Do you think there are circumstances where human rights may be curtailed?

The issue of human rights has been a much debatable topic recently, not only in Singapore but worldwide as well. However, what exactly are human rights? As quoted from Wikipedia, “Human rights refers to the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. Examples of rights and freedoms which are often thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education.”

In my opinion, I think that it is rather impossible for human rights to be achieved by everyone worldwide, mainly due to the fact that different people have different unique perceptions of human rights. Hence, I feel that there are circumstances where human rights may be curtailed, especially so when the rights of a particular group harm those of another.

Let’s take for example the right of freedom of expression, which according to article 2 is most commonly championed by human rights groups in relation to Singapore. Freedom of expression is the right to express information, ideas, and opinions free of government restrictions based on content. However, this right is often abused by some, and exercised at the expense of someone else’s reputation. In such a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society as Singapore, freedom of expression must be limited in order to ensure the strong existence of racial harmony. For example, recently in Singapore, there has been a case whereby a Chinese made racist comments on the basis of freedom of speech. His action led to the unhappiness of many, especially those of the race he criticized. As such, in this circumstance, I feel that the right of freedom of expression should be curtailed so as to prevent people from getting hurt.

In conclusion, I re-emphasized my point that there are circumstances where human rights may be curtailed, especially so when the rights of a particular group harm those of another. It is justified that humans deserve basic rights, however, this should never be done at the expense of others.