Singanews: a Thio-like news portal wrapped under the guise of secularism?
September 13th, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
Singpore’s latest news portal – Singanews will be launched in October this year. It is owned by Singa Communications set up by ex Straits Times journalist Matthew Yap. The company has about $90,000 in seed funding.
It was supposed to be a “secular” news portal to “offer alternative viewpoints and fill in the gaps left by mainstream media which sometimes fails to cover a story due to one reason or another”, but its soft launch took place in a church.
Matthew Yap himself is a Christian. Two of its directors – Lee Chong Kai and Victor Ho are Christians too. The latter is also a director of Bright Arrows, an investment company owed 40 per cent by the Church of Our Savior. The venture has been seeking funds from the Christian community.
In an interview with The New Paper, Mr Yap claimed that the news portal does not have any Christian agenda.
It aims to “act with integrity as a credible source of independent and objective news and commentary for the Singapore public, reflecting mainstream values, interests and concerns”.
He said that Singanews will be written from the perspective of mainstream family values, which he defines as a “generational, natural family which focuses on procreation.” This, he clarified, means “a man, his wife, with a view to procreation.”
Mr Yap’s arguments bear uncanny similarities to that of ex-Aware President Josie Lau who claimed that she and her team are “secularists” who promoted “mainstream family values”.
When Aware was taken over by a group of newcomers during its AGM in March, all of them claimed initially that they did not know one another. It turned out that 6 of them are members of the same church – the Church of Our Savior (COOS).
Though they denied vehemently that they harbor any hidden agenda for participating in the Aware elections, it was revealed subsequently that some COOS pastors believed that homosexuality is a sin and that sexuality can be changed.
The Aware saga dragged on for a month before the Old Guards won an EGM called in May to regain control of the organization. Thio Su Mien, who orchestrated the coup, protested bitterly that the mainstream media and online community are blatantly biased towards her and her “disciples”.
Her stance was echoed by her daughter Thio Li Ann who said during a recent speech that as a Christian, it is part of one’s religious call to articulate one’s views in public especially on contentious such as casinos, same-sex marriage, euthanasia and stem-cell research.
She warned that if Christians do not speak up, others who may hold conflicting views will speak up and forcefully occupy the secular public space, which in fact is what they have already done vociferously.
Is Singanews really a “secular” news portal or another Thio-like portal wrapped under the guise of secularism to promote “mainstream family values” like what Josie Lau and team had attempted to achieve with their unsuccessful takeover of Aware? Only time will tell.
References:
2. Timothy Seah’s experience at the new media breakfast
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24 Responses to “Singanews: a Thio-like news portal wrapped under the guise of secularism?”
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Touche for exposing the various vital links connecting certain ardent monotheistic believers with a socio-political agenda to ensure that their voices be heard loud and clear any means neccessary. Being keenly aware of their current minority status in our multi-ethno-religious society, they consciously seek to clothe their socio-political agenda in seemingly secularistic terminology such as “family values” and other moralistic social values which certain monotheistic fundamentalist groups in northern America are very adapt at portraying themselves to be championing. I won’t be surprised the abovementioned vital links can be traced all the way to the abovementioned north American fundamentalist groups.
Deepest regards.
the guy looks gay
The chairman of Singanews, Basskaran Nair, is also a Christian.
https://www.alumnet.nus.edu.sg/ContentImages/Inner_Hyperlinks/Your%20Contribution/basskaran_chor_eng_nair.pdf
there’s no monopoly in online space, they are free to tell their point of view.
“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”
Yo admin,
Looks like we have an AWARE part II in our hands. Do you or Dogemperor have any insights into this ATRIA?
This group organised Thio’s book launch and soft launch of Singanews. Read in other forums that are are a group of Christians using new media and “facts” to push the christian message.
Do they also have links to the Elijah list, dominionist, and all the other “ist”s in the global Christian right?
Here we go again! Another attempt to inflitrate the minds of others by using a supposedly “news” portal. These people just won’t give up, don’t they?
Its time for the non-Christians to stand up and be counted!
After failing to capture Aware and trumpet their viewpoint, they started Singanews and will start Cooing their views.
Who the hell cares about Gays. Most people prefer Gaylang ( no pun intended)
“She warned that if Christians do not speak up, others who may hold conflicting views will speak up and forcefully occupy the secular public space, which in fact is what they have already done vociferously.”
Let the competition begin. It seems that quite a lot of people are not too happy about having another contender in their secular public space. Why is that so? And why the need to be so Christian-phobic?
Also, if public policy should only be influenced by secular perspectives – does this mean there is no room for any concept of morality – since it any talk of what is moral or not seems to sound religious. Then I ask, you do not murder, because it violates another person’s rights – but what about the others who do not murder because it is immoral?
People who do not murder because it violates another person’s right – shows that they have morale values.
People who do not murder because it is immoral (as told to them by scriptures), totally lack moral values – they are just obeying an order.
To: Please Calm Down on Sun
I believe the practice of morality precedes the invention of religion. No religion has a monopoly on morality. The freethinker can be moral without belief in any religion. I’m quite sure countless freethinkers and atheists think that murder is immoral.
Read this comment on Solo Bear’s blog.
“Simple. Now there is a backlash against the backlash and what the govt fears is happening; the divide between the 2 camps and getter wider and wider.”
I would like to make this call to both sides to remain calm, to refrain from making personal accusations or attacks, and to avoid adopting an adversarial tone or approach to this matter. I am sure that by keeping our composure, we will be able to achieve much more.
http://wherebearsroamfree.blogspot.com/2009/09/thiophobia-why-are-gays-and-pro-gays.html
“People who do not murder because it violates another person’s right – shows that they have morale values.
People who do not murder because it is immoral (as told to them by scriptures), totally lack moral values – they are just obeying an order.”
I agree with the first. But that does not detract from the point I was trying to make – which is that some people view this as a “rights” issue and not as a moral issue – i.e. their motivation is the protection of another person’s rights and not because it is immoral.
To the second, I think there’s a contradiction when you say that people lack moral values when they take their cue from moral values. Morality IS about obeying that set of laws that have some divine origin.
“I believe the practice of morality precedes the invention of religion. No religion has a monopoly on morality. The freethinker can be moral without belief in any religion. I’m quite sure countless freethinkers and atheists think that murder is immoral.”
I agree, and I think this is what Thio means by mainstream values that still adopt a secular perspective.
while i was still in the process of awakening from my nap after a swim, the concept of common space which had been doodling in the background of my mind transposed certain tones into a silent monologue.
‘if nobody can get offended by anything, everybody will be able to say anything in anyway they like.’
who are these people who will get offended? surely it’s good to get offended once in a while… crisis does good to a mind sometimes, yeah, it’s not always but there’s no one size fits all thingy for this kinda thing. i don’t know, i don’t like the idea of treading on some safe ground, basically the idea of a common space sucks.
‘moderate your tone’ is something i tell … nobody man really. okay lah, if a person isn’t listening then there’s no need to talk at all. (but then again, why not?)
of course i believe in a secular government , albeit secularism as preached by the ruling is merely a tool to diffuse political power along ethnic/ religious lines, and not so much about harmony , i mean, if chaos could allow them to stay in power, they would go for chaos.
but cyberspace has its own rules and it is very big. a lot of people come to cyberspace thinking it’s just another space for their real self to assume on. nah. there’s no real self. i mean, identity is as fluid as the weather, and the singapore weather is pretty dynamic. only society demands a constant and therefore people think there is a constant, the only constant is you have the same human system, the hardware, but all else can be very fluid. it’s a feminine thing, and i say it in the sense that everyone has a masculine and feminine side. and males who have no clue about their feminine side, probably repressed by societal demands, often have no clue about the mood flexibility of females. aiyoh why she very nice then suddenly like that.
i call it circumstantial grooving.
cyberspace faciliates that. it allows you to experiment with infinite ways of expression, it allows you to move with your psyche. that’s why i say when people become as fluid and diverse within their own systems, there’s no need to preach respect for diversity, i mean, respect is a very old word. chaos is the new word. if people sense noise in a posting, he can switch off, there is a choice, that’s cyberspace. it’s not like in real life, if you hear noise , like from the nearby construction, you either have to wear ear muffs , go somewhere quiet, etc . in cyberspace, all you need to do is scroll.
this whole concept of common space is bullshit lah basically.
[...] Reaction from The Temasek Review. [...]
Whats all the fuss? what happened to the idea of a lively democracy where every viewpoint gets aired – be it liberal or conservative. So what if a christian conservative group wants its views out in the open? This does not mean that the buddhists and muslims cant do the same. They should be welcomed. Everyone gets a say. Even the folk we dont like or agree with!
I posted the following in TOC but just in case they would not publish it.
“From the various reports, TOC appeared to be the only new media portal that had covered the event exclusively on its opening (09.09.09). However, it was not reported in TOC. I wonder why? You guys are Christians too? Is that why you choose not to publish the event so that it would not tarnish the Chirstian image? That is not the right spirit in presenting news to the public isn’t it? We read TOC because we thought it would report news regardless of who it may affect. This would allow the readers to judge the issue for ourselves. If so, I would rather read from TemasekReview instead.”
carefull folks…
this could a red herring…
i understand the interest and focus on this red herring mrs thio..
but dun forget the more critical issues underlying current and future of singapore and its citizens..CPF Life, Temasek Holdings, GIC loss investments, HDB [getting un-afforable], ERP/GST, etc…
Be careful that Ms Thio and other similar set ups by MIW to divert the masses of suffering citizens…
haiz.
>>I agree with the first. But that does not detract from the point I was trying to make – which is that some people view this as a “rights” issue and not as a moral issue – i.e. their motivation is the protection of another person’s rights and not because it is immoral.>>
Depending on from which perspective that you see “rights”. For someone who is only interested in his rights and oblivious to other people’s, then yes, no moral values or whatsoever.
However, if someone sees rights as universal, out of the respect for other people, recognising that the next person has as much rights as he does – such as I do not murder another person because he has as much rights to live as I do – then not only does this person have moral values, he has in fact grasped the princple of morality.
>>To the second, I think there’s a contradiction when you say that people lack moral values when they take their cue from moral values. Morality IS about obeying that set of laws that have some divine origin.>>
Obeying a set of laws has NOTHING to do with morality, especially is out of fear or punishment. A pet dog obeys the laws of his owner, such as do not bite a friendly person. Does that mean the dog have moral values? The only merit exhibited here is OBEDIENCE. And I would hardly consider that as morality.
“carefull folks…
this could a red herring…”
exactly my sentiments
Is it me or is this solo bear guy (and his clones) going around directing people to his site? Nuffnang?
How can these insinuations conceivably qualify as “independent, balanced and unbiased coverage on socio-political affairs”, or are these merely high-sounding buzz words to mask a repressive agenda against a particular religious group?
[...] freedom of speech. We can all agree to disagree without the need for any one opinion-maker to be demonised. Only when there is freedom of expression would religious individuals desist from using secular [...]
Hate these hypocritical folks who goes around in the cloak of secularism to spread their gospel and convert people on deathbeds and in NGOs. I am sure the news portal is so secular that the mainstay topics are morality, abstinence, gay agendas, blood purity and pro-life.
You do not need a religion to have morals just as you do not need to have morals to have a religion.