A government decision to restrict political expression on the Internet during parliamentary elections drew criticism from an international reporters' group, but Singapore says the measure is necessary to ensure responsible campaigning.
"The Singapore government has always maintained that political debates should be premised on factual and objective presentation of issues and arguments," said K. Bhavani, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Communication, Information and the Arts.
"The regulations governing Internet campaigning have served well to safeguard the seriousness of the electoral process," Bhavani said on Friday.
Reporters Without Borders has said Singapore's limits on online electioneering were an attempt to gag free speech.
"Once again the Singapore authorities are showing their determination to prevent the holding of a genuinely democratic debate on the Internet," the Paris-based journalism organization said in a statement on Wednesday.
Balaji Sadasivan, senior minister of state for information, communication and the arts, said this past week that new Internet technologies such as podcasting and videocasting cannot be used for campaigning during general elections. Bloggers can discuss politics but must register with the government if they regularly promote a political stance, he said.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) of the ruling People's Action Party is expected to call elections soon. Currently, two of 84 elected seats are opposition-held.
At least one opposition party has condemned the online restrictions.
The Singapore Democratic Party, or SDP, said in a statement the government's move was "specifically designed to curtail the free flow of information and stymie the SDP's most effective weapon to reach out to voters."
The party said it launched its first political podcast in August as a way to bypass local mainstream media, which it accuses of supporting the ruling party.
Political parties are allowed to campaign online, but within limits, according to laws introduced before the 2001 general elections. Permissible material includes a party's manifesto and photographs and biographies of candidates.
Balaji said bloggers and other managers of Web sites registered as political sites were not allowed to provide material online that constituted "election advertising" during the election period.
But Alex Au, political commentator and author of the online journal Yawning Bread, said the legal definition of "election advertising" was vague, as it was partly described as an act to "enhance the standing" of political parties or candidates.
"If I said an opposition party's candidate comes across as a credible candidate, have I enhanced the person's standing? Have I run afoul of the law?" Au asked.
Mark Cenite, a US media law expert in Singapore, said: "These developments vividly illustrate the contrast in approaches to political expression between Singapore and other democracies."
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