Story is invaluable in helping to explain the dominance of one
political party through its “symbiotic” relationship to all the
mainstream print media in our country. …
There is more evidence of intimidation documented
in this book, mainly from Lee Kuan Yew, who actually endorsed the
book prominently. For example, after an early event at the Chinese
Chamber of Commerce, Cheong was threatened by Lee with the
words, “If you
print this, I will break your neck”.
Cheong’s response to what appears on
the surface to be a brutal threat is interesting was: “I was taken
aback by his thunderbolt…It was my first taste of Lee Kuan Yew’s
ways with the media…Thankfully not every encounter would be as
bruising as (that)…but there were many occasions when the
knuckleduster approach was unmistakable.”
Such blatant intimidation is presumably rare in Singapore. The
title of the book, however, describes the life of a Singaporean
journalist constantly trying to negotiate the “OB” or “Out of
Bounds” markers. Cheong explains the origin of the term “OB
markers”, ascribing it to former minister George Yeo, who described
them as “areas of public life that should remain out of bounds to
social activism and the media. Otherwise, society paid an
unacceptably high price.”
Outside of race and
religion, the
most important OB marker was then PM Lee Kuan Yew’s argument that
the press could not be a “fourth estate” or center of power because
it was not elected.
This is not a valid argument to me as it could be argued that
the press are far more accountable than politicians as they have to
seek the approval of the newspaper purchasing public every day
rather than every four to five years in elections.
Instead, Lee’s view of the press was that it was
a tool for dissemination and promotion of government
policies. One
illuminating illustration was a “furious” call from Lee’s office
that was received by the (now defunct) New Nation Editor David
Kraal. The editors were “flummoxed” to discover that the
then PM was provoked by a photograph of a large
family to illustrate a story of a happy Singapore family.
Apparently, this was perceived by the PM as “subtle but effective
criticism” of the “Stop at Two campaign” in which Lee sought to
limit families to two children.
…
Cheong makes
it clear that while he had hoped that the “knuckleduster era”
belonged to the 1970s, it could reappear any time. For example, he
describes how while “recovering” from the 2006 general election, he
received a phone call in a hotel in Phuket, from Lee Kuan Yew who
was “livid” about a “powerfully argued column by Chua Mui Hoong” in
which the deputy political editor had questioned the policy of
placing opposition wards at the back of the queue for upgrading
works. According to Cheong, Lee was “his old 1970s
self. If the Straits Times wanted a fight, he was prepared to do it
the old way, with knuckledusters on”. This is depressing but not
surprising to any reader of the ST today.
http://leewatch.info/2013/01/03/book-review-lee-kuan-yews-taming-of-the-press/
