As Elections Near, Singapore Considers New Media Laws

 

The ruling party in Singapore has named a likely replacement¹ to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Lee is 66 years old and has said he will step down at age 70. He is the son of Singapore’s founder², Lee Kuan Yew³.

Late last week, Singapore’s 57-year-old finance minister, Heng Swee Keat, was given an important position in the party’s leading decision-making group. That group of 16 ministers, known as the fourth generation, or 4G, declared Heng “first among equals.” His new position is expected to lead to the prime ministership.

Lee Hsien Loong has been Singapore’s prime minister since 2004. He is widely expected to step down after elections in early 2021. Lee also heads the People’s Action Party, or PAP, which has ruled since Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965. The island, which today is home to about 5.6 million people, has been a model of stable economic growth since that time.

Preparing the way for new leadership

Party leaders want to protect that stability and the PAP’s control. In May, they watched as Malaysia’s longtime ruling party suffered defeat in elections.

Lee said after the Malaysian vote, “The ruling party, the PAP, does not have a monopoly of power.”

Lee is Singapore’s third prime minister after Lee Kwan Yew and Goh Chok Tong. Both men continued to influence the governance of the country after leaving office. It is unclear if the same will be true of Lee.

Heng is a former central banker. Observers say he is considered a “safe pair of hands.” In 2016, he suffered a stroke and collapsed⁴ during a cabinet meeting.

Singapore’s mainly pro-government media have reported that the PAP supports Heng. However, Zakir Hussain of the Straits Times said, “Leadership transitions in political parties are generally never smooth.”

Critical voices

People are increasingly criticizing the Singaporean government on social media. Singapore calls many such posts “fake news.” Lawmakers have called for legislation to deal with what they call “online falsehoods.”

The government has blocked a foreign based website. It has criticized Facebook for not taking down a post. And, it has seized equipment belonging to a local blog called The Online Citizen, or TOC.

Terry Xu is chief editor of TOC. He told Reuters that the government is reacting more strongly than before. The site is being investigated for possibly spreading false statements about government officials.

Rights groups have criticized Singapore for its control over the media. The group Human Rights Watch said it is concerned that the situation will get worse as the ruling PAP considers possible elections in as early as 2019.

The group Reporters Without Borders ranks Singapore below Russia and Myanmar for freedom of the press. The group said it was concerned about stronger control of the media as elections near.

A spokeswoman for Singapore’s communications ministry⁵ said in an emailed statement that the TOC investigation⁶ “is in no way related to elections.”

She said discussions including criticism of the government take place every day on many sites. But, she added, that does not mean the government will permit “public institutions to be impugned⁸ under the cover of free speech.”

I’m Mario Ritter Jr.

Words in This Story

stable –adj. in a good state or condition that is not easily changed or likely to change

monopoly –n. complete ownership or control of something

transition –n. a change from one state or condition to another

impugn⁷ –v. to criticize a person by suggesting that they are not honest or should not be trusted

1 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 yew   

n.紫杉属树木

参考例句：

• The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
• All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。

4 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 impugn   

v.指责，对…表示怀疑

参考例句：

• Nobody can impugn his ability.没有人对他的能力表示怀疑。
• The Secretary's letter questions my veracity and impugns my motives.部长的来信怀疑我的诚实，质疑我的动机。

8 impugned   

v.非难，指谪( impugn的过去式和过去分词 )；对…有怀疑

参考例句：

• All I can hope is that the good name of the Bank will not be impugned in some way. 我所希望的，就是该银行的好名声不要在某些方面受到质疑。 来自辞典例句