Freedom of Expression & Censorship of
Women

In February 2003, a monthly Dialogue Circle was initiated to enable a safe space for discussion and mutual learning on various issues concerning gender. Since then, facilitated by resource persons and activists from various organisations, the Dialogue Circle has been a point of constructive debate and engaging insight for staff, volunteers and guests.

Chiam J Y reports on June's Dialogue Circle...
29 June 2003

Another round of the monthly Dialogue Circle was just concluded, and the focus this time around is, "Freedom of Expression & Censorship of Women" a.k.a."Calling a Dog a *Bleep* or Reading
Between The Lines for Dummies").

Although the attendance for this round of dialogue was low, it afforded all the participants the chance to express their views and thoughts on the issue. Sonia Randhawa from Radiqradio.com was the esteemed resource person for this session.

The session was started with an introduction by Sonia on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states in Article 19 that:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
expression; this right includes freedom to hold
opinions without interference and to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers."

A brief summary of the laws affecting the freedom of speech and expression in Malaysia was also given, and these include the Printing and Publication Act 1984, the Sedition Act, the Internal Security Act, the Multimedia and Broadcasting Act, the Official Secrets Act etc.

The discourse that followed were enlightening, with issues brought forward ranging from the way the media has portrayed the Canny Ong case and others to images of women and power structures governing the global system and its systemic effects on women (macrocosm
vs. microcosm). Many personal experiences and intellectual strands were also mentioned and
discussed, such as the global trend of an increasing number of males at the top rung of media organisations worldwide, the control of resources and information by an elite few, the erosion in the perception of the press as the "fourth estate" necessary in a functioning democracy, the inroads made by globalisation, curtailment of human rights in lieu of the September 11 events, political and social apathy, consumerism and commercialism, censorship on the freedom of expression (even in schools) and so on.

Gender biases deemed to be projected by the media include the emphasis on sex as a motivating factor of rapes and sexual assaults, the onus on women to protect themselves from harm, the way victims were portrayed as helpless in the face of attacks and the numerous angles apparent in news reports that places the responsibility more on the victims rather than the perpetrators. A case in point would be the recent Canny Ong's case whereby the suspect was labeled as a
sex-maniac, while his main motivation was purported to be lust. Why the perpetual obsession with sex and lust in rape and sexual assault? What is the role of mass media in reinforcing myths about rape and sexual assault? The continuing victimization of rape survivors/victims is a constant irritant. Where are the perpetrators in the overall picture? Who is society actually placing its "blame" on? How effective is self-defence (i.e., martial arts) in protecting women from such assaults? Is the consumerist culture - so pervasive in the local context - promoting the perception that by buying certain products (i.e., pepper spray, alarms etc.), women could be safeguarded against such assault? The above were some of the questions raised by the members within the dialogue.

An important thread within the dialogue is the question of what could be effected by individuals to
ameliorate these circumstances. What could we, as members of this society, do to help ourselves and others, to have an impact (however minor) on the power structures presently in existence? Three main means put forward were: first, writing letters to editors of newspapers highlighting any dissatisfaction with the reports; second, write to Members-of-Parliament on any issue of concern; third, voice out (whenever possible) any subject matter of concern to draw public attention
to the issue.

Thence, the last words seem to be that everybody has a responsibility towards oneself and the society one lives in, with the onus on oneself to act and make a difference, however, small.

Last but not least, the freedom of speech and expression is an inviolable human right, so let us exercise it prudently!