The arts community has recently launched a campaign to make censorship history and to call for a system which regulates content in its place. Driving the petition is Arts Engage, a network of 180 arts practioners from various disciplines.
A position paper on Censorship and Regulation has been released on the campaign website. It defines regulation as “an independent, unexceptional and impartial process of providing information about content that allows art to be produced as intended, and for [the consumer] to choose what [he] would experience and enjoy”.
Presently, up to 1500 have signed the paper at the website. The paper, together with the signatures, will be forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Censorship Review Committee 2009/10 and the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.
A video has also been launched as a part of the campaign. [See here.]
Nominated Member of Parliament, Ms Audrey Wong, wrote about the banning of Martyn See’s film on Dr Lim Hock Siew recently. She said:
“History is made up of memories too, and if we believe in the value of each human life, then we should respect the individual’s memories. As we all know, memories may or may not be factually inaccurate. Could Dr Lim be reasonably expected to deliver a completely objective narrative of his experience? Could any participant in those events be expected to? I think not.” [“Banning content does not protect us”]
Sign the position paper on Censorship and Regulation here.
Read also: Arts Engage – the bigger conversation by Ho Rui An.