SINGAPOREANS could be generally against proposals to allow Restricted 21 (R21) movies in the heartland, though the degree varies depending on the mode in which they are delivered, an informal poll by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, found.

During a dialogue session with nearly 300 Marsiling residents and grassroots leaders yesterday, Mr Lui conducted a straw poll on residents' views on allowing R21 movies in the heartland, a recommendation put up by the Censorship Review Committee on Sept 15. He found that more residents - who ranged from teenagers to working adults and senior citizens - were against R21 films being sold as videos in the heartland, compared to those who oppose having them screened in cinemas in housing estates.

About one fifth of residents said no to the sale of R21 movies in heartland shops, while around one sixth objected to having R21 films screened in their neighbourhood cinemas.

Many residents also did not respond to the informal poll. About one fifth of residents were not in favour of allowing R21 movies to be shown on free-to-air TV channels.

Residents were undecided on having R21 films shown on pay-TV channels, even for on-demand videos with parental locks. However, slightly more people were not in favour of permitting the content.

Mr Lui told reporters after the Marsiling dialogue that he had been trying to get a sense of "what is more acceptable and regarding the R21 proposal. He added that he spoke to NTUC union leaders several days ago, and informally asked different groups of people on their response to the recommendations "to see what their comfort level is".

He said that some people were more concerned about the R21 recommendation, while others did not think it was a big issue at all. Mr Lui added that an earlier survey done by the censorship Review Committee on its various recommendations "quite accurately reflects the sentiments of people on the ground", in line with the feedback he has sought, including those from the Marsiling residents yesterday.

The committee's survey found that six in 10 people opposed having R21 films screened in heartland cinemas.

"(The survey) is a very important input and indicator to us," he said, adding that the Government would take these inputs and responses into account in its reply on all the censorship proposals on Wednesday.

Other proposals made by the committee include allowing PG films to be broadcast on free-to-air TV channels after 10pm. Yesterday, Mr Lui reiterated that, while the Government "agrees with the broad directions" of the proposals, "we are unlikely to agree to all the recommendations that they have made". Madam Angela Goh, vice-chairman of Marsiling Citizens' Consultative Committee, said many parents with teenage children had told grassroots leaders that they were "not encouraged" by the R21 proposal on all counts, because it sends a wrong signal that the acts depicted in R21 films are acceptable.

"The acceptance level for paid R21 movies is not high in Marsiling. Residents are still very conservative," she said. Besides the dialogue session, Mr Lui, who was on a ministerial community visit to Marsiling yesterday, interacted with residents and storekeepers on a walkabout with Members of Parliament Hawazi Daipi, Lim Wee Kiak, Ellen Lee and Ong Ah Heng.

Together with the Health Promotion Board, Mr Lui also launched a health programme for Malay residents at Marsiling Community Club. kennyc@sph.com.sg

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