Singapore Law Blog

Text of Statement By The Senior Minister Of State For Information, Communications And The Arts, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, In Parliament During Committee Of Supplies Debate (MICA), On 29 February 2008.

Broadcasting and Information Management

1. Mr Chairman, Sir, the Honourable Members have raised questions on the regulation of Singapore’s media industry. Let me share with the House, MICA’s role in fostering a vibrant media industry to provide diverse and informed media content choices for the people, whilst safeguarding our social values and national interests.

Content regulation: Internet content

2. First, I will address Ms Thio Li Ann’s question on the regulation of new media. We have adopted a pragmatic approach which emphasizes public education, individual responsibility and industry self-regulation to complement a light-touch regulatory framework.

3. Under the MDA’s Class Licence Scheme, Internet service and content providers are required to exercise discretion to ensure that their content complies with the Class Licence conditions and the Internet Code of Practice. Miss Thio wished to know if a person can make a complaint. Our answer is Yes. Anyone who comes across offensive content on the Internet can call or lodge a complaint via the MDA website. On average, MDA receives one to two such feedback each month.

4. As for matters relating to libel and personal defamation, these lie outside the scope of the MDA’s Class Licence. However existing laws that protect an individual’s rights apply. So these issues are best dealt with through the existing legal and civil channels.

5. While everyone is free to express their views on their personal blogs, they should be mindful that they are still subjected to the laws of the land, such as the Penal Code and the Religious Harmony Act. Singapore ’s key vulnerabilities - the fault lines of race and religion remain, and in fact, are even more exposed to foreign influences in the form of religious extremism and terrorism reaching us through new media. Hence, any individual in Singapore who uses websites for religious purposes has to register with the MDA. This promotes accountability and also ensures personal responsibility for comments made on the internet. We have had cases in the previous years where the law was breached, such as when racist bloggers blogged incendiary racist remarks and we have not hesitated to prosecute them in court.

6. Our controls have enabled the maintenance of our racial harmony in the face of sensitive material such as the Danish cartoons. We will continue to be vigilant and to manage the risks brought about new media, so as to ensure racial harmony amongst our people. However, with regard to the rest of the content on the internet, we will continue to have a the light-touch approach.

Content regulation: old versus new media

7. Let me now turn to the traditional media, where we have adopted a differentiated approach based on reach and impact.

8. Free-to-air TV, for example, has more stringent guidelines as it is a mainstream media that has wider reach and impact on the general public. By comparison, subscription TV, including cable and IPTV services, is given more leeway because its accessibility is restricted by subscription.

9. With regard to the enforcement of TV program codes, I want to assure the house that television, especially the free-to air channels, will uphold certain norms and standards consistent with traditional family values. I would like to address Ms Thio Li Ann’s query on the steps taken to deal with channels that air programmes contrary to these values. Our current system is based largely on self-regulation by the broadcasters who are to comply with a set of programme codes. Hence, programmes are not pre-censored. If there is a complaint, an investigation is launched which includes consultations with the MDA's broadcast advisory committees.

10. With regard to the ST forum page letter regarding a TV show , Ms Thio mentioned which apparently showed a supposedly married gay couple who supposedly have an adopted child, we need to take a balanced view. The TV program was a program about home decoration and design. It featured a game room being converted into a nursery. There was no objection to the skills and talent of the designers or to the general entertainment value of the program. The objection raised does not relate to the main features of the program but to an incidental feature found in this one episode. The concern was that, in the program, the people who were going to live in the redesigned home were two men and a child, not the usual man, women and child. The viewer can extrapolate what the relationship of the two men may be, and then from the extrapolation conclude that family values are not being upheld. As there is a complaint about the program, MDA is investigating the matter in the usual manner. It will consult the program advisory committee for English programs or PACE before making a decision if any guideline was breeched.

Content regulation: dialect content

11. In regulating the media, MICA adopts a flexible approach wherever possible. Take for instance our dialect policy. We do not ban the use of dialects on the broadcast media outright. Where practical, we allow some dialect programming to serve the needs of older Singaporeans and the arts community.

12. In response to Mr Baey Yam Keng’s request for MICA to permit airing dialect content on TV and radio, I would like to point out that some dialect programmes are already available on radio, free-to-air TV and cable TV. For instance, on free-to-air TV, Channel 8 broadcasts dialect operas and Arts Central enjoys leeway to show arthouse movies with some dialect if the films have artistic merit. On radio, FM 95.8 broadcasts dialect news daily. For more dialect programmes, viewers can choose from subscription TV services, including those offered by SCV and SingTel. In addition, dialect movies and dramas are readily available on DVDs, VCDs and videotapes.

13. When the Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) was first launched, only 13% of Chinese Singaporeans could speak Mandarin. Today, with the bilingual policy of schools and continued promotion by the Promote Mandarin Council, half of Chinese Singaporeans can speak Mandarin easily. This puts Singaporeans in an advantageous position to benefit from the rapid growth of China. As reported by My Paper, Singaporean managers are highly sought after in China and Hong Kong and one reason is our ability to speak English and Mandarin. An excellent example is Mr Harry Tan who upgraded 'Days Inn', a motel chain originating from the US, to a 5-star “Days Hotel and Suites” chain in many provinces in China. He strongly believes that only Singaporeans could do this because of our bilingual policy.

14. That we have achieved some success after almost thirty years of the Speak Mandarin Campaign is an outcome that is not irreversible. We should not inadvertently reverse the progress we have made through an uncontrolled liberalisation of our dialect policy.

So Sir, while dialect is not frozen, while it may be cold, we still want mandarin to be cooler.

Fostering social cohesion and nation building

15. Apart from content regulation, MICA also seeks to foster social cohesion and bonding. This is achieved through Public Service Broadcast ( PSB) programmes, which play a critical role in communicating national and social messages. Such PSB programmes are funded by Radio and TV (RTV) licence fees. Mr Teo Ho Pin had requested for the abolition of RTV licence fees and for Government to fund PSB programmes instead. This question has been raised twice in this House before. The collection of RTV licence fees is not unique to Singapore. If these fees are abolished, taxes will have to be increased to fund these PSB programmes. We should view the payment of RTV fees as a partnership between the Government, broadcasters and the people for the public good.

16. The funded PSB programmes cover genres like minority language programmes, culture, information, current affairs, quality drama, local sports and children's programmes, many of which are not commercially viable otherwise. These programmes inform and educate the general public about important social, community and economic issues and policies. They also serve our national interests by strengthening our identity and culture, and promoting social cohesion and racial harmony.

17. On this note, I would like to touch on the Indian language free-to-air channel – Vasantham. Mr Chairman Sir, I shall proceed in Tamil.

(Translation: Mr Chairman sir, Vasantham, the TV service station plays an important part in the life of the Singapore Indian Community. Today, Vasantham has only about 29 hours of programs a week. The Vasantham programs are telecast between Kids Central and Arts Central, both of which are in the English language. We have received much feedback from the Indian community asking for the improvement of Vasantham programmes. We have therefore decided to make Vasantham a separate or a stand-alone channel for Tamil and other Indian programs. In other words, sir it would be like Suria prorgammes. The number of hours of programs will increase to 65 hours a week. Indians in Singapore, therefore can look forward to a much more improved Vasantham channel.)

Free-flow of information

18. Let me now turn to Mr Siew Kum Hong’s question about freedom of information which was a subject of discussion in this house at least twice before. Sir, Singapore is plugged into the globalised world and thrives on a free flow of information. The Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) in its Asian Intelligence Report’s assessment of economic statistics noted that for Singapore, “a wide range of topics are quickly compiled and made available to researchers on a regular basis”. The range, coverage and availability of our economicand social statistics compare very favourably to those compiled and disseminated by more statistically developed countries, for example, US, UK, Australia and Hong Kong. The IMF, in its annual Article IV consultations, has also consistently assessed Singapore’s economic statistics to be timely, credible and reliable.

19. Mr Siew also asked about the availability of information such as employment data differentiating between citizens and non-citizens. In line with national statistical practice, MOM regularly publishes employment figures by residents ( Singapore citizens and PRs) and non-residents (foreigners). MOM has also released two occasional papers today retrievable on their website – the first on the employment of Singapore citizens, PRs and foreigners; the subject that Mr Siew showed interesting, and the second on the quality of employment creation for Singapore citizens.

20. Similarly, the Department of Statistics (DOS) publishes regular demography statistics according to this breakdown, in addition to other economic and social statistics. In fact, all government agencies regularly provide updated information on matters of public interest, such as health, education, and finance through the media, publicity campaigns as well as the internet.

21. The National Archives of Singapore is also a rich repository of historical data that is invaluable to researchers. As stipulated by the National Heritage Board Act 1993, most archived public records are made available for public consultation after a 25-year period.

22. The lack of legislation on Freedom of Information has not prevented Singapore from doing well in international studies on transparency. In 2007, Transparency International ranked Singapore 4th in an international survey, above the United States, which does have a Freedom of Information Act.

23. That Singapore is a financial, information and economic hub; and that the people’s trust in our government remains high, is proof that the system we have today is working well.

National Branding

24. Finally, I fully agree with Ms Penny Low that a country’s brand or reputation has emerged as an important competitive factor. A national branding strategy is therefore important. MICA is committed to improving the overall brand equity of Singapore through coordination among agencies when marketing Singapore. MICA, together with MTI, co-chairs the National Marketing Action Committee or NMAC.

25. NMAC’s main purpose is to develop a whole-of-government effort to market and promote Singapore internationally for a more consistent Singapore brand. As Singapore continues to evolve, so will our brand, and our marketing efforts must reflect this progression. This does not mean that tomorrow, you are going to see a single logo or tagline proclaiming to the world what the “new” Singapore is about. Instead, it is more about coordinating our messaging, as government agencies, so that we speak a common language about what Singapore stands for.

26. Branding only seeks to emphasise the reality. Therefore, the reality of what Singapore is, will be what ultimately brands Singapore. With the numerous international events coming to our sunny shores, such as the Youth Olympic Games and the F1 races, there are opportunities for us to showcase and brand Singapore. I have no doubt we would organise and host these events efficiently as we are well-known for efficiency. But, we also need to showcase our “softer” aspects – graciousness, civic consciousness and politeness.

27. This will depend on each and every Singaporean – how we present ourselves to the world. We are the brand ambassadors of Singapore, and through our actions, we will provide the reality of what Brand Singapore truly is – a gracious society living in a vibrant global city.

Conclusion

28. Sir, in conclusion, MICA will continue its efforts to make Singapore a vibrant global city, giving greater choice to all who live and work here.