Internet And The Sociological Imagination 

As Bill Gates puts it, “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.” In relation to C. Wright Mills’s concept of the sociological imagination that no individual exists in a vacuum, as much as the internet serves to depersonalize communication, the internet in and itself figures strongly in our lives by serving as an interconnection of different aspects of human society which interact. Therefore, my timeline highlights numerous events that are instrumental to my nation-state, especially with regards to the internet and laws that can threaten Singapore’s social fabric. However, this paper will largely focus on the Sedition Act.

Sedition Act

Functionalism

In simplified terms, the sedition act is a law criminalising any verbal or written acts which foments dissent among residents of the state - be it against the government or among the different racial and religious groups - and the subsequent distribution of such seditious materials (Sedition Act of 2013). With its formation in Malaysia’s Sedition Ordinance of 1948, Singapore retained the law on 29 May 1964.

Functionalism highlights how the different parts work in tandem to ensure a well-functioning society (Schacht, Knox, & Mooney, 2009). Serving more than a cosmetic function, the sedition act does precisely that by maintaining the racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

Conflict Theory

Living in a multicultural society a multiculturalism identity is accentuated. The Singaporean identity is founded upon the CMIO framework which also foregrounds nationalistic policies. CMIO stands for the four racial categories of “Chinese”, “Malay”, “Indian” and “Others” (Ortiga, 2018).

The conflict theory stipulates that competition between conflicting interests is a central function of society with competition for power and resources being key to social change (Crossman, 2019).

Given Mills’s sociological imagination which emphasizes on a hyper-awareness of one’s experiences by placing it in the context of history and one’s social relations, it is important to understand the sedition act pertaining to Singapore’s history. As many of our ancestors were immigrants (Ortiga, 2018), in relation to the conflict theory, the sedition act is crucial in surmounting many racial and religious tensions in the backdrop of events like the 1969 riot spillover from Malaysia that have largely occurred due to pointed, erroneous media reporting (Nadarjan & Peng, 1996),

In accordance with the digital trend, other laws like the fake news law have come about as an indirect result of debates surrounding seditious acts (Tham, 2019). The act cements the proposition of greater sensitivity especially with the changed paradigm of information dissemination as the view that Singapore is the epitome of multiculturalism is misrendered (Ortiga, 2018). For instance, in the court case of PP V. Takagi, the defendant aggravated racial tensions among Singaporeans and Filipinos with an article highlighting denigrating comments targeting Filipinos (Chong, 2016).

However, Mills also acknowledges that the essential features in each era and vagaries of societal change requires a constant revaluation of social order and structures. Here are two factors to consider.

In Singapore, the Chinese forms the racial majority at 74.3 %, Malays are the majority-minority group at 13.4% and Indians at 9%. The CMIO model based not on a nationalistic identity but that which highlights the unique distinctiveness of each race also draws focus on racial differences. Coming from the majority race, my view that the sedition act often disproportionately safeguards the interests of minority racial-religious groups by relying on the testimony of their complainants to charge defendants rather than the non-emotional clauses of the law is one also raised by other academics (Neo, 2011). Talking to my Singaporean uncle and Malaysian aunt has brought about an epiphany that a deeper understanding of different races cannot be cultivated through sheer suppression of undesirable views but is developed through open discussions exploring the intricacies of each other’s race that others may unintentionally disparage against due to a lack of understanding.

Deciding on further education after polytechnic, talking peers and education consultants made me realise that Singapore’s education level is rising as many are choosing to further their education. Hence, many of us many question the current status quo although we may not choose to challenge it. Furthermore, having done journalism at the polytechnic level, the sedition act had narrowed the scope of news I wrote. The noticeable censure of online journalism by the government amidst the rise of increasingly educated individuals raises the point that it is perhaps time to review the act especially pertaining to alternative journalism which may often express contentious views that many find refreshing (The Japan Times, 2016).