Singapore bans political videos

Singapore bans political videos

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore yesterday banned the island's main
opposition group from selling a political video ahead of general
elections expected later this year, saying parties should not be
sold like soap.

"The government is of the view that political videos are an
undesirable medium for political debate in Singapore," the
ministry of information and the arts said in announcing the ban
on the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) video.

A ministry statement said the ban "will apply to all political
parties and political videos."

The SDP controls three of only four opposition seats in the
81-member parliament, dominated since 1959 by the ruling People's
Action Party (PAP) of longtime premier Lee Kuan Yew, now a senior
cabinet minister.

"It's totally absurd," SDP Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan
told AFP after the ban was announced.