Singapore is “repressed” in terms of our fundamental freedom. This is the 2nd-worst category a country can be in. We are downgraded to the same league as Pakistan, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
The report is by CIVICUS Monitor, a platform that researches civic freedom in the world. Out of 197 countries, we are considered “repressed” and it is due to the following reasons.
POFMA
POFMA is a tool for the government to restrict free speech. It enables them to remove social media posts. They can use it to shut down activists and the opposition so that they can “impose its own narrative of events”.
Defamation
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is famous for suing people. He sued Terry Xu from The Online Citizen and Leong Sze Hian for publishing content that tarnished his reputation. That shows a lot.
FICA
The government can use this as another tool to target people. They just have to think you are susceptible to foreign interference. From the report, FICA is a “chilling law”. Authorities can use it against “dissenting voices and to restrict fundamental freedoms under the pretext of national sovereignty”.
These are just some ways they restrict our freedom. We are not moving forward. It is 2021 but we are degrading. We are a 1st world nation, a democracy. But what is the point if we do not have enough freedom?
