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South Asian Feminisms

George shows how PAP’s taming of “Asian journalism” (p. 133) resulted in non-English press “taking the path of least resistance” (p. 136). To further explain the mainstream press’s acquiescence to the government, George compares the press with the arts sector in Chapter 7. In contrast to the arts sector’s activism for less censorship, the press’s “stoic silence” (p. 156) is attributed to its organisational structure, the economic risks of dissension, and journalists’ proximity to the power centre. A glimmer of hope for intervention-free political discourse is offered in Chapters 8 and 9 when George discusses how media and political activists leverage internet technologies to push the boundaries of acceptable discourse and engage in “political jiujitsu” (p. 190). In spite of the internet’s potential to bring about political and media reform, George concludes that the state’s power is here to stay. His thesis on PAP’s “networked hegemony” in the last chapter focuses on the state’s finesse in adapting to challenges engendered by the decentralisation of communication, a more politically-conscious electorate, and a growing disconnect with the populace. The PAP’s tentacular information networks ultimately strengthen its political immunity. George warns, however, that unless the government adjusts the imbalance of power in these networks, Singapore will not be able to “lift itself out of the mediocrity in which it is often mired” (p. 225). George also makes several references to the functioning of the press as a cultural producer. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a cultural producer’s ability to produce creative or ground-breaking work is dependent on myriad factors such as the nature of the domain, gatekeepers in the field and the social system in which cultural workers are embedded. An analysis in the future on the effects of these conditions on the functioning of the press will be relevant and enlightening. This does not detract from the book’s contribution to existing discourse on governance and media. The book will appeal to those interested in local studies of cultural industries, the Singapore polity, and particularly the workings of media organisations in Singapore. George’s eloquent writing makes this book an engaging read for the layman, practitioners and academics.