Why Freedom Is Good For Us
For a country to progress, its people must feel free to critique issues and share ideas freely
by Caro. L
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The ability to scrutinise and critique all information is what has always made nations advance.
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I have attempted many times to discuss with Malaysians the necessity of political freedom, freedom of thought, and freedom of speech for the well-being of a nation and of its people. Inevitably, I always received the following argument to counter my theories: �Malaysia used to be a poor country; Malaysia is multi racial and unstable; Malaysia needs to develop and there is no priority for political freedom.�
In human rights studies, this is called the theory of the �bowl of rice� which usually translates into a paternalistic type of government; in Asia in particular it was referred to as the so-called �Asian Values�. In more extreme cases, I was told that �democracy� in general never proves to be sufficient for economic development and if given the choice between an economically troubled but democratic country like the Philippines or a �soft-democracy� but economically strong country like Malaysia, most people would choose Malaysia.
At this point, I believe that �values� as identified by Dr Mahathir do play a role in what people consider as ultimately important in their life. Perhaps education and culture have an equally strong influence: whether having the opportunity to speak or whether having the chance to live in a strong economy is a �cruel choice� that too many people are unfortunately forced to take. No one in its right state of mind would choose freedom of speech over a fulfilling meal.
Let�s assume now that Malaysia has achieved a level of economic development where everybody is approximately able to eat at reasonable levels; why should the country change and why should political freedom be increased?
I could answer that by saying what French people would usually say: �because men are supposed to be free to think and express their opinions, as long as it does not disturb the freedom of other citizens�.
For us freedom is vital, to the extreme, it is part of our culture and our heritage. We grow with it and fight for it all our lives. Basically I would be telling you that freedom is worth fighting for because of its inherent goodness. But that would not convince many people in Malaysia.
I see other reasons why now is the time for many Malaysians to demand for what they deserve, what they need, what will make their country the powerful and developed nation the Prime Minister aspires it to be.
- Freedom is necessary for development: Amartya Sen is one of the greatest thinkers in contemporary Human Rights, and his work on �Development as Freedom� inspires many citizens in the world to fight for their rights.
- Freedom is necessary for creativity: Malaysians are doing great, they are always doing better. Watching local plays has become a real pleasure, for I notice that more and more issues confronting society are dealt with and shared with the public: ISA, women mistreatment, corruption etc�they are dealt with in a simple, delicate, subtle and yet sharp manner. The more people are free to address those issues, the more they are forced to find solutions, to gather in teams, associations, NGOs etc. to solve problems affecting their environment. Art has always been one of the most valuable channels for society to communicate on those issues: paintings, plays, musicals are a representation of contemporary evils, and one only has to watch Les Mis�rables by Victor Hugo to understand how the ability to depict a nation�s underlying issues leads not only to creativity but also to action.
- Freedom is necessary for business: freedom of speech is directly linked to freedom or information. When the information on business environment can be screened and judged reliable by free sources, the risk level of doing business in a country is decreased.
Foreign investors coming to Malaysia - on whom the country depends heavily in some key sectors - need to know that business actors are free to engage in a healthy and ethical environment and that, when the need arises, they will be free to obtain legal recourse and to share the information with the public. A healthy and buoyant business environment starts with freedom of speech and of information.
- Freedom is necessary for one�s education: freedom of speech starts with the learning of a reflex to always analyse any information one is given, judge its acceptability, challenge it and counter it if necessary.
In education, some fields such as politics, history, religion, and philosophy are opportunities for pupils to start building a critical mind. The ability to scrutinise and critique all information is what has always made nations advance.
The great philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, historians of our times were those who were inventors. Invention starts with critique, critique starts with freedom of speech. Networks of discussion and sharing of ideas are the only soil in which a great and educated people can build a strong and sustainable economy.
- Freedom is necessary to avoid disasters: another theory of Amartya Sen is that there was never a democracy in the world that suffered any famine. That does not mean that there are no poor or even deviant democracies such as India: it means that in the context of freedom of speech, disasters can be avoided.
A ready example is the case of SARS in China. The government�s refusal to disclose information was the main reason for the epidemic outbreak. If newspapers had been free to share real information, and to help prevent further infection, the number of cases would surely have been limited.
Media have a strong role to play in protecting society by providing it with reliable information. For this to happen, journalists must be free to share existing information, people must be able to have in their hands the necessary information to protect themselves from disasters that can affect their country. This is one of the most fundamental rights.
- Finally freedom is inherently good. I must finish by explaining in a few words why freedom is simply good. Originally, the state was created to protect the people. The state is created BY the people FOR the people. The role of the state is to protect its people and the role of the people is to protect itself FROM the state.
Only by having in our hands the tools to share, communicate and act on our ideas, our beliefs can we achieve this balance of a mutual protection and a mutual benefit.
A people without freedom of speech is a people in permanent danger of abuse by the state.
| Caro. L is a student with an interest in human rights development in Malaysia.
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