VETTING GOVERNMENT ADVERTISEMENTS

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Information and the Arts, in view of the recent controversies surrounding some government advertisements, whether a vetting committee (comprising various ethnic groups and non-governmental organisations) will be set up to look into areas of sensitivity before any advertisement is launched.

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: The recent controversies concerning Government advertisements are isolated and minor. A committee to vet advertisements is not necessary, as each Ministry already has its own procedures for vetting advertisements before they are released. On sensitive issues, many Ministries pre-test them on representative samples before launch. However, it is not possible to forestall all negative reactions particularly when the objective is to change social behaviour.