SINGAPORE: Artistes can express humanitarian concerns about international conflicts, but such expression should not undermine public order, security or stability in Singapore, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How said on Thursday (Sep 10).
“Singapore should not be used by foreigners as a platform to further political causes, including those relating to conflicts or political issues overseas,” he said.
Artistes, whether Singaporean or foreign, are expected to abide by Singapore’s laws and the conditions of the arts entertainment licence when performing here, he added.
Mr Tan was responding in parliament to MP Hazlina Abdul Halim (PAP-East Coast), who asked how authorities distinguish prohibited political advocacy from expressions of humanitarian concern.
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She also asked how an artiste’s intent and the context of an expression are taken into account, and whether licensing conditions would be reviewed to exclude peaceful expressions of support for humanitarian causes.
Mr Tan said that besides an artiste’s intention, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) considers the likely impact of a performance when assessing whether it meets licensing conditions.
Under IMDA’s Arts Entertainment Classification Code, content should not undermine public order, national security or stability.
The code, which sets out the framework for assessing and classifying live or public arts entertainment, also states that content should be “sensitive to the concerns of different racial or religious groups and the prevailing community expectations of what is necessary to safeguard racial harmony and religious harmony”.
In July, members of British band Massive Attack were issued stern warnings and barred from re-entering Singapore after flying a Palestinian flag during a concert, with one of the members shouting “Free Palestine”.
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