部长 referred to the Press Freedom Index compiled by the organization Reporters without Borders – which placed Singapore 144th out of 173 countries on press freedom in 2008 below Ethiopia, Sudan, Kazahkstan, Venezuela, Guinea, Haiti.
Mr Shanmugam describe the rankings as “quite absurd and divorced from reality”:
“My point is not that we are in any way inherently superior to them – the question is whether a truly objective assessment will give us such a ranking,” he added.
This year Singapore was ranked 133rd out of 175 countries below Kenya – which saw riots following a disputed election – and Congo – which continues to struggle with the aftermath of an armed conflict that has claimed more than 5 million lives.
The index reflects the degree of freedom that journalists and news organizations enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom.
