Our lawmakers are mulling criminalising the hustler versus dynasty narrative by seeking to have it classified as hate speech. What, however, changes over time and place is what those limits to free speech are, who sets them, on what authority and why. The hustler versus dynasty narrative may not always be ill-intentioned, but it illuminates deeper socio-economic problems that have bedevilled the country. I submit that terming the hustler versus dynasty narrative as hate speech is totally subjective, and making it a crime is incompatible with a free society. There is a symbiotic relationship between economic development and free speech, where the populace is informed without bias or intimidation.

Source: The Star February 20, 2021 04:41 UTC