Singapore’s sophisticated press control regime is a carefully calibrated combination of persuasion, consent, control and punishment. This paper, published by Human Rights Quarterly, discusses the legal structure constructed by the Singapore government to impose comprehensive control over press freedom. This unique regime has turned the press into an established political institution that plays the role of maintaining the status quo.
International organisations persistently criticise Singapore’s press control regime for its suppression of the press. One view accuses the regime of controlling dissemination of information to the public, serving the Executive’s interests by repressing opposition and suppressing independent reporting.
However, Singapore’s press control regime is more complicated. It has been moulded over decades by legislative amendments carefully crafted by political leadership. It is intended to give effect to a heavily paternalistic political ideology. The Singaporean Fourth Estate model implies that the Executive must be protected from an unrepresentative press capable of obstructing the delivery of good governance.
Strict press control in Singapore is exercised through political and punitive coercion. The main legislation controlling the press – the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act – has been subject to decades of carefully thought-out and finely-tuned amendments controlling press freedom. The following are the results of this legislation:
- The mission of the Singapore press is confined to simple journalism and straightforward reporting; it must accept its subordinate role as imposed by the Executive.
- No newspaper is allowed to be printed and published in Singapore without permission from the Government. The government can revoke printing privileges at will; Government-related officials or leaders fill top management of newspaper corporations.
- Foreign newspapers circulated in Singapore are subject to the political purposes of Executive leadership. Newspapers applying for a permit to circulate must submit themselves to the jurisdiction of Singapore courts.
- Singapore’s hegemonic culture has contributed to the adoption of the values of political leadership by the press itself. The press now operates within a culture of self-censorship and self-imposed restrictions on individuals who wish to air political views in the mainstream media.
- Almost three decades of contempt of court judgements against the press continually reinforce press suppression. Large damages have been awarded by Singapore courts against the foreign press and opposition leaders. As a result of these awards, successful bankruptcy proceedings against opposition leaders render them ineligible to contest parliamentary elections.
- The resulting lack of press freedom indicates Singapore’s lack of interest in achieving an appropriate balance between social interests and the freedom of critical reporting.
Singapore’s press control regime is based on a fundamental fear that the press could become a challenge to dominant political leadership. Its extremely successful legislative controls have achieved the following results:
- The press performs the task assigned to it by the political leadership;
- It has become an establishment political institution and maintains the status quo; and
- It fulfils the vision of political leadership for the press within the overall pragmatic political ideology holding sway over Singapore.