THE TEMASEK REVIEW

By Manisha Kumari, Managing Editor

Singapore boasts of being number one country. It is number one in almost everything. Recently Changi Airport received the best airport in the world award. It received another five awards, including four ‘Best Airport’ titles, in September 2009.  Not only this, Singapore Airlines Ltd. is the world’s biggest carrier by market value.

The Port of Singapore is the busiest in the world, surpassing Rotterdam and Hong Kong. When it comes to cleanliness, Singapore again takes the trophy for being the cleanest country in the world. Singapore’s education system acknowledged as the world’s best by President Obama and US educators. 

The economy of Singapore is a highly developed state capitalist mixed economy. It has an open business environment, relatively corruption-free and transparent, stable prices and one of the highest per capita gross domestic products (GDP) in the world.

The country projects a state of utopia where everything seems to be so perfect. Nothing less than perfect is acceptable here. So when Paris-based international watchdog – Reporters without Borders (RSF) ranked Singapore at 133th position in World Press Index, the image of Number 1 country is distorted. It gives the picture to the world that everything is not as good as is being projected to the world.

Singapore’s press freedom ranking does not quite commensurate with its lofty status as a modern developed country.

This is a good enough reason to feel bruised

This year Singapore was ranked 133th out of 175 countries below Kenya – which saw riots following a disputed election – and Congo – which continues to struggle with the aftermath of an armed conflict that has claimed more than 5 million lives.

Though Singapore moved up from 144th spot to 133rd, it was still behind Thailand (130th) and Malaysia (131st). The neighbouring countries are  much below in terms of financial quotient but are higher in terms of freedom of press.

The 175 countries ranked are those for which Reporters without Borders received completed questionnaires from independent sources. Singapore is the only developed country in the world which is ranked outside the top 100 positions along with the likes of Chad, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

In Asia, Japan is ranked 17th, followed by Hong Kong (48th), Taiwan (59th) and South Korea (69th).

According to RSF, Singapore’s low ranking was due to the complete absence of independent newspapers, radio stations and TV stations, the application of prison sentences for press offences, media self-censorship and the opposition’s lack of access to the state media.

The ruling party has consistently dismissed the findings of RSF on the grounds that the“western-style” journalism which is inherently “antagonistic and confrontational” in nature does not suit Singapore’s interests.

The Singapore media has long been relegated to become a mouthpiece for the government.

Law minister, Mr K Shanmugam has a good enough reason to feel hurt at Singapore media’s pathetic rankings on the World Press Freedom Index. He even lashed out at what he perceived as an “unfair” assessment of the Singapore media’s pathetic ranking on the world press freedom index.

According to him, the Press Freedom Index compiled by the organization Reporters without Borders is “quite absurd and divorced from reality”.

The minister seemed to be highly bruised by the ranking. Instead of complaining at the rankings, Mr Shanmugam should seriously reflect on the reason as to why the Singapore media has acquired such an unsavoury reputation in the international arena. It wouldn’t be difficult at all for the minister to reach the conclusion.

As we all know, there is no free or independent press in Singapore. All the major publications are controlled by one single media company – the Singapore Press Holdings whose current Chairman is a former PAP minister Dr Tony Tan.

The online media is heavily scrutinized by the police as well that leads to self-censorship among the country’s bloggers.

Singapore’s leaders continue to make use of defamation lawsuits to silence the foreign media, the latest victims being Wall Street Journal and Far Eastern Economic Review.

The world press has often accused Singapore government of being tyrant when it comes to freedom of press.

Foreign media is often being sued for not being adhering to Singapore’s rules and regulations. “It is a privilege and not a right for foreign newspapers to circulate in Singapore.” “If any foreign newspaper fails to comply with the law, they cannot expect to enjoy this privilege.”

Criticisms of government leaders and policies are unheard of in the mainstream media.

In a recent third edition of the Legatum Prosperity Index ranks 104 countries (covering 90% of the world’s population), based on a definition of prosperity that combines economic growth together with measures of happiness and quality of life, Singapore ranked at 23. The report said that it would rank even higher if not for weak democratic institutions and reduced personal freedoms, which are vital for the  holistic prosperity.

The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is the government’s regulatory body imposes and enforces regulation over locally-produced media content. It also decides on the availability of published media from abroad.

Most of the local media are directly or indirectly controlled by the government through shareholdings of these media entities by the state’s investment arm Temasek Holdings, which are often perceived as pro-government.

State-owned MediaCorp operates all seven free-to-air terrestrial local television channels licensed to broadcast in Singapore, as well as 14 radio channels. Radio and television stations are all government-owned entities. All seven television channels are owned by MediaCorp.

The idea that Singapore is first-world in economic competitiveness but third-world in press freedom and civil liberties has already become an over-sung tune.

In spite of enjoying the  first status in almost all the thing, Singapore will continue to be the laughing stock in front of the world press and the ranking will only get worse if media continues to be in such a dilapidated state.

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