Sunday, December 02, 2007

Sedition Act

You know you have no life when...

you are reading the Sedition Act close to midnight, on a Sunday night. Ahem.

Can someone tell me what does this mean?
Seditious tendency.
3. —(1) A seditious tendency is a tendency —

(a) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government;

(b) to excite the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore to attempt to procure in Singapore, the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of any matter as by law established;

(c) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Singapore;

(d) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore;

(e) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.

(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), any act, speech, words, publication or other thing shall not be deemed to be seditious by reason only that it has a tendency —

(a) to show that the Government has been misled or mistaken in any of its measures;

(b) to point out errors or defects in the Government or the Constitution as by law established or in legislation or in the administration of justice with a view to the remedying of such errors or defects;

(c) to persuade the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore to attempt to procure by lawful means the alteration of any matter in Singapore; or

(d) to point out, with a view to their removal, any matters producing or having a tendency to produce feelings of ill-will and enmity between different races or classes of the population of Singapore,

if such act, speech, words, publication or other thing has not otherwise in fact a seditious tendency.

I always have the impression that sedition means promoting hatred towards races, classes, religions and languages. (By the way, the sexual minority is not a recognized 'class' in the context of Singapore.) Why is the faith in the Government/ legal system protected under the Sedition Act? You mean people can't hate a corrupt government?

It is true that the law can be very ambiguous. With all these grey areas in place, we are effectively working with the guillotine swinging above our heads.

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