SINGAPORE: Sometime last year, the People’s Action Party tossed about the idea of making a film to mark its 50th anniversary. 

But the organisers tossed it out soon enough when they realised it
could contravene a law on “party political films,” a piece of
legislation that PAP MPs backed in 1998. 

The law is the Films Act, which bans the making and showing of “party political” films. 

It essentially bars political parties from producing films or videos to advertise themselves.   

But it also restricts people not involved in politics from making any films “directed toward any political end” in Singapore. 

This means that the film content cannot contain any matter intended
or likely to affect voting in any election or national referendum
here. 

Neither can the film include partisan or biased comments on any political matter.

While this is an extreme restriction of free speech, it’s a shame that they didn’t extend the ban on promotional political media to print and broadcast. Indeed, it would probably be a good thing if TCS-5, Channel News Later and the Straits Times had to stop running PAP promotional pieces.

Via Windswept