Why freedom of expression is not a priority in Southeast Asia

This is according to the report “Buddhism, Islam, and Religious Pluralism in South and Southeast Asia” by the Pew Research Center. The study focused on the role of religion in different societies in South and Southeast Asia.

In the section on religion and politics, the report found that “freedom of expression and democracy are not always widely accepted in the region.”

Low press freedom rankings in Southeast Asia

These findings are also reflected in global press freedom rankings measured annually by organizations such as Reporters Without Borders.

In its latest World Press Freedom Index, Vietnam ranked third worst in the world, after China and North Korea. Junta-led Myanmar was also among the bottom 10 countries.

The rest of the region was in the bottom half of the rankings, except for Malaysia, which was ranked 73rd.

The deterioration of international freedom of expression standards “is the result of increased aggressiveness on the part of authorities in many countries and growing animosity towards journalists on social media and in the physical world,” said Christophe Deloire, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, in a statement.

“Volatility is also a consequence of the growth of the fake content industry, which produces and distributes disinformation and provides the tools to manufacture it.”

Another index, Freedom House’s Freedom On The Net, which monitors the conditions of free speech online, recently showed that Myanmar tied with China for last place in “internet freedom.”

Two other Southeast Asian countries (Vietnam and Thailand) ranked among the 20 worst-performing countries.

What do ordinary people think about press freedom?

However, the Pew study differs from annual press freedom rankings by focusing on everyday people’s thoughts on free speech issues.

According to the report, released in early September, a majority of respondents in three of the four Southeast Asian states surveyed agree with their governments that national “harmony” should come before freedom of expression.

Although majorities of respondents in the four Southeast Asian states said they thought people should be allowed to publicly criticize their governments, a significant minority in Malaysia (36%) and Singapore (41%) said they thought citizens should not be able to do so. so.

Respondents were then asked to choose between two statements: “harmony with others is more important than the right to express one’s own opinion” or “people should be allowed to express their opinions publicly even if they bother other people.” .

Only in Thailand did a majority (59%) think that freedom of expression should come before social harmony. About 64% of Singaporeans, 67% of Indonesians and 69% of Cambodians said social harmony should prevail over freedom of expression.

“A combination of traditions of social harmony and years of authoritarian rule in so many Southeast Asian countries, and such pressure on the right to freedom of expression, have had an effect on the view of freedom of expression as a priority,” he said Joshua Kurlantzick, Senior Southeast Asia Researcher. Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, he explains to DW.

However, some arguments defending free speech are “catching,” particularly among the younger generation, he added.

In fact, the Pew survey found that younger and more educated respondents were more likely to support the ability to criticize a government and put free speech above concerns about social harmony.

What were the details between countries?

The report also found differences based on religion. For example, while almost half of Thai Muslims (52%) said harmony with others is more important than freedom of expression, only 38% of Thai Buddhists took the same stance.

Thai authorities have said the country’s strict lese majeste laws, which punish insulting the monarch and his immediate family with between three and 15 years in prison, are necessary because the institution defines “Thainess.”

The Cambodian government has defended its harsh restrictions on freedom of expression with accusations that opposition politicians and independent newspapers are a threat to the country’s hard-won peace, following a three-decade civil war that ended in its end at the end of the 1990s.

The communist governments of Vietnam and Laos claim that the national community must come before the individual’s right to say what he wants.

The government of Singapore, another multi-ethnic and multi-religious state that experienced “race riots” in the 1960s, has expanded its “hate speech” laws in recent years.

“In Singapore, we take action against both hate speech and offensive speech. And we do not allow anyone else to attack or insult any race or religion,” Home Minister K. Shanmugam said in a 2021 speech.

“For us, freedom of expression reaches the limit of offending others,” he added.

However, critics have questioned whether Southeast Asia’s harsh and other “hate speech” laws actually uphold social “harmony” in practice.

A 2021 report by the Asia Center, a Thailand-based research group, said the introduction of “harmony” and other laws “continue the dominance of the ethno-religious majority, limit (freedom of religion or belief) and they continue to muzzle the transmission of rights.” of grievances of minority communities.”

“The dominant ethno-religious governments in the region remain too eager to exploit social divisions for political gain,” he added.