Ambassador's Speech at Yale Law School on Democracy

Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of our strong economic relations with Malaysia and Indonesia, what is the Ministry's position on the description of the Muslim populations in our neighbouring countries in the context of Singapore's press freedom as made by Singapore's Ambassador to the US in her speech at Yale Law School on 8 March 2012.

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Mr K Shanmugam: Ambassador Chan Heng Chee stated ( inter alia ) as follows: "Because of our history – birth, location and ethnic mix – press freedom would be different. The liberty to say whatever you want runs into an angry Muslim population north and south. Rights and freedoms come with responsibilities. There are limits to freedoms".

Ambassador Chan's remarks at Yale were based on events which occurred around the time of Singapore's separation from Malaysia. As regards press freedom, many societies face the question of ensuring the freedom of the press in a way which will enhance the interests of the society. Some years ago, Singapore banned Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" in view of the outrage and offence it caused Muslims. The trade-off was between two rights, but the choice was clear.