Three ways to tackle Section 33
By Jeremy Au Yong
THE current wide-ranging ban on party political films stifles expression. It also stands in the way of works that could contribute to well-informed, rational and insightful debate on issues.
That is the view of the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims), which says the outright ban must go.
The council suggests three ways to liberalise Section 33 of the Films Act, which regulates such works.
It wants the public to give feedback on which of the three to recommend to the Government.
The first is to narrow the scope of the law, which now takes a ‘broad, drift-net approach’.
That will mean excluding only films that distort facts and mislead the viewer. What makes the cut and what does not will be determined by an independent, non-partisan citizens’ panel.
The second option is to repeal Section 33 from the Films Act and introduce several possible conditions, such as a blackout on new political films during election season.
The third option is to repeal the law in phases, by first narrowing its scope, then moving towards a total removal when ‘the negative risks of misleading films are assessed to have been minimised’, Aims said in its report.
In putting forward these three proposals, Aims chairman Cheong Yip Seng stressed that the council had not yet made up its mind on which one was best.
‘We feel that it’s better for us not to come out and say that this is where we’re leaning. Let’s hear what the public has to say and then we’ll process what they’ve suggested and we will then decide later, certainly before the end of the year,’ he said yesterday.
Two weeks ago, in his National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had hinted at moves to ease the current ban on party political films.
Yesterday, Aims also made two other recommendations on the regulation of online political content.
It wants a wider range of online content - including podcasts, videocasts, blogs and other new media tools - to be allowed as part of election advertising.
The Parliamentary Elections Act should be amended accordingly, it said.
Aims also wants an end to the current rule that requires websites dealing with political or religious issues to register with the Media Development Authority under the Class Licensing Scheme.
Political parties should still register their sites, but individual bloggers and webmasters should be exempt, it suggested.
As its 95-page consultation paper made its way across the Web yesterday, it drew generally positive reactions.
Businessman Alex Au, who runs the political blog Yawning Bread, welcomed the suggestion to do away with registration requirements.
On party political films, he would prefer Section 33 to be repealed completely, without caveats such as a blackout period during election time.
He painted one problematic scenario that could result if a blackout period were imposed.
‘If on the eve of Nomination Day, one side puts out a video, the other side does not get a chance to reply,’ he said.
Political analyst Terence Chong from the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies lauded the proposals on political content, calling them ‘good and long overdue’.
As for the ban on party political films, he believed it should be lifted completely.
‘We have more than adequate laws already to handle any problems from such films,’ he said.
Source : Straits Times - 30 Aug 2008
Singapore Property - Buy, Sell, Rent, Invest
Mindy Yong
(+65)91002985
mindy@mindyyong.com
Microsoft launches BizSpark to boost technology start-ups »« Singapore’s biggest employer still hiring
