Main Stories, Ng E Jay, Politics - Tuesday, March 16, 2010 11:45 - 39 Comments

TOC Editorial: Cooling-off day may lead to heated confusion

By Ng E-Jay

Three bills were tabled in Parliament last week to amend the Constitution as well as the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts. The proposed changes include raising the maximum number of Non-Constituency MPs from six to nine, making the Nominated MP scheme permanent, and introducing a cooling-off day prior to polling day in which no form of election campaigning is allowed except for party political broadcasts. [1] [2]

These bills will be debated by Parliament next month and are expected to become law.

The proposal to introduce a cooling-off day in particular is cause for grave concern. It has the potential to stifle legitimate political discourse by non-partisan players in cyberspace, and create an unfair playing field in which the mainstream media has a distinct advantage because it would be given free reign to express its views at a time when alternative voices might be silenced by law.

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