Sunday, July 8, 2007 @9:13 AM
JUNE HOL HW (ASSIGNMENT 1):Singer believes that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy and therefore should not be limited. He has even quoted from article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.”
Yes, it is true that everyone should have freedom of expression, but not in the context of Singapore.
When the Danish paper published cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad, it provoked rage in the Muslim world and the Danish paper had to issue a statement to apologize about the offense the cartoons had caused to Muslims around the world. If freedom of speech cannot even be tolerated between countries, the situation would be much worse in a small multi-racial country.
If freedom of speech were to be practiced in Singapore, there would be attacks on the different racial groups. As mentioned by Szilagyi, “In our networked world, existing societal and political tensions can be inflamed instantly through the transfer of messages from one cultural context to another”. The attacks would be spread around, blown out of proportion. Then, there would be incitement to racial, religious, or ethnic hatred and it may, in turn, lead to violence and racial riots. The memory of the 1964 race riots is painful enough and I am sure that Singaporeans would not wish to endure that kind of pain a second time.
There is no doubt that freedom of speech is an essential foundation of any democracy. But when newspapers insist on this right, they have to understand that they do not – alone – create the context and lifespan of their messages. They have to place more emphasis on the media’s responsibility in leading an informed, high-quality discussion, with due respect for minority rights.
Therefore, in the context of Singapore, I feel that Szilagyi’s believe, that more focus should be placed on social responsibility, should be adopted.
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