The Singapore state owned and controlled paper the Straits Times (mind you all the newspapers, TV, Radio and mass media are all owned and controlled by Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew and his government) on Jan 11, 2008 carried the story "Free press not the answer to country's development problems: MM Lee".
He said this in answer to a Reuters reporter, Clarissa Oon, who asked him how can one expect Singapore to reach the standards of Italy and Austria within 10 to 15 years without a free press? Lee had previously said it was his view that Singapore will continue to progress and become another Italy or Austria in this time.
A Thai expatriate living in Bangkok by the name of John Symons has written an article to Thailand English Daily – “The Nation” expressing his doubts at Singapore’s recent ranking of 3rd by Transparency International.
The Singapore media labels Singapore as the “3rd least corrupt nation” in the world based on the rankings which was described by Mr Symons as “somewhat surreal.”
Mr Symons questioned the accuracy of the rankings on the basis that Singapore lacks a free and independent media – a crucial component of an open and incorrupt society:
“One of the main precursors for an open and incorrupt society, as I understand it, is a strong, independent and free press that is not afraid to undertake investigative journalism to expose wrongdoers so that they can be prosecuted and tried in fair and unbiased courts.
Singapore’s press, however, is ranked 133 on a world scale of 175 for freedom, languishing beneath such paragons of virtue as Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, Cambodia and Nicaragua.”
from Temasek Review Emeritus
He said this in answer to a Reuters reporter, Clarissa Oon, who asked him how can one expect Singapore to reach the standards of Italy and Austria within 10 to 15 years without a free press? Lee had previously said it was his view that Singapore will continue to progress and become another Italy or Austria in this time.
A Thai expatriate living in Bangkok by the name of John Symons has written an article to Thailand English Daily – “The Nation” expressing his doubts at Singapore’s recent ranking of 3rd by Transparency International.
The Singapore media labels Singapore as the “3rd least corrupt nation” in the world based on the rankings which was described by Mr Symons as “somewhat surreal.”
Mr Symons questioned the accuracy of the rankings on the basis that Singapore lacks a free and independent media – a crucial component of an open and incorrupt society:
“One of the main precursors for an open and incorrupt society, as I understand it, is a strong, independent and free press that is not afraid to undertake investigative journalism to expose wrongdoers so that they can be prosecuted and tried in fair and unbiased courts.
Singapore’s press, however, is ranked 133 on a world scale of 175 for freedom, languishing beneath such paragons of virtue as Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, Cambodia and Nicaragua.”
from Temasek Review Emeritus
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