In Democracy We Believe

“The right to speech includes the right to sing. So you can’t stop me from singing.”

“Oh, and you think that Singapore has such a right?”

“It’s still a member of the U.N.”

“Ah. Well, so is Turkmenistan. And Iraq and......”

“So you’re willing to be dragged down to that level?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind, actually.”

“Why?”

“I rather have one man (on top) complaining to everyone than everyone complaining to one man. It shows the stupidity of humanity.”

I swung around to face this friend of mine. He was an intellectual, and probably had gathered more overall knowledge over the years than myself, but boy was I going to shoot him down.

“You know what? I rather have many people complaining to one guy on top and creating problems, because I know how it’s like to live in a place where it’s legally not allowed to complain. I’m sorry, but living here (in Singapore), you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A Call to Arms: Protect Our Internet

Not too long ago, two bills quietly surfaced on the other side of the pool over in the United States. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT-IP Act). They were called the protector of content creators, championed as the fighter against piracy.

In reality? Not as straightforward.


On 20th January, 2012, both bills were shelved due to “fundamental problems with the approach taken to solving the matter of online piracy”. This came after long weeks of both online and street protests highlighting the inefficiencies of the bills and how they could be used for other ulterior motives. It was a near-save for the concerned internet users watching not just in the U.S., but all over the world, as it was a turning point that would set a precedence for other potential bills to come.

Fast forward eight months, and we face a new, more personal challenge. It’s called Section 114A.