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[h=2]Silencing the Public can now be done with taxpayer’s money[/h]
June 10th, 2013 |
Author: Contributions
I am not a good writer so bear with me. Let’s look at a
hypothetical situation.
Suppose next month, a site like TOC receives a letter to register for a
license, and for some reason, agrees to put up the $50k bond and to fully comply
with the registration requirement. Then even if the government issues no take
down order from then on, but when the time comes for licensing renewal, MDA
disapprove of the renewal without giving any reason (which is common with our
government agencies), and order the site to be shut down within 24 hours, what
can the site owner do? Take the site offline without sufficient time to inform
its readers? Or carry on as an illegal site, which the MDA will no doubt use the
law to persecute them.
And another hypothetical situation.
Suppose near the next election, MDA suddenly starts issuing a registration
order to all the popular sites. They have to either comply within a specific
time frame, or shut down their site. How many can put up $50k on a short notice?
What happens then? Keep running with an illegal branding and face persecution
from MDA on the basis that the site owner fail to comply with licensing
requirement, or shut down and suck thumb?
My point is, MDA can move in on anyone operating a site at any time now, and
it is beyond taking down an article or two. It now holds the power to shut down
any site it wants by making it illegal if 1) you don’t register, or 2) by not
renewing your license, or 3) by terminating your license at any point of time.
Best of all, it doesn’t even need to give a reason and no where is it written in
the regulations that they have to be reasonable or accountable to any member of
the public.
Shutting up people have now moved from the ruling politicians using their own
money to sue, to using government resources paid for by the taxpayers to squash
dissent. Censorship has never been executed more elegantly.
.
Leslie Chew
* Founder of Demoncratic Singapore
hypothetical situation.
Suppose next month, a site like TOC receives a letter to register for a
license, and for some reason, agrees to put up the $50k bond and to fully comply
with the registration requirement. Then even if the government issues no take
down order from then on, but when the time comes for licensing renewal, MDA
disapprove of the renewal without giving any reason (which is common with our
government agencies), and order the site to be shut down within 24 hours, what
can the site owner do? Take the site offline without sufficient time to inform
its readers? Or carry on as an illegal site, which the MDA will no doubt use the
law to persecute them.
And another hypothetical situation.
Suppose near the next election, MDA suddenly starts issuing a registration
order to all the popular sites. They have to either comply within a specific
time frame, or shut down their site. How many can put up $50k on a short notice?
What happens then? Keep running with an illegal branding and face persecution
from MDA on the basis that the site owner fail to comply with licensing
requirement, or shut down and suck thumb?
My point is, MDA can move in on anyone operating a site at any time now, and
it is beyond taking down an article or two. It now holds the power to shut down
any site it wants by making it illegal if 1) you don’t register, or 2) by not
renewing your license, or 3) by terminating your license at any point of time.
Best of all, it doesn’t even need to give a reason and no where is it written in
the regulations that they have to be reasonable or accountable to any member of
the public.
Shutting up people have now moved from the ruling politicians using their own
money to sue, to using government resources paid for by the taxpayers to squash
dissent. Censorship has never been executed more elegantly.
.
Leslie Chew
* Founder of Demoncratic Singapore
