‘New York Times’, ‘Straits Times’ and Challenges to Democracy - EDITORIAL

The New York Times is one of the USA’s most popular news sites. The newspaper’s print version remains the largest local metropolitan newspaper in the United States, and is known for its hard-hitting and critical commentary on personalities and events taking place in the country. 
The Straits Times on the other hand - after Singapore gained its independence in 1965 - has been referred to as Singapore’s newspaper of record. Despite its history as being largely anti-PAP (Singapore’s ruling political party) and anti-independence movement when Singapore was a colony, it has become largely pro-PAP 
after independence. 

Following criticism of the newspaper’s coverage from Lee Kuan Yew after the 1979 By-Elections and the 1980 General Election, the Straits Times agreed to accept S.R. Nathan, a government nominee and former Director of Internal Security, as its Executive Chairman. 
Subsequently, the Singaporean government restructured the entire newspaper industry, and the Strait Times was brought under Singapore Press Holdings, established on 30 November 1984. 

The comparison between the two media outlets thus is as cheese is to chalk. 
In our own country, we have enjoyed with the exception for brief periods, a liberal democratic political structure. However governments at different times have used constitutionally sanctioned as well as extra-constitutional means to suppress people’s rights, counter violent upheavals, as well as gag press freedom. 
Successive governments since independence have been guilty of these misdemeanours. The post 1977 era, stands out as the darkest period. In the early 1980s, the then government crushed the trade union movement, dismissing over 40,000 public service workers who were demanding salary increases 

In the late 80s, the then government unleashed death squads and the military to brutally curtail the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s bid to topple the government. Subsequently, the near three-decade long separatist war gave that government a further excuse to muzzle the freedom of expression. The war also left in its wake around 60,000 civilian deaths. 
Today, once again, we are witnessing acts of violent suppression of the people’s rights.  While the government has been successful in overcoming the worst problems in the aftermath of the country’s bankruptcy of yesteryear, the vast majority of people are unable to keep up with the rising cost of living. 
According to the Ceylon Electricity Board, it has sent out red notices to 700,000 households or 10 percent of electricity users, granting them a 45-day grace period, demanding the settlement of overdue payments. 

Meanwhile, electricity consumers complain that in the face of the rapidly increasing cost of living, they are finding it difficult to pay the revised costs of electricity bills in a timely manner. In October this year, the Ceylon Electricity Board imposed an 18 percent tariff on electricity charges. 
Our sister publication, the ‘Daily FT reported on consumers saying they have to juggle between paying water bills and electricity bills on a monthly basis as wages are insufficient to meet rising costs. 
The problem faced by the mass of our citizens is that while the monthly wage of an individual ranges from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 60,000, the cost to provide three basic meals to a family of four is around Rs. 120,000! 

This sum does not take into account the costs of children’s education, clothing, transport, medical needs and other basic requirements.  Two days ago, the Police fired water cannons to disperse a group of women protesters who had gathered near the Parliament roundabout. The protest was aimed at demanding that concerns regarding the escalating cost of living, the burdensome taxes imposed on ordinary people and other issues in the country be addressed. 
Onlookers were left wondering whether the excessive force used by the government to disperse the demonstration was an example it had learned from the Israeli attacks on women and children in Palestine. 

According to Al Jazeera, since October 7, over 6,000 Palestinian children have been killed. Meanwhile, AP reported the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza saying that the death toll has surpassed 15,200, and 70% of those killed are women and children. 
This government has successfully negotiated a debt restructuring deal. It has set the country’s economy on the path to recovery. It should not spoil its record by the use of excessive force on people crying out for relief.   Let it rather seek means to provide succour to those at the bottom of our 
social structure.