RADIO BROADCASTS FOR POLITICAL PARTIES FOR BY-ELECTIONS

Mr Goh Chew Chua (Ponggol-Tampenis): Mr Speaker, Sir, political Parties have been refused permission to use Radio Malaya for political broadcasts in the by-elections that will soon be held in Tanjong Pagar and Cairnhill. These by-elections, Sir, are not ordinary ones. They were occasioned by the resignations of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Secretary of the People's Action Party, and Mr David Saul Marshall (who had challenged Mr Lee) when the All-Party stand on the constitutional agreement was debated in this House in April.

The issues involved, Sir, are of great public importance, important enough to be put to the public of Singapore through the medium of Radio Malaya. All political Parties have subscribed to the All-Party stand on the constitutional issue. Why should we not have the use of Radio Malaya to expose the shameless opportunist move of the Liberal-Socialists in trying to get two more seats in the by-elections which will be held to justify the stand they are supposed to be supporting? Even whilst these by-elections are about to take place, the Liberal-Socialists have come under the control of a merchant who describes himself-

Mr Speaker: Order. I do not think I can allow electioneering speeches in this Assembly. We are now discussing radio broadcasts for political Parties, that is radio broadcasts for political Parties in general.

Mr Goh Chew Chua: I am sorry, Sir. The so-called Liberals and their Party are therefore now openly playing-

Mr Speaker: Order. The hon. Member must realise I have ruled that out of order.

Mr Goh Chew Chua: Sir, there is no better medium by which the public of Singapore can be informed of these shameless gambles than through the medium of Radio Malaya.

Mr Speaker: Order. If the hon. Member will not keep to order then I must ask him to sit down. The hon. Member must on this adjournment motion speak only about radio broadcasts for political Parties in general.

Mr Goh Chew Chua: Sir, it is the duty of Radio Malaya to serve the public of Singapore and it can do this best simply if it permits election broadcasts by all political Parties including the capitalist interests of the Liberal-Socialists. Surely the Government cannot deny political Parties the right to make their stand through the medium of the radio?

11.21 a.m.

Inche Ahmad Bin Ibrahim (Sembawang): Mr Speaker, Sir, the only media of mass propaganda in Malaya today which is not controlled by capitalist vested interests is Radio Malaya. At election time, Sir, it is unrealistic to expect newspapers to give the Parties enough publicity. We understand these newspapers are mostly owned by capitalist interests and we cannot expect them to give fair and unbiased reports of the stand of the competing political Parties. But we have the right, Sir, to expect a Government-controlled radio station to give all political Parties the chance to express their ideas and ideals. It is the job of Radio Malaya, whether in a general election or a by-election, to help the working of the democratic system. What harm can there be in giving legally constituted political Parties the opportunity to place their stand thoroughly before the people of Malaya and to persuade them to vote for a particular Party?

Everyone knows that all political Parties are now gearing up for the general elections under the new Constitution. These by-elections, Sir, are a test of the strength of the respective organisations and policies. Surely it will help the Parties to put over their policies and Party stands to the public. The public can understand what the issues are if all Parties are given the opportunity during election time of broadcasting their programmes and stands over Radio Malaya.

11.23 a.m.

Mr Lim Koon Teck: Sir, the best reason for the Government not granting permission for Radio Malaya to be used has been furnished by the mover of the motion, the Member for Ponggol-Tampenis, this morning.

Mr Speaker: Order. I do not think the Member has moved any motion at all.

Mr Lim Koon Teck: I mean the speech of the Member for Ponggol-Tampenis. It is quite clear that if the radio is to be used, it will be used as a means of exciting the emotions of the people not only in the constituencies where the by-elections are to be fought, but over the Island as a whole. I am quite certain it was never the intention that such means of reaching the public as the radio should be used in that way, as a means of attacking the Parties and possibly also the candidates. I am quite sure that other Members of this House will agree with me that the manner in which the speech of the Member for Ponggol-Tampenis was made has precluded any sympathy for him.

11.25 a.m.

The Assistant Minister to the Chief Secretary (Mr M. P. D. Nair) (Seletar): Sir, Government has given its earnest and most careful consideration to the question of allowing broadcast facilities to candidates contesting the coming Assembly by-elections as were given to the candidates in the general elections in 1955. The questions were whether or not broadcasting facilities should be offered to candidates in the by-elections generally or to those representing political Parties alone. These are the first by-elections to be held since the general elections in 1955. The question is should the procedure in a by-election differ from that in a general election? The Government considers that the procedure must differ since in this by-election an electorate of only about 24,000 in number in the two constituencies, namely, Cairnhill and Tanjong Pagar, is concerned. The policy followed in the 1955 general election was that representatives of recognised Parties should be allowed to broadcast and the time was allotted to the different Parties in proportion to the number of candidates contesting. Only candidates were allowed to give those Party broadcasts and they spoke not as individual candidates to their own constituencies, but on behalf of their Parties, for all the candidates of their own Party, throughout Singapore. Their speeches were therefore of direct interest to all electors throughout the Island. Independent candidates were not allowed to broadcast in the 1955 general election because they would have been speaking only to their own constituencies and thus have had an unfair advantage over Party candidates, and because they were so numerous that it was impracticable to find time for all of them. Sir, the forum-type broadcast was also limited to Party representatives for the same reasons.

In the present by-elections, Sir, only the voters in two constituencies are concerned and on general grounds there is no justification to allow candidates to broadcast to the whole of Singapore. If only Party candidates are allowed to broadcast they will be given much advantage over Independents, who will have good reason to protest at this unfair discrimination against them: but if Independents are allowed to broadcast in this by-election, it would be a departure from the Government's policy and might create a precedent leading to a fantastic state of affairs, especially at the next general elections when hundreds of candidates, including Independents, might be contesting in the 51 constituencies.

Consideration, Sir, was also given to the question of whether a forum, in which all candidates contesting the by-elections could be invited to take part, could be allowed. This, Sir, is in fact no different to giving such candidates time for broadcasting by himself and is again a departure from the principles, mentioned earlier.

Sir, requests were made by the Labour Front and the People's Action Party for broadcasting facilities for their candidates contesting these two divisions. As far as I am aware, Sir, the other candidates have not made similar requests for broadcasting facilities. The Government is convinced that to agree to any suggestion that candidates in by-elections should be given broadcasting facilities would conflict with the policy concerning election broadcasts which is based on the principle that government is by the Party and not by the individual.

Furthermore, Sir, Radio Malaya provides a pan-Malayan service common to Singapore and the Federation of Malaya. We have consulted the Federation Government, which is strongly against allowing broadcasts for by-elections. This confirms the view that it is not desirable to provide broadcasting facilities to any candidate for the coming by-elections.

Sir, the hon. Member for Sembawang referred to democracy in these broadcast facilities. I do think, Sir, that it is not a question of democracy at all, nor has this anything to do with the democratic rights of candidates. To my view, it is more a question of the proper use of radio to a justifiable degree.

11.31 a.m.

Mr G. A. P. Sutherland (Nominated): Mr Speaker, Sir, I should be most happy if Radio Malaya would give time for broadcasts by political Parties for by-elections if only the political Parties concerned will, as a quid pro quo, give up their loudspeaker vans from which every night there comes an appalling cacophony. If they give up these vans as a quid pro quo, I shall be very happy to support this idea.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Assembly do now adjourn.

Adjourned accordingly at Thirty-two minutes past Eleven o'clock a.m. to 17th July, 1957.