Tuesday, June 12, 2007
In the context of Singapore’s multi-racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism, which author’s view do you think should be adopted?
In the case of the Singapore, I think that Zsofia Szilagyi’s view should be adopted. Singapore, being a multi-racial state, enjoys racial and religious harmony. This is something that our forefathers have put in so much effort to establish and that it should not be taken for granted. I agree that freedom of expression is important in any democracy but if we allow people to make offensive remarks about other races and religions, is that morally right?
Clearly, the Singapore government does not tolerate any acts which will disrupt the racial and religious harmony in this country. Recently, a person got charged in court because he posted racist remarks on his blog. So why should we tolerate such actions? We may want our freedom of speech as much as everyone but we have to exercise social responsibility and not hurt others. This applies mostly to the media, which is such a powerful and influential body in society.
If the media plainly insists on freedom of expression, aren’t they being very superficial? Freedom of expression may be a right but is it alright if we abuse this right to violate the rights of others? Thus, the media and the people should not be so selfish only to hold on to their own rights and not pay any attention to the feelings of others. This is what I call insensitive. In other words, fervent supporters of “freedom of expression” are self-centred and tactless. We must face the reality that in a world of global information flow, once messages are out in public, they develop a life of their own and become subject to multiple interpretations and often manipulation that serves political agendas. As mentioned in the text, th e press have to understand that they do not alone create the context and lifespan of these message. In this constant changing world, the concept of freedom of expression has to change and the media must be willing to accept this fact. Only by exercising social responsibility, then can we protect the racial and religious harmony in Singapore.
; 10:20 PM
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