Freedom of Expression in Singapore

1. Freedom of Expression in Singapore • Members: • Kenny Loke 3H215(Group leader) • Loo Yan Perng 3H217 • Chin Zhi Xian 3H207 • Bernard Chu 3H108 • Darrel Chang 3H104

2. Contents • Background • Target Audience • Objective and Rationale • Methodology and Timeline • Results of survey • Outcome of our Trial Lesson Package • Web Report • Group Reflections • Acknowledgements and References

3. Background • This project is done as part of the Moot Parliament Programme, in which we are the representatives of Hwa Chong • In May, we presented our preliminary mock bill in front of a panel of mentors • We then noted down their comments and made edited our bill accordingly • If our submitted final bill is among the best among the teams, we will get the chance to debate over our bill

4. Target Audience • Secondary school students • English teachers wishing to teach the topic of freedom of expression or media censorship in Singapore • If possible, general public who are interested to learn about the process of bill writing and the status of freedom of expression in Singapore

5. Objectives • Highlight the current situation regarding media censorship and freedom of expression in Singapore • We aim to amend some of the current laws to allow for greater flexibility and freedom of speech • Finally, we want to spread awareness among secondary school students about the bill drafting process and the level of freedom of speech in Singapore

6. Methodology • We are still consulting our student mentors and expert mentors who are law undergraduates and a practicing lawyer respectively • We conducted a survey among secondary school students to gauge the level of interest and knowledge in the potential target audience • Next, we conducted our trial lesson package on the students of 3H2 • Finally, we are launching an web resource about what we learnt in MPP regarding bill drafting, as well as freedom of expression

7. Timeline • 16th May: MPP seminar, where we presented our bill to a panel of mentors and received feedback and comments • 25th May: Our group conducted a trial lesson package for 3H2 students as a feasibility test • 29th July: MPP debates briefing where finalists teams will prepare to debate on their amendment bills

8. Results of our survey • We found that students were generally not too clear on the exact legislative process in Singapore, although they did have a vague understanding of it • Also, we found that they were interested in finding out more about the legislative process, but most did not have the time • Thus, we decided to hold an online lesson package instead of our original idea of a workshop for increased convenience

9. Outcome of Trial Lesson Package • The trial lesson lasted for the length of one English lesson period • Although we had a short timeframe, we were able to convey the basic gist of the Singapore legislative process • We also managed to touch on our topic of freedom of expression • However, the time was too short to be able to teach everything that we want to • Still, we gained valuable feedback from the 3H2 students who participated

10. Feedback from Participants • Chee Yuan Jun, 3H2: “The time of presentation was very short, but it gave us a quick insight into the Singaporean parliamentary system. Also, it does give food for thought with regards to freedom of expression and media censorship. Overall, it was quite thought-inducing and well-presented” • Brion Lim, 3H2: “I felt that their presentation was really informative and interesting. Although we had very little time, I am sure that many of us gained many new insights into Singapore's parliamentary system”

11. Our Web Report

12. Our Group Reflections • Throughout the process of producing the lesson package and presenting to our classmates, we have learnt about the difficulties teachers face when selecting information relevant to topics being taught • Also, as we have 5 people in our group, it was difficult to ensure there were no free-loaders; we overcame this problem by meeting regularly to allocate work

13. Our Group Reflections • After the survey as well as the trial lesson package, we realised that physically conducting lesson packages or workshops would not be feasible • Thus we changed our lesson package to an online lesson resource for convenience of users as well as allowing us to reach out to a wider audience

14. Acknowledgements • Our teacher mentor • Student mentors from NUS and expert mentor • Gifted Education Branch for spearheading the Moot Parliament Programme • The participants of our survey • Students from 3H2 for participating in our trial lesson package

15. References • MPP bill drafting materials • pmc.princeton.edu/writeabill.php • http://statutes.agc.gov.sg • http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=2672 • http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/2238-public-order-act-a-nervous-government-lashes-out • http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/04/opposing-public-order-act/ • http://sgblogs.com/entry/public-order-more-arbitrary-powers-tyranny/328861 • http://www.mha.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=MTM5OQ%3D%3D-3BtUG%2B2xe3A • http://www.mha.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=MTM5OQ%3D%3D-3BtUG%2B2xe3A%3D

16. The End • Thank you for your attention