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It is also argued that freedom of expression is crucial in any
democracy, because open discussions of candidates are essential for
voters to make informed decisions during elections. It is through speech
that people can influence their governments? choice of policies. At the

same time public officials are held accountable through criticisms that
can pave the way for their replacement.
There are suggestions that when citizens refrain from voicing their

discontent because they fear retribution, the government can no longer
be responsive to them, thus it is less accountable for its actions.
Therefore, it is often said this is the main reason why governments
suppress free speech ? to avoid accountability. To make things worse is

the situation in my country, Tonga, where government is appointed and
holds office at His Majesty?s discretion. I will later refer to the impact of
such a political setting on free expression and the media as a case study.

Alternatively, some believe that some restrictions on freedom of
expression may be compatible with democracy or necessary to protect it.
[For example, such arguments were used to justify restrictions in support

of Nazi ideas in post-war Germany.]
Another rationale is that freedom of expression is an essential
aspect of personhood and autonomy. That is, ?to engage voluntarily in a

speech act is to engage in self-definition or expression. A war protester
may explain that when he chants ?stop this war now? at a2
demonstration, she does so without any expectation that he speech will
affect continuance of the war, but rather he participates and chants in

order to express himself publicly in opposition to the war. This war
protester provides a dramatic illustration of the importance of this self-
expressive use of speech, independent of any effective communication

to others, for selffulfilment or self-realisation.
Another explanation is that freedom of expression is integral to
tolerance, which some people feel should be a basic value in society.
This principle involves a special act of carving out one area of social

interaction for extraordinary self-restraint, the purpose of which is to
develop and demonstrate a social capacity to control feelings evoked by
a host of social encounters. The freedom of expression principle is left

with the concern of nothing less than helping to shape the intellectual
character of the society.
Freedom of expression and opinion is a foundation without which

many other basic human rights cannot be enjoyed. Allowing people to
publicly investigate and report on human rights abuses makes it much