The opposition has not dismissed the idea of using the internet to reach out to the voters on the “cooling-off” day which will be introduced in the next general election.
Under the new law, the minimum campaign period will be extended from nine to ten days.
All forms of mass rallies, home visits and public display of party symbols will be banned on the eve of polling day to enable voters to reflect “calmly” on their choice.
Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Lim said that the Singapore People Party has planned to use the “cooling-off” day to do some administrative work.
He hopes that supporters will continue to disseminate the message of the party on the day itself in cyberspace to urge Singaporeans to cast their votes for the SPP.
However he admitted that SPP has not come up with any concrete plans yet as the rules are still unclear on campaigning via the internet.
Though PM Lee acknowledged that it would be difficult to enforce the law in cyberspace, he hoped the spirit and principle of the “cooling-off” period would be upheld by Internet users without elaborating on the topics they should refrain from writing or discussing.
“I can’t control several million videos on YouTube. But your website, what you are putting out in your own name, I think that should end on the day before cooling-off day,” PM Lee added.
National Solidarity Party Chairman Yip Weng Yew felt that the impact of the internet will be minimal as only those who are interested in politics and the English-educated Singaporeans will look up for political news on the internet.
Sylvia Lim, Non-Constituency MP and Workers’ Party chairman, said:
“You have to remember that the eve of Polling Day is a very critical period for the voters and in Singapore’s context, you can say there is a bar on political parties campaigning on this cooling-off day, but you must remember that the role of the PAP as a political party and its role as the government is often blurred.
We may have situations where civil servants could come out to clarify certain government policies and even announce policy reviews for that matter. So practically, I think it is difficult to ensure that the cooling-off period serves its purpose.”
The Workers’ Party organizing secretary Yaw Shin Leong and Reform Party Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam had refrained to comment on the matter.
Under the new law, the minimum campaign period will be extended from nine to ten days.
All forms of mass rallies, home visits and public display of party symbols will be banned on the eve of polling day to enable voters to reflect “calmly” on their choice.
Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Lim said that the Singapore People Party has planned to use the “cooling-off” day to do some administrative work.
He hopes that supporters will continue to disseminate the message of the party on the day itself in cyberspace to urge Singaporeans to cast their votes for the SPP.
However he admitted that SPP has not come up with any concrete plans yet as the rules are still unclear on campaigning via the internet.
Though PM Lee acknowledged that it would be difficult to enforce the law in cyberspace, he hoped the spirit and principle of the “cooling-off” period would be upheld by Internet users without elaborating on the topics they should refrain from writing or discussing.
“I can’t control several million videos on YouTube. But your website, what you are putting out in your own name, I think that should end on the day before cooling-off day,” PM Lee added.
National Solidarity Party Chairman Yip Weng Yew felt that the impact of the internet will be minimal as only those who are interested in politics and the English-educated Singaporeans will look up for political news on the internet.
Sylvia Lim, Non-Constituency MP and Workers’ Party chairman, said:
“You have to remember that the eve of Polling Day is a very critical period for the voters and in Singapore’s context, you can say there is a bar on political parties campaigning on this cooling-off day, but you must remember that the role of the PAP as a political party and its role as the government is often blurred.
We may have situations where civil servants could come out to clarify certain government policies and even announce policy reviews for that matter. So practically, I think it is difficult to ensure that the cooling-off period serves its purpose.”
The Workers’ Party organizing secretary Yaw Shin Leong and Reform Party Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam had refrained to comment on the matter.
