How now, Mr. Brown?

It all began with a regular Friday Mr Brown column...
Alarm goes off for govt bureaucrats; scathing response from the press secretary to the Minister of Information, Communications, and the Arts
Mr Brown suspended from newspaper column - the masses react
Article on BoingBoing
Article on Slashdot
A whole bunch of people write about it
Reporters sans frontieres (RSF) are up in arms
What some commenters find this whole situation seeming like
Singapore ranks 140th in worldwide freedom of press survey conducted by RSF

This is disturbing, unsurprising, and heartening all at once. Disturbing that the government's (over)reaction was compared to communist China; that the newspaper may as well be owned by the government (imagine the propagandistic chow that local minds get fed everyday); that the debate brings out the worst in some people, and it's scary to know what they are really thinking.

But I wasn't/am not shocked; nobody should be. While the ministry's response wasn't the most sensible, I can understand why there is a low tolerance for any opposition to the government. (It's one of many unusual strategies in a handbook that might be titled How To Rule A Small, Young, Densely Populated and Incredibly Diverse Country.) If the people are unhappy, the government might honestly not realize this (huge disconnect common of any government), or choose to sweep it under the rug and dress it up with optimism and fancy statistics for the above reason. **Who knows why Singapore's government is so famously stuffy; I'm taking a generous stance here, though it's hard not to appear either ignorant/docile or a conspiracy theorist.** Anyway - so naturally, if someone were to write about the government/our way of life with even a hint of criticism, they will be on you. (Personally, I find it a little humorous that the ministry's defense was calling Mr Brown a liar and a coward - the article a "polemic" and "distortion of truth" while the author "hides behind a pseudonym". His article rings true for many; the letter and the effective shutting up of any further dissent won't help their case.) Unhappy is as unhappy does and of course, the S'porean blogosphere is shaken up and there is a tremendous outpouring of concern, show of support, etc. for the 'fallen hero'. It must not be easy being Mr Brown right now.

Finally, it's heartening that there is such a furor over this. At the very least, it means that people care. Many responses are the run-of-the-mill "this sucks" whining and echoes from lemmings, but a good number also offer constructive solutions and proposed actions. The people are not dormant; they are aware, and want something better. A few provided insightful comments that were a comforting sign that there is hope yet.

Model 21st century state or 3rd world authoritarian rule? Perhaps both, but we are still young and will need to work through more strife before the perfect balance can be struck.