Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 1-1-1993 Values, nation building and control: The Singapore mass media in the next lap Denise G. Tan Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Tan, D. G. (1993). Values, nation building and control: The Singapore mass media in the next lap. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1156 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1156 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. VALUES, lfATIOM BUJ:LDilfG AND CONTROL: THE SINGAPORE MASS MEDIA IM THE NEXT LAP By Denise, Geok Ling Tan B.A. (Communication Stµdies - Murdoch University). A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Master of Arts at the School of Language, Literature and Media Studies, Edith Cowan University. Date of Submission: December 1993 27 JUL 1995 USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. III Abstract 1990 marked a significant change in the pqlitical history of Singapore - it was the year Mr. Lee Kuan Yew handed over his role as Sing~pore'' s. leader to Mr. Goh Chok Tong • Termed 'The Next Lap',·, th.is , new period of Singapore's history was . heralded in as a period of change and new directions for' Singapore and Singaporeans. I This thesis e~lores the introduction of the Next Lap, the promises of positive changes and the potential effect this new era may have on the Singapore Government's intimate relationship with and control of the media as a Nation Building apparatus. It looks at the Government's continued desire to control the media and struggle to re-negotiate its position due to the development of new media technologies, such as satellite television, which have the ability to elude direct control over its broadcasting capacity. The mass media in Singapore have always been strictly controlled through the practice of censorship, strict broadcasting guidelines (and severe penalties for those who do not abide by these guidelines) as well as self­ censorship. Through strict control of the mass media, the Government has been able to use it to promote desirable values which have been identified as crucial to the process of Nation Building. These values include putting the nation before community and the community before self, the IV importance of the family as the basic unit of society and racial and religious harmony. However, recently there have been signs that the Singapore Government has realised the need to make some changes to their· broadcasting policies. The change coincided with the transfer of leadership from the former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, to the current Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong. When he came into off ice, Prime Minister Goh promised that there would be more openness. This thesis examines how the policy of 'openness' applies to the mass media and the possible consequences of the changes implicit in the new policy on the mass media. Results of the change in political climate are reflected in the recent introduction of three pay television channels in Singapore and a review of the censorship laws. To many Singaporeans, this is a welcome sign, an opportunity for more choice. To the Government, it involves an important question: To what degree should they relax control over the media and bow .to the demands of the public for more freedom and choice. The relationship between the Next Lap and the mass media ' will be examined through the application of Hobsbawm' s (1983) theory of 'invented traditions', Bhabha's (1990a) discussions on the difficulties of locating a nation's cultural identity and Foucault's (1979) analysis on the art of government. By applying these theories, I will show V that the Next Lap is an ongoing process of Singapore political and social construction. With the apparent change in the political climate in Singapore, it is timely to explore the relationship between the Government and the mass media after 25 years of ~ndependence. By looking at the important social and ~litical variables, I will show that the relaxation of mass media in the Next Lap represents a continuation of the Singaporean government's desire to control the media for Nation Building activities. VI DECLARATION I certify that this thesis does not incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; and that to the best of my knowledge and belief it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Signa • Date ••••~/.l /q ~- ....... ' VI Preface As a media student who has been brought up in Singapore, my interest in the Singapore mass media has led me to take on the challenge of writing this thesis. In writing this thesis, I have discovered that my upbringing in Singapore has resulted in my struggle to question and analyse the political and social aspects o:fi Singapore society. Like most young Singaporeans, I have been . accustomed to receiving the constructed images and have taken them to be the norm, not to be deconstructed or questioned. I grew up reciting the national pledge almost every school day, singing the national anthem and participating in Nation Building activities without fully understanding or thinking about the significance of it all. Writing this thesis has enabled me to understand Singapore society in greater depth and has led me to appreciate the complexity of the mechanisms which have been put in place. I hope that my experiences as a person who grew up in Singapore and have spent the last 5 years in Australia will present a different analysis of the Singapore mass media in the Next Lap. I am grateful to a number of people who have been instrumental in the writing of this thesis. Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Brian Shoesmith, for all his invaluable guidance, patience and encouragement. I would also like to thank Dr. David VII Birch for making available to me a copy of his monograph, Singapore Media: c9mmunication strategies and Practices, prior to its publication. My appreciation also to Eva Wong and Janice Yeo for providing me with important research information, Tanya Knott for proof-reading and commenting on this thesis, the Doncons for the use of their computer and to Andrew Woods for his continual support and comments on the thesis in the various stages of its development. Lastly·, I would especially like to extend my gratitude to my parents whose encouragement has contributed greatly to the completion of this thesis. VIII Table of Contents page Abstract III Declaration IV Preface V Chapter Page 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 SETTING THE SCENE 19 3 THE NEXT LAP: PROMISES OF CHANGE 48 4 DEFINING NATIONAL VALUES: 80 PRESERVING THE CULTURAL BALLAST 5 PAY TELEVISION AS A REPRESENTATIVE 113 OF CHANGE 6 SHIFTING THE BOUNDARIES: 144 CENSORSHIP IN THE NEXT LAP 7 CONCLUSION 168 Appendix Bibliography 1 Chapter 1 Introduction The aim of this thesis is to analyse the relationship between the mass media and Nation Building in Singapore, especially in the Next Lap. Singapore's Next Lap began in 1990, when Mr. Goh Chok Tong was inaugurated as the new Prime Minister. No longer under the leadership of former Prime Minister (now Senior Minister) Lee Kuan Yew, who had ruled Singapore since self government in 1959, Singaporeans were told to anticipate the announced promises for a more open society. Since the Next Lap is to mark a difference in the political and social spheres, this thesis will explore the effects of political and social changes implemented in the Next Lap on Nation Building in the mass media. Since there has always been a strong connection between Nation Building, the mass media and the Government in Singapore, it is appropriate with the change in political outlook since the installation of Goh Chok Tong as the new Prime Minister to re-examine this relationship in this period of the Next Lap. As a country, Singapore's identity has been invented and reinvented on many occasions. Each invention or reinvention gave Singapore a new identity and purpose, based on some form of continuity with the historical past (Hobsbawm, 1983, p. 1). These inventions of nation - statehood coincides with the major stages of Singapore's relatively brief history. 2 The past is often used to negate the present. A g9od example of this is the emphasis the Singapore government places on the need for hard work and unity to avoid the poverty or racial crises that Singapore had experienced in the past.