Criticism has not been confined to observers outside the country; Singaporeans, too, have contributed their share. The most famous indigenous comment to date is probably that of Mr. David Marshall, former Chief Minister and Ambassador to France, in a speech at a Singapore arts gathering in 1994, when he called local journalists "either People's Action Party wallahs or bootlickers", and "running dogs of the PAP and poor prostitutes".
To back up these far from flattering comments, critics point to a number of things:
--The predominance of government stories, especially on speeches by ministers exhorting citizens to do this, that, and the other.
--The pro-government stance taken by columnists, which one local observer described as "sycophantic ranting designed to bring on a heavy spell of morning sickness."
--The presence of a number of former government officials, including a former Cabinet, Minister, in its senior ranks.
The upshot of these criticisms is that the Singapore press is monopolistic and propagandistic, and prints only what is officially allowed. Some more imaginative accounts even have drafts being sent to official censors for vetting each night being going to print.
The key question boils down to the meaning of freedom, a notion on which there is no consensus even at the best of times. Taken to its logical extreme, freedom degenerates into license and licentiousness, and the renunciation of values a society stands for, critics claim. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar lbrahim must have had this in mind when he said that to deny press freedom in Asia was tantamount to asserting that there was an inherent incompatibility between Asian values and liberty. His argument is a valid one. He noted further that freedom must carry with it the moral obligation to advance the higher ideas of a society, and to speak the truth, not spread falsehoods or undermine public security or corrupt public morals.
It is worthwhile noting here the Council of Europe, the alliance of old-line European countries, has taken an interest in legislating responsible journalism.
The notion of a responsible press is no stranger in Asia: Anwar is one of many Asian politicians who have sought in recent years to articulate the view that the press needs to play a positive social role. This is the "Asian model" which appears to be gaining currency in the region and which could in time to come gain acceptance in the West itself as Asia catches up in economic and political stature. That view sees the press as ally rather than adversary, and pressmen as partners rather than antagonists in the process of a nation's development.
