A nation-oriented press : the PAP's management of Singapore newspapers

Abstract

The press in Singapore is an area of interest to any student of Singapore politics. While foreign opinion tend to be critical of the People’s Action Party (PAP) government’s extensive controls over the press, domestic opinion seem not to show the same degree of anxiety or concern, even though locals are fully aware of it. This then begs the question of how the PAP government has been able to tame the Singapore press without incurring widespread domestic resistance, and what guiding ideas and principles it has adopted in the management of the press, such that it could stand fast against domestic scrutiny. This thesis thus seeks to uncover the ideological foundations that undergirded press management in Singapore and argues that the PAP government’s deep-seated belief in Singapore’s vulnerabilities had constituted the ideological core in its approach towards the press and provided the main impetus for the tactics and strategies employed to subordinate the press. These ideological foundations, also functioning as crucial defences for a government-friendly press, had not only served the critical purpose of legitimising the PAP government’s many high-handed actions, but also put it in a position of self-righteousness where it saw no need to be apologetic towards critics and “victims” alike. These then gave the PAP government the confidence and political mileage to pursue policies that were initially unpopular and widely seen as undemocratic, and entrench its grip over the Singapore press, ultimately contributing to the consolidation of its power and influence within Singapore.