LORD Devlin’s axiom that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is one that is taken for fact these days. For good reasons, too: reams of writing have been expended on the need for checks and balances in any system of governance, democratic or otherwise. What is less often talked about, at least in a […]
freedom
Arming our writers
By Kathy Rowland(© Agata Urbaniak / sxc.hu) ONE of the unexpected outcomes of the recent presidential election campaign in the US has been a sharp rise in gun sales. Demand for firearms and other related paraphernalia went up by 15% in October. There is a fear that president-elect Barack Obama will institute gun controls when he assumes […]
Civil society can change media
By Elizabeth LooiKUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov 2008: A strong civil society has the power to change the media without relying on government regulation. Professor Cherian George from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University said the public could influence how the media operated, for example, by holding them accountable. “Media organisations could be pressured by consumers into setting up their […]