Slashdot Mirror
Singapore Paper Yanks Blogger Critique of Gov't
Hou writes "mr brown — aka Lee Kin Mun, Singapore's most famous blogger, has been writing a weekly column for a local Singaporean newspaper called 'Today.' Recently, one of his columns was more critical than the powers-that-rule liked, which was a satire on the increasing costs of living in Singapore. They issued a statement through the press secretary for the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, and sternly chastised Mr. Brown for having expressed anti-government views. Not surprisingly, a few days later, Mr. Brown posted a notice saying that his column had been suspended by Today. " (More below.)
"Here's a snip from the government representative's statement:
It is not the role of journalists or newspapers in Singapore to champion issues, or campaign for or against the Government. (...) If a columnist presents himself as a non-political observer, while exploiting his access to the mass media to undermine the government's standing with the electorate, then he is no longer a constructive critic, but a partisan player in politics.Link to post on mr brown's blog, and the report from Reporters Without Borders. More blog entries can be found from fellow outraged bloggers here."
i would disagree about the part on people disappearing. PAP (the governing party) has a tendency to sue people for defamation. Also, they get discredited in the local media (since local media is controlled by the PAP). Alternative views on singapore politics can be found from this blog: http://singabloodypore.blogspot.com/
"From the looks of it, it looks a lot like any western country - well run, good order, clean streets,..."
That's the first sign that something is amiss.
"If the ruling party of Singapore feels threatened by what you write, well, expect to disappear."
And, we have confirmation.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
Yes it is. However, it is usually possible to keep inflation to a minimum via fiscal and economic policy. Notice the Canadian and American governments' raising of interest rates in the past few years. They are cooling off the economy to try and a keep a lid on inflation.