There's a wealth of opinions online about the Sedition Act charge, I've more original things to blog about, have other things to do and have already blabbed on earlier, so all I will add, given what I know is:
The hundred flowers are being sprayed with herbicide. Be afraid. Be very afraid, for now merely the act of speech invites reprisals. Especially since no one will ever know exactly what constitutes sedition, since to cite the offending phrases would be seditious in and of itself.
Any people willing to immolate themselves in public if/when a/the crackdown begins should start signing up.
[Addendum: I thought this was important. Quoting the alleged seditious lines may be seditious, but S 3(2) of the Sedition Act states that (this is set out in full):
"any act, speech, words, publication or other thing shall not be deemed to be seditious by reason only that it has a tendency
(a) to show that the Government has been misled or mistaken in any of its measures;
(b) to point out errors or defects in the Government or the Constitution as by law established or in legislation or in the administration of justice with a view to the remedying of such errors or defects;
(c) to persuade the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore to attempt to procure by lawful means the alteration of any matter in Singapore; or
(d) to point out, with a view to their removal, any matters producing or having a tendency to produce feelings of ill-will and enmity between different races or classes of the population of Singapore,
if such act, speech, words, publication or other thing has not otherwise in fact a seditious tendency."]
Monday, September 12, 2005
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