Mind wars
PAP blogs back
Shortly it will launch its own political website that could end the role of newspapers as the official messenger - and that won’t be a bad thing. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Apr 11, 2009
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]THIS fast growing city is set to become an even more exciting place. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The location to watch is the blogosphere, which will become a new political arena after Government launches a web offensive within the next few weeks to retake lost ground.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Exactly what it will do is not clear, but it will probably centre on the use of various forums and chat-sites to put across its views in a place that has been dominated by critics. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]An existing popular website will be revamped to feature a “no-holds-barred” forum and articles written by activists.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The battle lines are being formed on both sides.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It will herald a new era of diversity – or even divisiveness – in Singapore, where already a third of its 4.68 million people are foreigners who arrived with their own array of languages and cultures.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I do not see an “anything goes” website for free political discussions (if it happens) not having a spreading impact on the mainstream media.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It could result eventually in a freer atmosphere for the pro-government newspapers, which are globally ranked very poorly for credibility.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“It will no longer make sense to ban the press from reporting on issues that are freely talked about even on government websites,” rationalised a retired journalist.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“If that happens, the double standard will for sure kill off the newspapers,” he added.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Coming this year, the new strategy is symbolic. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In June, the People’s Action Party (PAP) will reach a historic landmark - governing Singapore for 50 years. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It is a record that few ruling parties in the world, where elections are held, can claim.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]PAP - loser by default[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Winning the Internet war is crucial for the PAP’s survival. So far it has been losing it by default.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]During the past decade, many young Singaporeans who believed the newspapers were a government mouthpiece spinning out propaganda have been turning to the web for information.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A disenchanted ‘sub-culture’[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This rising number of cynical youths has, in effect, created a sub-community in Singapore society which has turned off reading newspapers or listening to what the political leaders say.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]They spend a great deal of time communicating with each other on the web, relying on and reinforcing each other’s views.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For the ruling party, these are the lost sheep. They include many of the better-educated, the successful and professionals. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Some are studying in – or have studied from – top universities abroad and could become future leaders. They make up a big part of the intellectuals.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Win them back" strategy[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“The PAP has to win back this sub-community of young people or lose the future,” said a business consultant. This new online strategy is part of that answer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As many as two-thirds of Singaporeans in their 20s either blog or participate in online forums; blogging is also common among the 30s and 40s set.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]While the PAP Youth Wing is responsible for spearheading the web offensive, it is the Ministry of Information and the Arts (MICA), that is the focal point.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How far will it allow the websites to go before censoring things?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]During the early years, a perception about the Information Ministry’s work was that of a group of bureaucrats sitting around a table measuring - with a ruler - the amount of opposition newspaper coverage. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There was, of course, more important work, but censorship was never far from its duties when then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was ruling with a rigid force.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Whenever elections rolled around, word had it the bureaucrats were hard at work ensuring that opposition candidates did not get too much press coverage. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If they did, the reporter or editor could get an earful of uncomplimentary remarks.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]That was, of course, before Lee’s successors, including the present Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, began to soften the process – and, of course, before the Internet’s arrival.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Today the Ministry is still in the business of press censorship, but a schoolboy’s ruler is no longer needed. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The new digital media can neither be measured nor controlled in the same manner.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]On April 1, a 48-year-old former navy chief took over as Minister for Information and the Arts, a new job that could reshape how the post-Lee Kuan Yew government will bond with its citizens. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For Mr Lui Tuck Yew, 48, the task is not an easy one. He could, for example, spoil the party by coming down hard whenever criticisms become too strong especially during campaigning.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Opposition dilemma, too[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Net as a political tool is not only a problem for the ageing PAP leaders who know little about it, but also for those in the opposition as well. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Apart from their own official websites, few of them – unlike the opposition in Malaysia – operate a site to talk with Singaporeans.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In fact, the Workers Party has even forbidden its executive committee members from using their party positions when posting messages for fear of being sued. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So far the big bulk of the speaking out process has come mostly from bloggers and not the main opposition parties.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Will the PAP plan work? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It depends on how free its own activists are allowed to talk about policies. The web is just another channel of communication.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“If it’s used to put out the same propaganda as in the controlled press, then it will fail,” said a critic. Others merely shrug it off. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Whatever politics is uttered on the Net, nothing will change in the real world.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“With all the uneven rules in place, only half the voters will have a chance to vote, the PAP will win another Parliament landslide – and people will go on condemning it,” the critic said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif](This was published in The Star on Apr 11, 2009)[/FONT]
PAP blogs back
Shortly it will launch its own political website that could end the role of newspapers as the official messenger - and that won’t be a bad thing. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Apr 11, 2009
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]THIS fast growing city is set to become an even more exciting place. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The location to watch is the blogosphere, which will become a new political arena after Government launches a web offensive within the next few weeks to retake lost ground.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Exactly what it will do is not clear, but it will probably centre on the use of various forums and chat-sites to put across its views in a place that has been dominated by critics. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]An existing popular website will be revamped to feature a “no-holds-barred” forum and articles written by activists.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The battle lines are being formed on both sides.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It will herald a new era of diversity – or even divisiveness – in Singapore, where already a third of its 4.68 million people are foreigners who arrived with their own array of languages and cultures.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I do not see an “anything goes” website for free political discussions (if it happens) not having a spreading impact on the mainstream media.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It could result eventually in a freer atmosphere for the pro-government newspapers, which are globally ranked very poorly for credibility.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“It will no longer make sense to ban the press from reporting on issues that are freely talked about even on government websites,” rationalised a retired journalist.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“If that happens, the double standard will for sure kill off the newspapers,” he added.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Coming this year, the new strategy is symbolic. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In June, the People’s Action Party (PAP) will reach a historic landmark - governing Singapore for 50 years. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It is a record that few ruling parties in the world, where elections are held, can claim.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]PAP - loser by default[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Winning the Internet war is crucial for the PAP’s survival. So far it has been losing it by default.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]During the past decade, many young Singaporeans who believed the newspapers were a government mouthpiece spinning out propaganda have been turning to the web for information.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A disenchanted ‘sub-culture’[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This rising number of cynical youths has, in effect, created a sub-community in Singapore society which has turned off reading newspapers or listening to what the political leaders say.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]They spend a great deal of time communicating with each other on the web, relying on and reinforcing each other’s views.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For the ruling party, these are the lost sheep. They include many of the better-educated, the successful and professionals. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Some are studying in – or have studied from – top universities abroad and could become future leaders. They make up a big part of the intellectuals.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Win them back" strategy[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“The PAP has to win back this sub-community of young people or lose the future,” said a business consultant. This new online strategy is part of that answer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As many as two-thirds of Singaporeans in their 20s either blog or participate in online forums; blogging is also common among the 30s and 40s set.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]While the PAP Youth Wing is responsible for spearheading the web offensive, it is the Ministry of Information and the Arts (MICA), that is the focal point.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How far will it allow the websites to go before censoring things?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]During the early years, a perception about the Information Ministry’s work was that of a group of bureaucrats sitting around a table measuring - with a ruler - the amount of opposition newspaper coverage. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There was, of course, more important work, but censorship was never far from its duties when then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was ruling with a rigid force.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Whenever elections rolled around, word had it the bureaucrats were hard at work ensuring that opposition candidates did not get too much press coverage. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If they did, the reporter or editor could get an earful of uncomplimentary remarks.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]That was, of course, before Lee’s successors, including the present Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, began to soften the process – and, of course, before the Internet’s arrival.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Today the Ministry is still in the business of press censorship, but a schoolboy’s ruler is no longer needed. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The new digital media can neither be measured nor controlled in the same manner.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]On April 1, a 48-year-old former navy chief took over as Minister for Information and the Arts, a new job that could reshape how the post-Lee Kuan Yew government will bond with its citizens. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For Mr Lui Tuck Yew, 48, the task is not an easy one. He could, for example, spoil the party by coming down hard whenever criticisms become too strong especially during campaigning.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Opposition dilemma, too[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Net as a political tool is not only a problem for the ageing PAP leaders who know little about it, but also for those in the opposition as well. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Apart from their own official websites, few of them – unlike the opposition in Malaysia – operate a site to talk with Singaporeans.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In fact, the Workers Party has even forbidden its executive committee members from using their party positions when posting messages for fear of being sued. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So far the big bulk of the speaking out process has come mostly from bloggers and not the main opposition parties.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Will the PAP plan work? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It depends on how free its own activists are allowed to talk about policies. The web is just another channel of communication.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“If it’s used to put out the same propaganda as in the controlled press, then it will fail,” said a critic. Others merely shrug it off. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“Whatever politics is uttered on the Net, nothing will change in the real world.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“With all the uneven rules in place, only half the voters will have a chance to vote, the PAP will win another Parliament landslide – and people will go on condemning it,” the critic said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif](This was published in The Star on Apr 11, 2009)[/FONT]
