These six to eight citizens will make up the Political Films Consultative Committee (PFCC), to be chaired by retired senior district judge Richard Magnus.

The members of this committee will be drawn from the private sector, in fields such as academia, law, labour, print media and film. Mr Magnus will have a say in selecting them, said Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui.

He was responding to several MPs who said that for the panel to be credible, its members must be neutral and not composed of government figures.

RADM Lui also explained how the committee's work fits into the films approval and classification process, directed by the Board of Film Censors.

Essentially, films deemed by the board to be political in nature will no longer be rejected outright but sent to the PFCC for its input.

The board still makes the final decision, but any film-maker who disagrees with it can appeal to the present Films Appeal Committee (FAC), made up of public and private sector individuals. This committee's decision on appeal cases is final.

What has changed, said RADM Lui, is that there is now 'a more community-based consultative process'.

'In the past, civil servants of the board decided. Now, we involve the PFCC, comprising private sector individuals, as well as refer the films to the FAC should there be an appeal,' he said.

The FAC, he added, has overturned the board's decision on six out of 10 films that were up for appeal in the last five years. 'That was for commercial films. The same process will now be used for films that are deemed as party political.'

Read the full story in today's edition of The Straits Times.