Being multi-racial is one of Singapore's vulnerabilities. This can be seen from past events like during the merger of Singapore, Malaya. Race riots was one of the reason which caused destruction to properties and lives which eventually lead to separation of Singapore and Malaysia. This means that racial issues are very sensitive in Singapore and should be handled sensitively. Thus, i think that the view of Zsofia Szilagyi should be adopted in Singapore- ' The press needs to serve the ever-evolving public interest, and it need to do so by focusing on responsibility, and not solely on freedom'.
This can be learnt from the Danish press which published 12 sets of cartoon depicting Prophet Muhammad, using freedom of speech, but resulting in , mass demonstration, diplomatic and economic boycotts of their products in the Middle East, which indirectly affect Denmark's economy. The use of freedom of speech, in this case, has caused negative impact, thus it shows that freedom of speech is applied wrongly. The press be be socially responsible when releasing information to the public, ensuring that the information released will not arouse and resentment in people.
To prevent any resentment in Singapore. Singapore has taken actions on people who tried to biased view against any races. In September 2005, Singapore has arrested 3 males who posted racist entries against Malays in their blogs. Singapore arrested them with the reason of them trying to arouse resentment and causing society instability. The penalty will be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to 3 years, or both. The arrest of the 3 males has shown the public that Singapore handle racial issues very seriously and that the punishment is not light.
Thus, press responsibility in multi-racial country like Singapore is very important as it might uproot the past resentment and cause society instability.
