Singapore, as we all know, is a strict country when it comes to the media. It ranks 144th in media freedom out of 166. Its newspapers are state-owned. The governement has no qualms about filing lawsuits for which its seems defamatory. As it is, Singapore's journalists practise self-censorship to prevent themselves from getting into trouble. As we get more connected, our desire for alternative views get stronger, and it is on the internet that people are finding the other side of the story.
The Temasek Review (TR) is one such website. Its authors and contributors to the site often fight for the cause of the common people, and question the policies of the government. It publishes reports that are different from the ones in the mainstream papers. These news get lapped up by the information-hungry citizens and that has attracted the government.
Concerned about the potential of the weblog, the government has decided to gazette TR as a political association.This means TR will not be able to receive donations from overseas sources, and must reveal all of its contributors. This is a move widely seen by the public to supress political discussion.
There is really, no right or wrong way about this approach. Singapore is a multi-racial society and its peace is dependant of the races co-existing in harmony. With unregulated content, there is the possibility that this peace is threathened. However, with the explosion of the web, people can find what they want on the internet at ease, making certain moves by the government seen as overbearing and controlling. Unrests in Thailand, Iran and Egypt recently have all been linked to overseas sources, and the government of Singapore is doing its best to ensure that that doesn't happen.
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