<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>P65 MPs will be blogging on
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MR CHOO Zheng Xi's criticisms of the changes to the P65 blog ('New P65 blog: Change a big let-down', last Saturday) miss the context and purpose of those changes.
Only about three years ago, political engagement in Singapore was largely through traditional media. There was a dearth of online engagement. The Young PAP site was not particularly active and the lines were blurred as to whether it was a political or community site. So the www.p65.sg political blog marked a first step where mainstream politics entered cyberspace.
Since then, cyber interest has exploded at all levels, with more MPs, and even ministers, actively engaging their constituents online, for example via constituency websites, personal blogs, Facebook, and online chats and forums. These efforts are not confined to those born after 1965.
The beauty of the new media is that it promotes diverse views and interests. Accordingly, tools of engagement must also evolve.
Three years on, the online space is abuzz with the People's Action Party's main and youth wing websites, freshly revamped to host a repository of political articles and interactive platforms for anyone keen to keep abreast of political developments of the party.
At the same time, the P65 MP bloggers believed that the p65.sg site should similarly open up to non-partisan contributors to reflect the views of the P65 generation; and to include those who may not wish to participate within clearly defined political spaces. We regard the opening up of a platform which used to be confined to just a few of us as a step in that direction.
The P65 MPs will nonetheless continue to share their insights. The fact that there is already a healthy exchange of views on the P65 blog since its relaunch is encouraging and suggests that the change is timely and welcomed by the online community.
We hope Mr Choo will also participate and share his views on the issues of the day.
Teo Ser Luck
on behalf of P65 MPs
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MR CHOO Zheng Xi's criticisms of the changes to the P65 blog ('New P65 blog: Change a big let-down', last Saturday) miss the context and purpose of those changes.
Only about three years ago, political engagement in Singapore was largely through traditional media. There was a dearth of online engagement. The Young PAP site was not particularly active and the lines were blurred as to whether it was a political or community site. So the www.p65.sg political blog marked a first step where mainstream politics entered cyberspace.
Since then, cyber interest has exploded at all levels, with more MPs, and even ministers, actively engaging their constituents online, for example via constituency websites, personal blogs, Facebook, and online chats and forums. These efforts are not confined to those born after 1965.
The beauty of the new media is that it promotes diverse views and interests. Accordingly, tools of engagement must also evolve.
Three years on, the online space is abuzz with the People's Action Party's main and youth wing websites, freshly revamped to host a repository of political articles and interactive platforms for anyone keen to keep abreast of political developments of the party.
At the same time, the P65 MP bloggers believed that the p65.sg site should similarly open up to non-partisan contributors to reflect the views of the P65 generation; and to include those who may not wish to participate within clearly defined political spaces. We regard the opening up of a platform which used to be confined to just a few of us as a step in that direction.
The P65 MPs will nonetheless continue to share their insights. The fact that there is already a healthy exchange of views on the P65 blog since its relaunch is encouraging and suggests that the change is timely and welcomed by the online community.
We hope Mr Choo will also participate and share his views on the issues of the day.
Teo Ser Luck
on behalf of P65 MPs
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