A Voice For Change

What is the freedom of speech? Do we really have the right to freedom of speech? The BCSR rules ruled out the freedom of expression. We are not free as we think. We are pressed into a silent dark world of tight rein. Controlled freedom is no freedom at all. A society devoid of freedom of expression is a society of camouflage, confidentiality, corruption, and hatred. If we don’t have freedom of expression, freedom to say rights things for wrongdoers if we don’t speak against it, where is the development? Where is the space for growth? What is there to fight for your rights then? Why is there bigotry in our close society? 

We don’t have absolute freedom as such and it is not necessary to be also in any country.

I have some excerpts from BCSR 2012.

3.2.7 A civil servant shall maintain the confidentiality of official information and decisions.

3.2.7.1 A civil servant SHALL:

i. Uphold the duty of confidentiality at all times.

ii. Be as open as he is required with his immediate official colleagues about decisions and actions;

iii. Restrict certain information to protect wider interest; and

iv. Maintain confidentiality of information discovered in the course of duty, both while in service and after separation.

3.2.7.2 A civil servant SHALL NOT:

i. Disclose information to an inappropriate person or system;

ii. Share information with anyone including his family until it is brought to public by the authority concerned or an authorised person; and

iii. Use information for personal gains.

3.2.8

3.2.18.2 A civil servant SHALL NOT:

i. Criticise or undermine policies, programmes and actions of the Royal Government in public and/or media.

I personally feel that if we maintain the confidentiality of some wrongs done by some officials/people, we are living in a camouflaged and masked group of people. What could be the consequence in a disguised society? For example, a person is being bullied in many ways by a head and if it gets un-reported, and if a person is blamed for wrongdoings for right things. Where is the fairness? Criticism and feedback are sources of rectification and development, if so there is no rule for them. I also feel that to permit the continued building of our politics and culture and to assure self-fulfilment for each individual, people must be guaranteed the right to express any thought, free from government censorship. I, therefore, feel that there is a need for change and amendment of some policies of BCSRs for a better working environment and quality inputs. These ploices have no scope to move further. We are reined.  If it is good for the people, society, country, one should learn to accept constructively.

Let me refer the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It states that: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Freedom of speech always remains controversial. The freedom of information is also explicitly protected. We know this. There are clauses that governments may enact at reasonable time, place, or manner restrictions on speech for general protections, like, child pornography, speech that incites, or the use of untruths to harm others or slanderous, religious offence, racial offence, sedition, hatred, etc, and regulation of commercial speech such as advertising. Other limitations like rights for authors and inventors over their works and discoveries, copyrights and patent can also be restricted.

Freedom of information is an extension of freedom of speech where the medium of expression is the internet. It may also refer to the right to privacy in the context of the internet and information technology. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc are sites of expression and they are accessible without censorship or restrictions of the web content.

As a human being, as a thinking man, as a lawful man, as a rightful man, as a right, one must know that  freedom of speech does not  includes in anyways, to incite actions that would harm others, to speak obscene words, and to bring a threat to one’s own society. We must be mindful of what we do or say.

Note: Some of the views are purely personal expressions of the author, and they may not be true always. And so they do not intend to hurt anyone explicitly, or implicitly.