TAKE THAT HALF STEP TOWARDS OPENESS

AUTHOR Catherine Lim and political scientist Ho Khai Leong said at the Singapore Perspectives Conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies that the Government has taken only "half steps" towards a more open society.

I would like to suggest that the other "half steps" be taken by Singaporeans, so that we need not debate yet again whether we really are an open society. As Ms Lim observes, authentic expression is too important a need to be intimidated into permanent silence.

But before we begin to engage in "authentic expression", I suggest we consider the following code of conduct:

First, let's develop the habit of being impeccable with our words. Words are a powerful double-edged sword: They can cut a person down to size or inflate a person's ego. The wrong choice of words spoken in the heat of the moment can cause personal embarrassment or bring about momentous changes.

If we choose our words with care when expressing opinions or engaging in discussion or debate, the chances of being misunderstood or sued for defamation would be minimised.

Second, don't take anything personally. When someone challenges our views or opinions, we must not feel they are attacking us.

Conversely, when we challenge others on issues, we must not engage in name-calling or character assassination.

Last year, a blogger was charged in court for attacking a specific ethnic group because of its view on dogs. He would not have found himself in the soup if he had confined his discussion to how to handle dogs in public.

Third, never make assumptions. Often, when we are engaged in heated debate, we do not have the time to reflect on our underlying assumptions about an issue.

We must have the courage to inquire each time we encounter doubt. We must develop the culture of asking tough, uncomfortable questions.

I believe this process has begun with the NKF saga. Already, we are engaging in active debate about stunts performed by artistes to raise funds for charity. We are beginning to examine if this is the proper and effective way.

I attended a course conducted by a philosopher, Mr Lau Kwong Fook, who came up with the acronym SEX to sum up the above code of conduct. "X" stands for the unknown answer we are searching for, or the conclusion to the argument we are constructing. "S" reminds us to Separate the argument from the person, and "E" reminds us to Examine all angles of an argument.

At the unique Philosophy Cafe conducted by Mr Lau, people from all walks of life like myself meet every third Wednesday of the month and engage in philosophical discussion according to this code of conduct.

According to him, a philosopher is anyone who wants to rationally and rigorously pursue the truth.

He hosts this cafe because he has made it his life's purpose to "create gardens of rational thought in the jungle of irrationality that surrounds us".

With more Singaporeans taking this half step, perhaps Singapore could make a long stride towards being considered an open society.

This article first appeared in TODAY on 14th January 2006.