Students protest university censorship at Speakers Corner

Seelan: I was present at the protest earlier today. It was heartening to see younger Singaporeans gathering together to boldly express their opinions. The next generation is not afraid of you, Old Man. In time to come, both your days and your ways will be over.

Students protest university censorship
AFP
05 October 2008

A group of students staged a protest in Singapore on Sunday against their university’s censorship of a campus newspaper article.

Fronted by a black banner with the slogan ‘Responsible Press For Students,’ the four protesters made speeches in front of about 40 students at a park designated for limited free speech and demonstrations.

The four were protesting against the decision by the Nanyang Technological University to pull the plug on a recent article about the visit in August of secretary general of the Singapore Democratic Party, Chee Soon Juan, to the campus.

‘Let us again be reminded that this incident is not about Dr Chee’s visit but rather about the censorship of the news… We are proposing responsible editorial independence,’ Scott Teng, one of the four, said in his speech.

Mr Teng said the article was initially given the go-ahead to be published in the campus newspaper last month before being axed suddenly.

It was about Mr Chee’s visit to the school and carried nothing about his political views, he added.

According to Mr Teng, the university’s reason for axing the article was they did not want the campus newspaper ‘to be used as a platform for unsolicited guests to air their views’. — AFP