Updated: This is the updated version of the earlier report.
Terence Lee / Youth Editor
Dr Chee Soon Juan created a whirlwind when he paid a surprise visit to NTU, but left behind only a whimper as the university censored all campus news coverage of his arrival.
The latest issue of NTU’s campus newspaper, The Nanyang Chronicle , was published on Monday (15th September), and was slated to feature an article about Dr Chee’s visit. In the end, it featured only a visit of a different sort – that of the former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who is a stranger among Singaporean students.
On 26th August, the controversial opposition figure, together with several other Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leaders, visited NTU to distribute flyers and interact with the students. The NTU visit was part of a tour by the SDP to “raise political awareness,” and it included NIE, SMU and NUS as well. The NUS visit, which happened on 11th September, was covered by the university’s student-run online newspaper, The Campus Observer .
Student journalists from the Chronicle and NTU’s student-run news magazine programme, Nanyang Spectrum , were quick to converge on Dr Chee and the SDP members to conduct interviews.
Mr Philip Lim, 23, head of Nanyang Spectrum, was in-charge of producing the news clip for Dr Chee’s visit. Equipped with a video camera, he was on-site to document his visit, but he had trouble finding students to interview.
“This has never occurred to me before, even after many months on Spectrum. I suspect it’s due to the sensitivity of the topic,” he said.
He also recalled how some students whom he spoke to did not know who Dr Chee was. “Someone even asked me if he was the national table tennis coach who just got sacked!” he added. The question, in fact, is a misnomer; the coach in question, Mr Liu Guodong, is in talks to renew his contract with the Singapore Table Tennis Association to help prepare the national team for the 2012 London Olympics.
However, any excitement that their news items would appear on print or screen died down quickly. Mr Lim recalled how he had to remove two out of the three soundbites he planned to use, after some advice from his professors. Further edits were made thereafter, until he felt it was “neutral enough already.”
Despite these measures, the episode was shown for less than three days before the university’s corporate communications department ordered the episode to be taken off-the-air for good.
The article slated for the Nanyang Chronicle was also axed. (Picture, left: The in-house advertisement that was created to replace the Chee Soon Juan story.) After much negotiation between the paper’s teacher-advisors and the university, NTU president Su Guaning gave the article the go-ahead. However, he changed his mind at the last minute, and the article was removed just one day before the newspaper’s publication on Monday (15th September). Many of the student editors at the Chronicle were clearly indignant when they learnt about this.
One of them, 3rd year communications studies student Cheryl Ong, 21 — who is also the Chronicle’s news editor — wrote on her blog: “The reason given for the censorship left a bad taste in my mouth. I can’t really talk about what my teacher told us, because it was mostly his conjecture—’They’ have yet to tell us the official reason.”
She also wrote how “a number of journalism students were rather disgruntled” when the incident transpired.
Chief editor Lin Junjie, 23, said that while they “do not necessarily agree with all executive decisions made by the owner or the publisher”, their journalists have “done their best” to cover every story, including the one that was censored.
“The situation wasn’t within our control as we’re funded by them,” he said.
According to Associate Professor Benjamin Detenber, Chair of NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI), which runs both campus media, the university’s position is that the story was killed because “there was a feeling of concern over the use of student media to publicise and promote the unsolicited views of an uninvited person to the campus.”
But 22-year-old NTU student Naresh Ethan Subhash, who is currently studying film, remained highly critical. He said: “I’m really frustrated. Being university students, we are people who can think for ourselves. If they want to create an institution of higher education, censoring the campus media is totally unacceptable.”
However, Mr Sng Weiliang, a 22 year-old business student, offered another perspective: “I guess they feel that younger people tend to be more myopic, that’s why they want to prevent us from being influenced.”
Literature student Elaine Lee, 20, felt that the censorship questions the student’s analytical ability.
“If we aren’t exposed to anything, how can we be expected to gauge one political view from another?” she added.
Headline picture from Campus Observer.
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To the posters who attribute the changes that have taken place as a result of the Chee’s “civil disobedience”- that’s the dumbest thing i’ve heard all year.
Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP did all the hard work only for their contributions to be continually undermined by western propaganda.
angkukueh ,
sure, then all the opp parties must be the dumbest as
“Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP did all the hard work only for their contributions to be continually undermined by western propaganda.”
because whichever opp parties propose, suggest and even fight for policies are nothing but PAP’s effort because PAP as a government will be the ultimate one approve of policy change and make the change.
Which to say “Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP did all the hard work only for their contributions to be continually undermined by western propaganda.” must be the most intelligent and wise statement I ever heard.
Thank angkukueh for reminding us and show us how dumb one can be.
angkukueh (#159)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EAi7rCotiAg&feature=related
This is evidence on how CSJ & SDP effect international pressure to coerce PAP to open up free political debate in Singapore. CSJ suffered from countless bad press over the years. For opposition politics to work in Singapore, the Opposition must be able to threaten the strategic interest of the ruling party. Open up your eyes.
Daniel,
I’m referring to the Chees here. I didn’t discredit the opposition’s contributions- you did. But it’s partly my fault cause i used word “all”.
I didn’t remind or show you that you’re dumb. I said to attributing the changes to the Chees is dumb.
Donaldson Tan,
What constitutes “international pressure”? International pressure more often than not refers to western pressure? What do the foreigners in the video know about Singapore? Lets assume they know Singapore like you and I and then i’ll ask, do they have a stake in Singapore? Whose interests are they advancing? Theirs and their country.
And threaten the strategic interest of the ruling party? What for? 1) Because we need some form of check and balance? 2)Because that’s what all proper countries should have ie liberal democracy?
The PAP will be out by the next GE if they are corrupt and useless. They can make it a ten person GRC and they still wouldn’t be able to hold on to the constituency.
Western soft power in the forms of liberal democracy, religion, media and human rights is means for them to attempt to maintain their position of eminence when the time has come for them to share it with the rest of the world. They are not entirely benign ideologies/beliefs like they want others to believe.
angkukueh (#163):
By putting up human rights as one of the required conditions for the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, PAP has no choice but to open up. Your line of reasoning suggests nobody should threaten the strategic interest of the ruling party, but for protests and pressures to work, the bottom-line and the strategic interest must be threatened. Failure to see why such strategies should be used is as good as embracing asian “authoratarian” values. Your rejection of foreign interference only goes to show that you are aware of the inconvinient truths in Singapore. In my opinion, the Lee’s thesis (aka Asian democracy and Asian values) has to be abandoned because it does not reward free market of ideas which is essential for Singapore to build a knowledge-based economy. Essentially, the PAP has become a dinosaur that is hindering the progress of Singapore.
“International pressure more often than not refers to western pressure?”
Does it really matter ?
“What do the foreigners in the video know about Singapore?”
What do majority of Singaporeans know about Singapore then ? You will be surprised to know majority don’t even know the history and politics of Singapore and very ignorant about it (Just ask your Singapore friends). These foreigners, Asian and western alike are hold jobs pertaining to human right and democracy, as such they consolidate experience in handling similar “undemocratic” country include Asian country, so let’s not belittle them (please don’t it is me who belittle them again).
“do they have a stake in Singapore? Whose interests are they advancing? Theirs and their country.”
Why ? Can’t we discern this ourselves ? Why do we always held this view that others help us always have agenda ? Are we been lead by propaganda to share the same pragmatic and realistic expectation as our government’s “No free lunch” ? I’m not surprised that Singaporeans are breed to think this way after all LKY once remarked there’s a conspiracy to do us in.
“And threaten the strategic interest of the ruling party?”
What strategic interest does our ruling party has anyway ?
“The PAP will be out by the next GE if they are corrupt and useless. They can make it a ten person GRC and they still wouldn’t be able to hold on to the constituency.”
Really ? Do you know the GRC is designed to game the election ? What do you think they hire scholars for ? Take a read at YawningBread’s enlightening post
http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2008/yax-861.htm
It will be naive to think that we can easily vote them out. It won’t be easy. Last election the gov underestimated the opp party. Next election they will devise a better game with more advantageous rules.
“Western soft power in the forms of liberal democracy, religion, media and human rights is means for them to attempt to maintain their position of eminence when the time has come for them to share it with the rest of the world. They are not entirely benign ideologies/beliefs like they want others to believe.”
Are we thinking of Conspiracy theory or are we are just as guilty of it ? Uniquely Singapore indeed that we believe that western power is no good but yet we endorse much of it. Our legal system following british, capitalism follow western idea etc. yeah this system not perfect but we still use and influence by the western ideas , so exactly what is the problem ?
Donaldson Tan,
“Human rights” is a result of the past abuses carried out by the West. Singapore was never ruled by dictators and slave owners so why on earth do i want to allow some dude from the EU to step all over me in the name of his forebears’ past trangressions?
Just because western media constantly describes LKY as authoritarian/dictatorial doesn’t mean he is. I will describe him as paternal.
My question to you was question the strategic interests of the PAP for what? At what cost? So that i can go down to Orchard Rd tomorrow and shout so and so is a crony and is corrupt without any proof? What are you dying to say so badly that you cannot say? Is the environment in Singapore really stifling or is it because the economist and the bbc suggest to you so?
I don’t know what you are referring to by saying “you are aware of the incovenient truths” therefore i reject foriegn interference- inconvenient truths exists in all countries.
In my opinion, essentially, PAP is what keeps Singapore on its path to be a knowledge driven country.
Essentially, the PAP has become a dinosaur that is hindering the progress of Singapore – Donaldson Tan (#164)
All dinosaurs should have died 65 million years ago. Can you handle the evidence that PAP is crony and corrupt objectively? Have you ever experienced taking up the case to CPIB, only to be rejected by authorities while being harrassed for next 10 years by PAP thugs. No policemen will stand up to protect you against the PAP thugs. In the end, my family and I emigrated.
166) angkukueh on October 7th, 2008 5.03 pm
“Singapore was never ruled by dictators and slave owners so why on earth do i want to allow some dude from the EU to step all over me in the name of his forebears’ past trangressions? ”
Forebears’ past trangressions ? Does it really have to be the same kind of past trangressions that the need for human rights is to be invoked.
Maybe you have eaten too much angkukueh that you whole head is too blocked up by the red gluey stuff with that yellowish bean paste.
So why are we using english language to communicate. In fact, the ang moh language is the only written language that I communicate better. So why should we Asians adopt it – it serves a practical purpose right ?
Human rights are not only the purview for EU or US but for any country and their people simply because it protects the sanctity of a human life better, if one ever needs to call for it one fine day.
EU or US just happen to have a culture to be noisy and nosy about this human right stuff more than we do and some of us Asians just want to have it because it is just right to have it, period.
Certain people feel that they are being stepped more by their own kind rather than some foreigners. Hey, we are living in this part of the world and you just look at the way the governing treat the governed over certain matters.
One last thing, do not eat too much angkukueh. Not only it will give you some lousy blocked head, it may also give you some lousy constipation which will make you spew out rubbish from the wrong opening.
#167
No i have not had a bad experience with the CPIB. I’m interested to read about the details of your experience if you’re willing to share online.
#168
I get constipation and a blocked head by eating too much ang ku kueh. You on the other hand get constipated and a blocked head by eating too much cheezburgerz! and oily chips.
As part of the NTU faculty, I am now deeply ashamed of my so called “university”.
what exactly about the university are you ashamed of?
A university is supposed to be a bastion of free thought. Even in dictatorships academics try to uphold this tradition. When a president of a university applies political censorship to a student publication, he is going against the most fundamental idea of what a university is. So, what makes me ashamed is partly the actions of my university’s president, partly that it’s faculty doesn’t seem to react on them.
So many debate here yet few grasp the logic. To the gov, CSJ spells trouble, fullstop. Its nothing to do with freedom of news in NTU or whatsoever
Adain;
Maybe so, but what the govt. considers trouble shouldn’t stop the debate at a university, which per definition is an institution of free thought. If it does, then NTU is simply not a university.
-Anders, lecturer at NTU.
Indeed we do not bleed local university here but we nurture SINiversity in SINgapore, one that speak not freely of mind and of injustice but one of convenience and safety.
“To the gov, CSJ spells trouble, fullstop. Its nothing to do with freedom of news in NTU or whatsoever.”
That most of us know. Spelling trouble for them does not mean spelling trouble for us. And that is why there is so much noise. Are you also able to grasp the logic at this end.
I think SDP and CSJ really did nothing wrong.
The NTU’s admin should not be so taken back by the visit. I think the WP, RP and NSP should pay a visit to the 2 UNIs also.
The opp parties are just trying to work the ground. Or else some ignorant Singaporean will say that opp parties and their Youth Wing are only active during GE and no more action after that.
I don’t think the opp parties are only active during GEs. It is only that they(opp parties) have been sidelined by the mainstream media. Therefore not much Singaporean will know about their activities from day to day.
I personally came across a NSP guy who was selling the North Star on 2 separate Sunday at 2 different places. I asked him, “Uncle, do you all go about to sell your publications every Sundays.” . He replied me, ” Yes, we go to different places in Singapore every Sunday to sell the North Star, it is only that we do not get so much media coverage like the PAP. Haha”
So, it is not really true that opp parties are only active during GEs. It is only that many Singaporean does not know what they are doing.
Unlike, the LHL or LKY visit the UNIs, there will be news coverage showing them giving speeches to the students.
Interesting blog:) I look forward to further information.