“If you silence someone,” Professor Cherian George said at the Chinese Assembly Hall on Tuesday night, “how can that person tell you that his other rights aren’t being respected? It is difficult to even conceive of even a democratic or just society in the absence of freedom of expression.”
He was speaking at a public lecture called “Perspectives on Freedom of Expression in Asia and Europe,” organized by Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
Over the course of the evening, he and Professor Kevin Boyle from the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex spoke to a crowded room made up of concerned citizens, members of NGOs and the press. The result was an overview of the importance of freedom of expression as well as some of the major issues standing in the way right now, especially within the ASEAN countries.
“There is an urgent need for citizens to press for media reform in the form of removing or amending repressive laws,” Professor George said.
The lecture gravitated to the enormous restricting power of pieces of legislation such as the PPPA, ISA, OSA and Sedition Act. The public should not have to rely on government regulation to have accountable and responsible media – such restricting laws as are in place now aid only to tow the current administration’s line.
George noted how it is the public who should be keeping the media accountable. Media organizations should be pressured by the accountability methods set up by consumers, not heavy-handed laws or parliamentary enacted media councils.
As the speakers finished their talks on Freedom of Expression, the floor was open for questions. Some major concerns of the audience involved the strength of civil society in Malaysia; concerns of a persistent culture of fear; as well as freedom of expression versus the respect other people’s freedoms and reputations.
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