Singapore — Singapore has asked Netflix to ban more content than any other country, says Mr Lim Tean of the People’s Voice party.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday (March 3), he wrote:
“Singapore Tops the List of Countries Requesting Netflix To Ban Content; even beating Saudi Arabia!
“The PAP’s Stranglehold on What Little Freedom of Speech we Have is Choking this Country to Death.”
He quoted statistics from the Netflix 2019 Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Report. According to the report released in 2020, the Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) asked Netflix to remove five titles from the streaming service for Singapore-based users.
The report states:
• In 2018, we complied with a written demand from the Singapore Infocomm
Media Development Authority (IMDA) to remove Cooking on High, The
Legend of 420, and Disjointed from the service in Singapore only.
• In 2019, we received a written demand from the Singapore Infocomm Media
Development Authority (IMDA) to remove The Last Temptation of Christ from
the service in Singapore only. The film is banned in the country.
• In 2020, we complied with a written demand from the Singapore Infocomm
Media Development Authority (IMDA) to remove The Last Hangover from the
service in Singapore only.
Netflix has removed a total of nine films across all international services as of February 2020. Five of them were requests from Singapore.
Mr Lim Tean wrote: “Singaporeans are the most educated populace on the planet. We should be free to engage in wholesome and robust dialogue of all ideas and topics. We should be encouraged to do so from a very early age.”
He added: “The growth of a nation is fed by a robust market place of ideas. Good, sound ideas do not need defending, public discussion only makes them better.”
He claimed, “The PAP’s stranglehold on what little Freedom of Speech we have is choking this country to death. Stifling innovation, start-ups, employment, education and even our entertainment and media as the Netflix article shows.”
Denise Teh is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG