I wish to talk about the climate of fear in Singapore. What is this climate of fear? It is the fear of criticizing the policies of the government.
Many people are worried that they might lose their jobs or their business might be badly affected, if they speak against these policies. They even worry that it might affect other members of their family. Their family members also ask them to tone down their views.
It is bad if we do not have a healthy discussion how the policies affect the ordinary people. We can have bad policies and practices that are not corrected for a long time, causing a lot of damage.
What are some of the bad policies and practices? Some of them could be:
a) Policies that lead to high cost of living, such as GST
b) Policies that lead to uncertainty of jobs or depressed wages.
c) Abuse of power and corrupt practices.
Why are people afraid to speak out?
Many people are worried that they might lose their jobs or their business might be badly affected, if they speak against these policies. They even worry that it might affect other members of their family. Their family members also ask them to tone down their views.
It is bad if we do not have a healthy discussion how the policies affect the ordinary people. We can have bad policies and practices that are not corrected for a long time, causing a lot of damage.
What are some of the bad policies and practices? Some of them could be:
a) Policies that lead to high cost of living, such as GST
b) Policies that lead to uncertainty of jobs or depressed wages.
c) Abuse of power and corrupt practices.
Why are people afraid to speak out?
They saw what happened to some of the people that spoke out and how many of them were sued and made bankrupt or have to run away from Singapore. The statements were not extremely bad but they were sued anyway.
It was rather sad that the judges found the statements to be defamatory, and awarded huge and financially crippling damages.
These legal cases create a climate of fear. Many people are not sure if their statements could lead them to be sued for defamatory or charged for scandalizing the judiciary. It is better to keep quiet.
I have personally been threatened with defamation by a land banking company. Their demands were excessive and bullying. I agreed to the reasonable demands but did not comply with the excessive demands. The matter was dropped after a few months. The company was later found to be cheating the public and the directors were jailed.
The government can remove this climate of fear and encourage people to think rationally and express their views freely. This will be good for our future.
The government should refrain from taking harsh action against people who might have gone overboard in expressing their views. They can point out the mistake and make it easy for people to retract them. People will understand and learn from the experience.
If people made unfounded allegations about the actions of the government, it is better for the government to be transparent and give the facts. There is no need to use harsh measures against these allegations.
By being transparent and accountable, they will gain the trust of the people.
It was rather sad that the judges found the statements to be defamatory, and awarded huge and financially crippling damages.
These legal cases create a climate of fear. Many people are not sure if their statements could lead them to be sued for defamatory or charged for scandalizing the judiciary. It is better to keep quiet.
I have personally been threatened with defamation by a land banking company. Their demands were excessive and bullying. I agreed to the reasonable demands but did not comply with the excessive demands. The matter was dropped after a few months. The company was later found to be cheating the public and the directors were jailed.
The government can remove this climate of fear and encourage people to think rationally and express their views freely. This will be good for our future.
The government should refrain from taking harsh action against people who might have gone overboard in expressing their views. They can point out the mistake and make it easy for people to retract them. People will understand and learn from the experience.
If people made unfounded allegations about the actions of the government, it is better for the government to be transparent and give the facts. There is no need to use harsh measures against these allegations.
By being transparent and accountable, they will gain the trust of the people.
2 comments:
"In the meantime, much stronger criticism of Singapore courts has recently been published in some international media and widely shared public posts. AGC appears not to have commenced committal proceedings against the media and others, whilst nonetheless continuing this action against Shengwu for his private communications," he added. He did not cite examples of the criticism put forth by these foreign media outlets.
He has done a lot of damage to this country and a lot of people just have no time for him. But he may be right in what he is saying???????????????
In future if any Singaporeans sign a contract but have no money to pay can always ask for deferment????????? How far are we going to go for being bullied??????????
People know how to differentiate between the righteous or an advertisement.
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