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Singapore does not see press as fourth estate: Minister

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: Freedom of speech is enshrined in the Singapore Constitution, but the City-State does not recognise the domestic press as the fourth estate of the political system.

This was spelt out by Singapore's Second Minister for Information, Communications, and the Arts, Vivian Balakrishnan, at a meeting with the Foreign Correspondents' Association here.

Tracing this attitude to Singapore's insistence on "freedom with responsibility," Dr. Balakrishnan said: "We do not view that the press has an independent political role on par with that of the judiciary, the legislature, and the executive. We [the Government] ask our press to view themselves as partners with us in nation-building. We ask our press to inform our people, to educate our people, and sometimes to entertain our people. But the key point is accuracy of information, rational discourse, and valid coverage.

"The people with the [electoral] mandate to govern" and not the local press "will have to make decisions" for the peace, stability, and progress of Singapore.

About Singapore's response to the emergence of the "new media," he said, "most blogs have a readership of one, the person who wrote it." It would, therefore, be "unnecessary to chase every single blog."

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