I think Szilagyi’s view should be adopted. I believe that more focus should be placed on social responsibility rather than freedom of expression. Indeed freedom of expression is essential to any democracy, but it should be limited to a certain extent. In the context of Singapore’s multi-racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism, a small disagreement can easily aggravate into a large conflict. Social responsibility is important because Singapore is a small country and the only resource Singapore has, is human manpower. Singapore is made up of different races, mainly the Chinese, Malays and Indians. Although we must have the right to express our views and thoughts about a certain issue, we have to do this without arousing feelings of dissatisfaction of the others. We must not be seen as adversely affecting their ways of life, rights and interests. This is because insensitivity such as insults and mockery of religions and cultures will stir up distress among our cosmopolitan multi-racial society. This in turn poses a threat to our society in terms of political stability or even economic progression. Examples are strikes and racial riots in 1964, which made Singapore vulnerable. There are work stoppages, destruction of property and breakdown in peace and order. As such, the Singapore government avoided and enforced laws in prevention of potential activities that could cause social tension.
Furthermore, Singapore mass media is partially government intervened. It is not fully up to private companies such as Mediacorp or Singapore Pressholdings to express and publish their articles and opinions freely. According to Mediacorp, a significant number of Singaporeans spend their time watching television and listening to radio. Hence, it is highly important that Mediacorp be cautious about the content being broadcast. With regard to Singapore Pressholdings, the CEO is related to the government; therefore they hold responsibilities in making sure articles being published do not arouse conflicts upon publication. This is to make sure the rights of the minority are protected and prevent unnecessary disagreements from occurring.
However, it is true that freedom of expression is a basic right, but it should be exercised at the correct time to prevent any misunderstanding. This is crucial with regard to people of different races and religion because all of us have different beliefs and ideologies, and conflicts can easily occur among us. There may be different views and opinions expressed by individuals, simply on one selected issue. Hence, there should be limits to the extent that the issue is to be discussed. But what truly matter are the consequences that arise. One should be sensible and socially responsible to the issue being expressed, in order to prevent stirring up of tension. Referring to the Straits Times, the issue of racial blogger is a perfect example. Views had been expressed in discomfort towards the Muslim practices and this inevitably alarmed many readers, especially the Muslims. Thus, even a small matter such as blogging can in fact evolve into the ending up in jail for a day or fine in large sum. This shows how much the government is concerned about protecting the stability of our racial harmony.
Therefore, in Singapore, even if freedom of expression is respected as a basic right, one has to be responsible and bear the consequences that his words will bring about. In conclusion, it is very important to place more focus on social responsibility than freedom of expression in Singapore.
• illusions of mine 11:17 PM
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
A Hanging (George Orwell)
1. He used a lot of illustrations in his writing such as the mentioning of a dog and the things it did to make it more interesting.
2. Supporters of capital punishment argue that capital punishment deters crime, prevents recidivism, and is an appropriate form of punishment for the crime of murder. Opponents of capital punishment argue that it does not deter criminals more than life imprisonment, violates human rights, leads to executions of some who are wrongfully convicted, and discriminates against minorities and the poor.
3. I think that capital punishment is only necessary if the criminal had committed a serious offence such as murder. This is because killing a person involves a life. A life is lost in the process as a result of one’s folly and the killer should pay this back with his own life. This is what the killer deserved. Capital punishment is the most severe form of punishment and should be used appropriately. One should never take it lightly.
The death penalty could be justified in the case of drug trafficking. If one traffics more than a certain amount of drugs, he/she may get the death sentence. I feel that this punishment is too harsh as he/she did not commit murder and should not be sentenced to death. Instead, he/she can be given other forms of punishment such as canning or put to jail.
• illusions of mine 8:17 PM
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Source: The Straits Times (10 April 2007) Tuesday Article: Wikipedia creator moots code of conduct for bloggers
Summary: Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are now widely expressed by people on the internet. Therefore a few high-profile figures in the high-tech industry are proposing a blogger code of conduct to clean up the quality of online discussions. This includes banning anonymous comments left by visitors to bloggers' pages and be able to delete threatening or libellous comments without facing cries of censorship.
Evaluation: I agree with the author of this newspaper article. People are more liberal now and dare to voice out their personal opinions on certain issues. But sometimes, their inappropriate usage of words and their different views of the whole situation may cause controversy. So i think that there is a need to set up some guidelines on the code of conduct of both bloggers and website visitors. This can change the level of expectations that people have about what's acceptable online.
What I have learnt: I have learnt that the internet, known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place. Many conflicts arise from this simple issue of irresponsible blogging and leaving of anonymous comments. The main aim of the code of conduct proposed is not to homogenise the Web but to make clearer the informal rules that are already in place.
• illusions of mine 10:10 PM
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
HELLO! I am Elaine Lim from S15/07. I am in Anderson Junior College now. I chose this school because it is near my house. I can fly to school in ten minutes. I like my class S15/07. All my classmates are so fun to play with and nice to talk to. (:
My CCA is photographic society, also known as ps. Currently I am in the studio specialist team. Basically, we take nothing but a lot of photos during our trainings. I enjoy taking photos! (: I was from Presbyterian High School and my previous CCA was choir. I like singing as well.
Apart from my parents, I am the eldest in my family. I have two siblings, one younger sister and one younger brother.
My hobbies are watching television programs, especially Taiwan idol dramas and Anime cartoons like naruto and bleach, playing computer games like maplestory, daidi and bridge. I enjoy cycling, swimming and rollerblading. Kite flying is fun too. By the way, SHOPPING is my greatest interest! I like picnics and barbeques as well.
My favourite foods are chocolates and cakes! And my favourite colour is green. (:
I can sit in front of my computer for 12 hours straight without feeling bored. I am not sure why either. Sometimes, I really doubt what I am doing.
I enjoy being with my group of pretty friends. We always do fun things together. Although we are now in different schools, we still keep in contact and have fun together like we used to. I love all of them. (:
My greatest wish now is to go Pulau Ubin and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, to see the surroundings and enjoy the scenery. This is the end of my self-introduction. Thank you.
I love green colour! I love chocolates! I love cakes! I love the number 7! xD