Singapore restricts web commentary during election

The Singaporean government yesterday reiterated that citizens who post political commentary on the web during the country's upcoming general election can face prosecution.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, whose ruling People's Action Party has dominated politics in Singapore since its independence in 1965, is expected to call elections in the coming months.

The broadcasting of political issues by political parties or individuals via web technologies such as podcasting and videocasting will be governed under Singapore's election advertising regulations established in 2001 during the last polls.

During the November 2001 election, the extent of online politics was limited to political parties posting information about their rallies and candidates' backgrounds on their websites.

The rules extend to bloggers who are permitted to discuss politics but will have to register their websites if they repeatedly maintain political views, said Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Singapore's senior minister of state for information, communications and the arts, during a parliament sitting.

He also said that any Singaporean who uses the internet to "persistently propagate, promote or circulate political issues" about the island-state during the election period would be running afoul of the law.

Under the current regulatory regime, political websites have to register with the Media Development Authority (MDA), which also administers the Parliamentary Elections Act, the Class Licence Scheme and Internet Code of Practice.

Jeanne Lim writes for ZDNet Asia