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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Elite opportunist warns PAP on Internet</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">7:57 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 12) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>2646.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Doctor stands out as lone non-MP speaker
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Dr Tan spoke of the need for the PAP to understand new media.
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IN 2004, a young Singaporean returned home from his PhD studies in molecular biology at Cambridge University in Britain, in time to listen to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's inauguration speech on TV calling on post-independence Singaporeans to contribute to the ruling party.
So Dr Tan Wu Meng, then 29, e-mailed his MP, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, asking if he needed an extra pair of hands in his constituency.
Yesterday, the medical officer from the Singapore General Hospital stood out as the only one among six speakers at the People's Action Party (PAP) annual conference who was not an MP.
The other speakers were Senior Minister of State (National Development and Education) Grace Fu and MPs Christopher de Souza, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Lam Pin Min and Indranee Rajah.
In his 10-minute speech, Dr Tan spoke of the need for the party to understand new media.
Calling on his fellow party members to explore online avenues of communication, such as blogs and forums, he said: 'Only by knowing the terrain can we understand it and can we successfully campaign in it.'
In 2005, Dr Tan volunteered to help out at the weekly Meet-the-People sessions at the PAP's Cashew branch. He joined the PAP's youth wing, the Young PAP (YP), in 2006, and two weeks ago, was elected as the YP's first organising secretary.
This was a new post created to give non-MPs more leadership opportunities.
So will he consider running in the next general election, if asked to by the PAP?
He replied: 'I have no idea. I don't know. I think if the party needs me, I'll obviously consider helping out. But till then, it's premature.'
The old boy of Anglo-Chinese School is a former debater, having represented both the National University of Singapore and Cambridge University. He received an Agency for Science, Technology and Research fellowship while in Cambridge, which came with a year-long bond that he served at the National Cancer Centre.
His father, 63, is a doctor, while his mother, 62, is a retired teacher.
In his speech, Dr Tan noted that the Internet has 'assisted those who would promote the poison of selfishness, conflict and extremism'. But censorship alone would not be a solution, he said.
'We will have to rely upon the one safeguard that technology cannot overcome - the individual's power of discretion.' This, he said, can be achieved through education so that the population gains 'media literacy'.
'A careful, discerning citizenry is Singapore's best insurance policy against those who would lie, cheat and deceive their way into politics,' he added.
PM Lee, the PAP's secretary-general, also spoke about the party's efforts in harnessing new media. 'I think we have the ideas, but we need the effort,' he said.
The party has put together some political videos, he revealed. These will be posted on the party's website once the laws governing political videos are changed.
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts said in August that the Films Act, which governs political videos, will be liberalised early next year. Noting that the younger generation communicates through YouTube, images and sounds, PM Lee said: 'We have to get our message across in a serious way, but in a way which people can accept and that will resonate with them, on our websites and on many other places in cyberspace.'
[email protected]
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</TD><TD width=10>
Dr Tan spoke of the need for the PAP to understand new media.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
IN 2004, a young Singaporean returned home from his PhD studies in molecular biology at Cambridge University in Britain, in time to listen to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's inauguration speech on TV calling on post-independence Singaporeans to contribute to the ruling party.
So Dr Tan Wu Meng, then 29, e-mailed his MP, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, asking if he needed an extra pair of hands in his constituency.
Yesterday, the medical officer from the Singapore General Hospital stood out as the only one among six speakers at the People's Action Party (PAP) annual conference who was not an MP.
The other speakers were Senior Minister of State (National Development and Education) Grace Fu and MPs Christopher de Souza, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Lam Pin Min and Indranee Rajah.
In his 10-minute speech, Dr Tan spoke of the need for the party to understand new media.
Calling on his fellow party members to explore online avenues of communication, such as blogs and forums, he said: 'Only by knowing the terrain can we understand it and can we successfully campaign in it.'
In 2005, Dr Tan volunteered to help out at the weekly Meet-the-People sessions at the PAP's Cashew branch. He joined the PAP's youth wing, the Young PAP (YP), in 2006, and two weeks ago, was elected as the YP's first organising secretary.
This was a new post created to give non-MPs more leadership opportunities.
So will he consider running in the next general election, if asked to by the PAP?
He replied: 'I have no idea. I don't know. I think if the party needs me, I'll obviously consider helping out. But till then, it's premature.'
The old boy of Anglo-Chinese School is a former debater, having represented both the National University of Singapore and Cambridge University. He received an Agency for Science, Technology and Research fellowship while in Cambridge, which came with a year-long bond that he served at the National Cancer Centre.
His father, 63, is a doctor, while his mother, 62, is a retired teacher.
In his speech, Dr Tan noted that the Internet has 'assisted those who would promote the poison of selfishness, conflict and extremism'. But censorship alone would not be a solution, he said.
'We will have to rely upon the one safeguard that technology cannot overcome - the individual's power of discretion.' This, he said, can be achieved through education so that the population gains 'media literacy'.
'A careful, discerning citizenry is Singapore's best insurance policy against those who would lie, cheat and deceive their way into politics,' he added.
PM Lee, the PAP's secretary-general, also spoke about the party's efforts in harnessing new media. 'I think we have the ideas, but we need the effort,' he said.
The party has put together some political videos, he revealed. These will be posted on the party's website once the laws governing political videos are changed.
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts said in August that the Films Act, which governs political videos, will be liberalised early next year. Noting that the younger generation communicates through YouTube, images and sounds, PM Lee said: 'We have to get our message across in a serious way, but in a way which people can accept and that will resonate with them, on our websites and on many other places in cyberspace.'
[email protected]
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