Remember "Negarakuku"? - 3 views

• 
  #1 Ang Yao Zong on 15 Sep 09

   

  http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2007/04/muar_rapper_on_.html
  
  http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/13039/84/
  
  The two links above talk about Wee Meng Chee, a Malaysian rapper who is currently pursuing his degree in Mass Communications in Taiwan. "namewee", the moniker that he is more popularly known by, has already gotten himself into trouble with the law on numerous occasions due to the controversial nature of his rap lyrics.
  
  As seen and heard from the video on Mr. Brown's website, his rap lyrics often talk about racial discrimination and racial animosity. However, many have commented that his lyrics provide quite an accurate portrayal of the reality of Malaysian (and sometimes, Singapore) society.
  
  The Malaysian authorities have hauled him in on a few occasions under the Sedition Act, a legal constitution that does not differ much from Singapore's very own Sedition Act and Internal Security Act.
  
  My question is:
  
  One of the reasons behind the incorparation of the Sedition Act into Singapore's Constitution was to prevent controversial content from being published on traditional media, which could lead racial or religious conflicts.
  
  However, with the advent of the Internet, this Act has been applied into the online context, as seen in the arrest of bloggers that posted racially-discrimating remarks on their blogs (http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20080522-66514.html).
  
  Should the Sedition Act be applied onto the online context without considerations for the characteristics of the Internet itself? Are we assuming that netizens do not have the autonomy to make decisions for themselves (with regards to racial/religious issue)?
  
  Is the Sedition Act actually a "barrier" to the freedom of speech and thought which results in Singaporeans living in a "safe bubble" where all contentious information is blocked out?
  
  
  The problem is: What/Who determines the term "Democracy"?
  
  There seems to be many interpretations over this term and Singapore (particularly in Kishore Mahbubhani's writing) has repeatedly stated that the country is an "Asian-style" democracy. Can there be a universal term of "Democracy"?

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner"><a href="http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2007/04/muar_rapper_on_.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2007/04/muar_rapper_on_.html</a> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/13039/84/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/13039/84/</a> <br /> <br /> The two links above talk about Wee Meng Chee, a Malaysian rapper who is currently pursuing his degree in Mass Communications in Taiwan. "namewee", the moniker that he is more popularly known by, has already gotten himself into trouble with the law on numerous occasions due to the controversial nature of his rap lyrics. <br /> <br /> As seen and heard from the video on Mr. Brown's website, his rap lyrics often talk about racial discrimination and racial animosity. However, many have commented that his lyrics provide quite an accurate portrayal of the reality of Malaysian (and sometimes, Singapore) society. <br /> <br /> The Malaysian authorities have hauled him in on a few occasions under the Sedition Act, a legal constitution that does not differ much from Singapore's very own Sedition Act and Internal Security Act. <br /> <br /> My question is: <br /> <br /> One of the reasons behind the incorparation of the Sedition Act into Singapore's Constitution was to prevent controversial content from being published on traditional media, which could lead racial or religious conflicts. <br /> <br /> However, with the advent of the Internet, this Act has been applied into the online context, as seen in the arrest of bloggers that posted racially-discrimating remarks on their blogs (<a href="http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20080522-66514.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20080522-66514.html</a>). <br /> <br /> Should the Sedition Act be applied onto the online context without considerations for the characteristics of the Internet itself? Are we assuming that netizens do not have the autonomy to make decisions for themselves (with regards to racial/religious issue)? <br /> <br /> Is the Sedition Act actually a "barrier" to the freedom of speech and thought which results in Singaporeans living in a "safe bubble" where all contentious information is blocked out? <br /> <br /> <br /> The problem is: What/Who determines the term "Democracy"? <br /> <br /> There seems to be many interpretations over this term and Singapore (particularly in Kishore Mahbubhani's writing) has repeatedly stated that the country is an "Asian-style" democracy. Can there be a universal term of "Democracy"?</div>

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