He then tried to prove the case of Singapore which, in a 2005 report of the Reporters Without Borders, was ranked No. 140 out of 167 countries in its press freedom index.

"Should we be embarrassed because we are near the bottom of the ladder in the ranking?" he asked. "Not at all," he said, and then showed that Singapore today has one of the cleanest and most efficient governments in the world.

To prove his point further, he cited the Transparency International's 2005 survey of the corruption perception for 158 countries in which Singapore placed No. 5 as the least corrupt country. On the other hand, he said, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, which had a better press freedom record, were ranked between the 39th and 137th positions.

In terms of economic prosperity, Goh also showed that Singapore was ranked No. 2 out of 155 countries, way ahead again of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines with more press freedom. The four countries, he said, were ranked between the 70th and 121st places.

Minister Goh makes the point that there is less corruption and greater prosperity in countries with less press freedom than those with more.

Using his line of reasoning, can we say that Myanmar should have been rich because it has less press freedom? Or with North Korea?

Or can we say that the United States should have been a poor country because it enjoys a free press? The US has enshrined press freedom in its Constitution. The first amendment in its Bill of Rights provides that "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press." But it has been acknowledged as an economic superpower.

Press freedom is not used as a yardstick for measuring the economic level of a nation. There are many countries with a free press that have become economic giants in the same manner that there are those with a curtailed press that have remained poor over many decades.

Press freedom is an index of a people's dignity and self-respect; it helps government in bringing about social and political reforms. In totalitarian countries, the press is used to promote economic goals rather than individual freedom and human rights.

In the US and most of Western Europe, as well as in other democracies, a free press is an important tool in checking corruption in their governments. We can only expect the worst conditions in a country which has a corrupt government but with no free press to expose its abuses and excesses.

Goh called on media to be responsible and exercise their judgment in covering events in "a manner which informs, educates and unites, not divides," the people. He said editors and journalists "must work for the public good in a practical rather than an idealistic way."

We agree that the press should be responsible and constructive in its role as the purveyor of information and molder of public opinion. We also subscribe to the view that press freedom is not absolute.

But we maintain that the freedom of the press to criticize the government and expose its excesses and wrongdoings in the national interest should not be abridged or curtailed. Press freedom connotes the immunity of the media -- newspapers, books, magazines, radio and television -- from government control or censorship.

We believe that the media should not be subservient to the government.

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