How Far In Your Society Should Unpopular Views Be Open For Discussion
BP2014 Essay Issue
Q12. How far, in your society, should unpopular views be open for discussion?
In May 2013, Singapore’s media regulator, the Media Development Authority (MDA), introduce a new licensing framework regulating online news sites operating in Singapore. The move came as a surprise to many and elicited a wide array of responses. The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry association formed by eBay, Facebook, Google and Yahoo, argued that the new regulatory framework creates business uncertainty and stifles innovation, whereas the United States government criticised the move as a further restriction on freedom of expression in Singapore. While the Singapore government, predictably, defended the framework as necessary to safeguard public interest, public security and national harmony, plenty of Singaporeans questioned if the move was designed to curtail free speech online and political discourse in general, and if the new framework would be used to censor unpopular views, especially those that are critical of the government, online. While such concerns are slightly overstated, they are not entirely unwarranted as it is essential for the democratic health of the nation that unpopular views are open for discussion, for the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions is the only way to discover the truth, achieve progress and reach genuine consensus.
The fact that Singapore is a small, multi-racial and multi-religious country is often used as an excuse to restrict the freedom of expression in Singapore. The open discussion of unpopular views, it is argued, threatens social stability and must therefore be carefully controlled; it is also argued that consensus, rather than contestation, should be encouraged. Such a view, however, is dangerously myopic. As while there is no doubt that social stability is vital to Singapore and that consensus is an admirable goal, suppressing or ignoring unpopular views actually undermines the pursuit either goals.
Q12. How far, in your society, should unpopular views be open for discussion?
In May 2013, Singapore’s media regulator, the Media Development Authority (MDA), introduce a new licensing framework regulating online news sites operating in Singapore. The move came as a surprise to many and elicited a wide array of responses. The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry association formed by eBay, Facebook, Google and Yahoo, argued that the new regulatory framework creates business uncertainty and stifles innovation, whereas the United States government criticised the move as a further restriction on freedom of expression in Singapore. While the Singapore government, predictably, defended the framework as necessary to safeguard public interest, public security and national harmony, plenty of Singaporeans questioned if the move was designed to curtail free speech online and political discourse in general, and if the new framework would be used to censor unpopular views, especially those that are critical of the government, online. While such concerns are slightly overstated, they are not entirely unwarranted as it is essential for the democratic health of the nation that unpopular views are open for discussion, for the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions is the only way to discover the truth, achieve progress and reach genuine consensus.
The fact that Singapore is a small, multi-racial and multi-religious country is often used as an excuse to restrict the freedom of expression in Singapore. The open discussion of unpopular views, it is argued, threatens social stability and must therefore be carefully controlled; it is also argued that consensus, rather than contestation, should be encouraged. Such a view, however, is dangerously myopic. As while there is no doubt that social stability is vital to Singapore and that consensus is an admirable goal, suppressing or ignoring unpopular views actually undermines the pursuit either goals.