New media
PAP’s losing war
Internet and control can’t co-exist, which explains why the sophisticated ruling party is conceding the high ground in the blogosphere. By Seah Chiang Nee.
Apr 19, 2008

INTERNET-SAVVY Singaporeans, who make up the growing force of voters, are waiting to see how their government will respond to the web’s newly revealed power as a political tool.

A mood of anticipation has settled in among the people, who have watched with amazement the sweeping impact of the worldwide web in shaping public opinion in Malaysia.

For the Singapore government, which relies on newspapers and television to do the job, it is bad news.

So the question here is: To what extent will the erosion of government control on information and its grip on power quicken the process of loosening up?

How will the young leaders of the People’s Action Party (PAP) adapt to the new challenge?

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hinted last week that laws would be relaxed to cope with the “rapidly changing” new media, but only carefully, an obviously cautious response.

“We will study if we should relax parts of the regulations but we will look at this issue very carefully, to prevent any adverse effect,” he said.

This had raised a few initial cheers until people started reading his cautionary remarks that followed.

His ‘loosening up’ interview with a newspaper was punctuated by concern that freely-run blogs during elections – the type that Malaysians were allowed to do – could lead to corruption.

He offered no details. Some observers believe he was referring to the possibility that bloggers might be financed or bribed by interested parties.

For me, it simply means that a Malaysia-style digital coup is out – period.

But the saga in Kuala Lumpur – and Singaporeans’ growing resort to the Internet for information – is far from lost. Instead it has raised a wider picture beyond just changing laws.

It calls into question the whole top-down way the country is being governed at a time when a new generation of educated, demanding voters is taking over.

Actually the PAP had embraced the Internet earlier than most others when it built a fast-speed cable network to promote commerce and acquire skills.

But in politics, it is a different matter. The party, despite its sophistication, is years behind others in using it to pursue its political goals.

From the top down – PAP ministers to Members of Parliament to grassroots workers – the party is ill prepared to use the Internet to gain public support.

“This is surprising given its sophistication and vast resources,” said a media consultant. The problem, he added, lies in control, not lack of know-how.

A recent example of web reticence: A web-blog (http://www.p65.sg/) run by young PAP Parliamentarians to connect with Singaporeans has fallen into neglect.

Twelve MPS who were born after independence launched it 18 months ago declaring this “it’s where we talk” objective – but they haven’t been talking much.

It wasn’t regularly updated, said a news report, and it is languishing, with 80% of Singaporeans saying they didn’t even know of its existence.

I read several pages and found them too boring and cautious, apparently phrased to support policies rather than give frank, independent views on problems facing Singapore.

“These are capable people, so why is their writing so mundane? The answer is probably fear of speaking out of line,” said an online writer.

No PAP leader runs his or her own website, although Foreign Minister George Yeo blogs regularly – through a friend’s site.

Surprisingly the opposition, which has the most to gain from it, is faring even worse. Apart from the official sites, few leaders operate personal blogs.

The main opposition Workers Party is so fearful of defamation suits that it has forbidden its younger ‘gung-ho’ committee members from taking part in chat-sites under their names.

The immediate future is a little hazy, but the longer-term trend is clear.

The Internet is exerting more influence on the way Singaporeans live and think with each passing year.

In next five to 10 years, no politician in Singapore can afford not to use the web to reach out to voters. Tightening laws can only hinder but not stop it.

Some eight years ago as I was entering my sunset years, I launched my own information site after realising that I could sit in my room on this tiny island and post messages that could be read anywhere in the world - 24 hours a day.

Because such a miracle was possible, I told myself I had do it before I left this world.

This is how many bloggers feel about their work, which is offering a wide range of diverse, alternative views and ideas that will drive the world – and Singapore – on.

Three years ago when political blogs began to spread their wings, I posted an article in my website asking Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew: “Why not start a blog?”

With his wisdom and sharp mind, I said, he should have his personal website so that he could pass his experience to young people through a medium they were getting accustomed to.

“The reason is compelling. More youths have stopped reading newspapers, preferring the Internet and this is not a passing fad,” I wrote.

In fact, “it is time for the government to make use of blogosphere as a place to talk with (not 'talk to, which implies a one-way conversation) its citizens, rather than rely 100% on the mainstream media.”

If I were to add a postscript today, I would say: “It’s not a question of whether the government will do it - but when.”

(This was published in The Star on Apr 19, 2008)