APPLICATIONS FOR PUBLICATION PERMITS (1961 to March 1962)

Dr Lee Siew Choh asked the Minister for Home Affairs to state (i) the number of applications made for permits to publish periodicals, magazines or any other daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly, half-yearly or yearly publications for the year 1961 and the first quarter of 1962 respectively; (ii) the number of such applications approved by the Government; (iii) the number of applications rejected by the Government and the reasons given for the rejection; and (iv) the number of applications for renewal for 1962 which has not been approved, what they are and the reasons for refusing renewal.

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, the information asked for is as follows:

(a) The number of applications made for permits to publish periodicals, magazines and other publications was 333 for the year 1961 and 79 for the first quarter of 1962. The number of such applications approved by the Government in 1961 was 316 and in the first quarter of 1962, 63. The number of applications rejected by the Government in 1961 was 17 and in the first quarter of 1962, 6. In the majority of these cases, the applications were refused because the persons concerned were not considered to be proper persons to whom permits should be issued. In other cases, the reasons for refusal included contravention by the applicants of the conditions of previous permits issued and the unsuitability of the contents of the proposed publications.

Applications for renewal for 1962 of the permits for the following two publications have been refused: The Movies Weekly Press and the Sin Tao Pao. Both these publications have the same proprietor who has breached the conditions of the permit issued to him for the publication of the Sin Tao Pao by hiring out the permit to two other persons with adverse security records. These two persons took over publication of the paper for a short period, during which time political articles of a provocative nature appeared in the publication, although according to the permit issued the contents were to be confined to news, comments and photographs on constructional projects, trade and commerce in Singapore and in the Federation and other parts of the world with a little amusement such as cinemas and stage shows.

Dr Lee Siew Choh: Would the Minister explain what he means by "not the proper person"? I do not understand what that means.

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, I have already quoted an example just now in my answer; that in the case of Sin Tao Pao the editor had hired out his permit to two other persons with adverse security records and on top of that the contents were radically different from what the newspaper was supposed to print.

Dr Lee Siew Choh: Is a person who writes things which are not liked by the Government considered to be not a proper person?

Mr Speaker: That is a matter for argument. Question 18.