http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_269462.html
Political rules to be relaxed
By Sue-Ann Chia
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'The overall thrust of all these changes is to liberalise our society, to widen the space for expression and participation,' said Mr Lee. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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BY the next General Election, due in 2011, Singaporeans should be able to post political videos and campaign materials on the Internet without running foul of the law.
Speaking during the National Day Rally on Sunday night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hinted at the liberalisation, saying the rules set just before the 2006 polls were 'very restrictive'.
His take: It is time to update the rules or risk them being made obsolete by the rapidly changing new media landscape.
'Cyber years are like dog years. One year in cyberspace equals to seven years in real life,' he said.
However, in a suggestion that the liberalistion would not be total, he pointed to a need to maintain accountability and responsibility.
'It's not easy to do this. Do not think that other countries do not face these problems; they do,' he noted, citing Korea as an example of a country that was very concerned about regulating content on the internt.
Mr Lee also hinted at easing the current ban on party political films, as well as that on outdoor demonstrations.
'The overall thrust of all these changes is to liberalise our society, to widen the space for expression and participation. We encourage more citizens to engage in debate, to participate in building our shared future. And we will progressively open up our system even more,' he said.
Political rules to be relaxed
By Sue-Ann Chia
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
'The overall thrust of all these changes is to liberalise our society, to widen the space for expression and participation,' said Mr Lee. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
BY the next General Election, due in 2011, Singaporeans should be able to post political videos and campaign materials on the Internet without running foul of the law.
Speaking during the National Day Rally on Sunday night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hinted at the liberalisation, saying the rules set just before the 2006 polls were 'very restrictive'.
His take: It is time to update the rules or risk them being made obsolete by the rapidly changing new media landscape.
'Cyber years are like dog years. One year in cyberspace equals to seven years in real life,' he said.
However, in a suggestion that the liberalistion would not be total, he pointed to a need to maintain accountability and responsibility.
'It's not easy to do this. Do not think that other countries do not face these problems; they do,' he noted, citing Korea as an example of a country that was very concerned about regulating content on the internt.
Mr Lee also hinted at easing the current ban on party political films, as well as that on outdoor demonstrations.
'The overall thrust of all these changes is to liberalise our society, to widen the space for expression and participation. We encourage more citizens to engage in debate, to participate in building our shared future. And we will progressively open up our system even more,' he said.
