Fajar 4E5N SS Prelims 2019 QP

Do not open this document till permission is given. This document consists of 6 printed pages including the cover page. FAJAR SECONDARY SCHOOL 2019 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS SECONDARY 4 EXPRESS / 5 NORMAL (ACADEMIC) CANDIDATE NAME CLASS INDEX NUMBER COMBINED HUMANITIES Paper 1 Social Studies Setter: Miss Loh Su Min Additional Materials: Writing Paper 2267/01 2 September 2019 1 hour 45 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, class and index number on all the work you hand in. Write all answers on the writing paper. Write in dark blue or black pen. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Section A Answer all parts of Question 1. Section B Answer all parts of Question 2. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. The total marks for this paper is 50. For Examiner’s Use Section A 35 Section B 15 Total 50

2 Section A (Source-Based Case Study) Question 1 is compulsory for all candidates. Study the Background Information and the sources carefully , and then answer all the questions. You may use any of the sources to help you answer the questions, in addition to those sources which you are told to use. In answering the questions you should use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1 (a) Study Source A. What can you infer about the POFMA law? Explain your answer. [5] (b) Study Source B. Why was this infographic posted on the website? Explain your answer. [6] (c) Study Sources C and D. Having read Source C, are you surprised by Source D? Explain your answer. [7] (d) Study Source E. How useful is this source in showing the impact on Singapore having a POFMA? Explain your answer. [7] (e) “Singaporeans should welcome the POFMA law.” Using sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement. [10]

3 How would the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) impact Singapore? Background Information Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. With the widespread use of technology and the Internet, acts of cyber bullying and online harassment have been on the rise. In order to combat that, the government created the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) in 2014. This act was to protect individuals against onlin e stalking and the spreading of false statements online by making these actions a criminal offence. In more recent years, the problem of the spread of false information online is a rising concern all around the world. To tackle this problem, the POFMA was created in May 2019. With this act, if a statement is released online, the Singapore Government will decide whether it is a falsehood and assess its impact on public interest. If found a threat to public interest, the government has the power to issue an order to force the writer to correct it or take it down by blocking certain accounts and sites that are spreading the falsehood. This act has received both praises and concerns from Singaporeans, businesses and human rights organisations because of its pot ential of over censorship and manipulation. Study the following sources to find out how the POFMA would impact Singapore. Source A: An excerpt from an interview with Professor Chong Ja Ian, a political scientist working in Singapore. *prosecuted: accused of committing a crime in a law court The law is sweeping, broad and contains va gue wording that can be common to legislation in Singapore. Several sections say that a person must not do anything in or outside Singapore, according to the law, to ‘diminish public confidence’ in a state body. What does that mean? A minister can have a l ot of power to determine whether a statement diminishes public confidence or not. According to the bill, the Minister can exempt a person from being prosecuted* by the law . The way this is worded suggests that the government can exempt anybody from this ac t that they want. The fear is the law leaves open the possibility that a government official could be excluded from prosecution for potentially spreading falsehoods.

4 Source B: An infographic posted on the official Government of Singapore website. REACH (Reaching everyone for active citizenry @ home): An organisation that aims to facilitate government efforts to engage and connect with fellow citizens on national and social issues. Source C: Political cartoon drawn and posted by The Online Citizen, an open independent platform for alternative voices in Singapore.

5 Source D: Adapted from People’s Action Party MP Cedric Foo’s speech during a parliamentary debate about the POFMA. a Source E: An adapted excerpt from a Twitter post by Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, a non -profit and non-governmental human rights organisation. Source F: An adapted excerpt from an opinion column written by Eugene Tan, an Associate Professor of Law at Singapore Management University. ______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ ___ Copyright Acknowledgements: Source A: Interview excerpt, https://www.bbc.com/news/business -47782470 Source B: Infographic, https://www.gov.sg/news/content/singapore -fight-against-fake-news Source C: Political cartoon, https://www.facebook.com/pg/theonlinecitizen/photos/ Source D: Speech, https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2019/05/10/workers -party-advocates-judiciarys-role-as-first-and-final- arbiter-of-truth-in-fake-news-cases-while-pap- disagrees/?fbclid=IwAR1zF6vBq878a81MVaLxM9vJViExPRja1ofj94LW k1fTK8pNZE5KHzfiFwE Source E: Source F: Twitter comment, https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/09/singapore -fake-news-law/ Opinion column, https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3004898/could-singapores-new-law-against-fake- news-be-one-others-follow Singapore’s new fake news law is a disaster for online expre ssion by ordinary Singaporeans, and a hammer blow against the independence of many online news portals they rely on to get real news about their country beyond the ruling People’s Action Party political filter. Singapore’s leaders have crafted a law that w ill have a chilling effect on internet freedom throughout Southeast Asia, and likely start a new set of information wars as they try to impose their narrow version of ‘truth’ on the wider world. POHA is designed to address private matters such as in a case where somebody felt that they have been harassed as a private individual while POFMA is about public interest, riots and racial disharmony. These are public interest matters that have to be dealt with much faster than the POHA cases because while the individual’s cases are important, they are not as urgent, as in cases under POFMA, which are both important and urgent, and have to be dealt with right away. Individuals who like to give their opinions on issues – and do so without any wrongful intentions – should not have to worry. But if there are serious grounds for concern, the Government needs to move fast before more serious things happen, like riots breaking out. In such a situation, a take - down action is crucial. In my view, the proposed law strikes an even -handed approach between protecting responsible speech and clamping down on false speech in a no -nonsense manner. It is designed not to be censorious except in serious cases where a take -down order is issued. To be sure, the