Date: 1990-10-16
Speaker: I MOYNIHAN (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President Singapore has beena mod.l oiec nomic success and stability. Nonethe-. less. the Government of sinaporecontinues to exhibita. deep mistrust of Its own citizens. This i clarly.shown by its continued censorship. especially its censorship of foreign -periodicals. GovernmentI officials .apparently believe that Singaporeans cannot beleft to make their own Judgments. Inshort. the Government believes ln a vigorous economic marketplace. but-. will not allow freedom in the market-: place of Ideas. According .to the 1Department of State -Country Reports -on. Human Rights Practices for 1989" "The [Singaporean] Constitution permits official restrictions on the freedom of expression. In practice. freedom of speech and press is circumscribed *-* . This unfortunate Ifact was. again Illustrated yesterday when the Wall Street Journal ennounced that the Government of Slgnapores harwinent of Its asster- publition. the Asian Wall Street -ourml. ha become so intense -that it has been forced to suspend circulation In Singapore.: Moreover. today the New York Times reports that Singapores Prime Mlinister. Lee Kuan Yew. has launtbed another attack on "the foreign press". blaming the media br the Tiananmen Square massacre. His attacks on the lfar Eastern jconomic Review are well known. indeed infamous. This intolerance :of criticlsm and free speech reflects -deepand Irrationalfears. Singapore isa strong .and stable society. Its people are itelligent and -welleducatedL It has prospered .as few nations have through la vigorous capitalist economy. .Yet. in 1987.48 the Government arrested. rearrested. and: apparently -mistreated nine of its citizens for participating In an alleged "Marxist plot". The reaction to the supposed "threat" -from these -nine individuals was so wildly -out -of propoitofi to any conceivable -threat--ven -assuming the Governments -most extreme climsthat it defies explanation. Worse.: This type of hostility toward dissenting views and repression of speech and association run the danger of creating the very discontent that -hey purport to suppress. The Government cannot suppress thought. Trying toido so only.invites instability. Mr. President. during the cold war the IUnited States embraced many nations which -did not share our commitment to free speech and human rights. But the cold war Is over. Antlconmunism will no longer Justify drawing close to nations which suppress Treedom 7within their own borders. One Wonders. therefore. about reports that the -United States Is negotiating with the Government. of Singapore concerning thepossibility of bashig U.S. military ocperations in Singapore. Is this necessary? -More Importantly. .given the -Government of- Singapores dlstrust of it own cltizens. is :it wisel The Gove ents continued censorber 1*90 ship and excessively paternalistic attitude toward its citizens raise very substantial doubts about the wisdom of reaching any cooperative military agreement with the Government of Singapore. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that yesterdays Wall Street Journal editorial and todays New York Times article be printed In the REcoRD at this point.