Re: "'Workers and consumers are the ultimate losers': Consumer advocates back press freedom campaign" (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2019, October 22)
Free speech and a free press are both foundational to a healthy democracy. If people cannot seek and speak ugly truths about those who rule them, if citizens cannot mock and burst the pretensions of those who think themselves high and mighty, if some are denied the chance of an equal voice in forming not only their government, but the form of their society, its laws and institutions, then democracy is in danger of becoming a tyranny.
The lame cry of "national security" is too often a lie, and must also be subject to healthy skepticism and rejected unless sufficiently specific support is given to substantiate every such claim to impose ignorance by censoring the free investigation and reporting of national affairs. That something will piss of a communist dictatorship is not a national security reason to stifle the flow of information about the nation. That something will embarrass an official is not a national security issue, which appears to need a strict and transparent definition to prevent abuse.
_______________________________
The above comment was submitted by Felix Qui to The Sydney Morning Herald article.
No comments:
Post a Comment
However strongly dissenting or concurring, politely worded comments are welcome.
Please note, however, that, due to Felix Qui's liability for them, comments must comply with Thai law, and are moderated accordingly.