Singapore’s Suspended Spring: Media Control and Authoritarian Consolidation

Abstract:

Singapore’s hybrid political system, which has been termed “electoral authoritarian” and “illiberal democratic”, has defied predictions of implosion. Support for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) slipped in the May 2011 general elections but it still secured a 60-percent vote share, extending its record as one of the most stable regimes in the world.

In his forthcoming monograph, Freedom From The Press, Cherian George analyzes how the state has claimed for itself maximum latitude for efficient administration by subordinating the media, along with other institutions with the potential to challenge its dominance, such as unions, organized religion and universities.

This presentation offers an overview of Singapore’s restrictions on freedom of expression and explains why the relatively unrestricted internet has not unleashed any revolutionary “spring”. George will explore in depth one particular strategy that helps explain the regime’s extraordinary longevity: its strategic self-restraint in its use of force, or what he calls “calibrated coercion”. Since censorship may backfire on the state by provoking moral outrage that can be harnessed by opponents, the PAP has systematically moved away from more spectacular repression and towards less visible modes of control. By making coercion less salient, the PAP has been able to project the consensual face of its hegemony.

The Internet has disrupted this trend to a certain extent, opening access to the public sphere to contentious communications and forcing the government to revert to the use of tougher legislative weapons. Oppositional groups have exploited this opening, using the Internet as a stage for civil disobedience. The evolving and dynamic case of Singapore illustrates how the Internet can change the texture of, without tearing, the fabric of authoritarian restrictions on freedom of expression.

Bio:

Cherian George is an associate professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication, Nanyang Technological University, and an adjunct senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He researches journalism and politics, including alternative media and censorship. He was previously a journalist with Singapore’s national daily, The Straits Times. He is the author of Singapore: The Air-Conditioned Nation; Essays on the Politics of Comfort and Control (Landmark Books, 2000), and Contentious Journalism and the Internet: Towards Democratic Discourse in Malaysia and Singapore (Washington University Press, 2006). He holds a PhD in communication from Stanford University and a Masters from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. For a fuller bio, visit http://www.cheriangeorge.net.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Please watch video here

Multiple ISP affiliates and alumni will be present, and presenting, including David Karpf, Limor Peer, Daniel Kreiss, and Michael Froomkin.

ISP alumna extraordinaire Laura DeNardis will be giving the closing keynote address, Technologies of Dissent.

Laura will address three trends that could affect free expression online in the next decade: (1) the new use of Internet governance infrastructures for intellectual property enforcement; (2) the privatization of Internet governance; and (3) the spate of new (so-called) kill-switch approaches governments are taking under the guise of law enforcement.

More here.

February 11-13, 2010 at Yale Law School

This conference seeks to lay the groundwork – conceptual and strategic – to build bridges between the A2K and human rights communities pursuing common goals of promoting greater access to knowledge, culture, technology and tools for innovation worldwide.

Conference Organizing Partners include:

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Friday, February 12, 2010

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Panel I. Perspectives on Access to Knowledge and Human Rights

Panel II. Technologies of Dissent: Information and Expression in a Digital World

Panel III. The Right to Health: Promoting Innovation and Equity

Panel IV. The Right to Education: Realizing the Potential of Digital Tools

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Panel V. Freedom to Innovate: Knowledge, Technology, Culture

Panel VI. The Right to Science and Culture: Participation and Access

VII. Concurrent Workshops

Identifying Challenges & Opportunities for an African Information Ethics

The Right to Read: Copyright and Access for Persons with Disabilities

The Right to Development: Bridging the Gap between Human Rights & IP?

Panel VIII. Rights-Based Strategies for Advancing Access to Knowledge

Click any of  the links above for A2K4 panel descriptions, photos, summaries, video archives, and additional resources.

For more information about the conference, visit: A2K4: Access to Knowledge & Human Rights