How will the “cooling off” law be enforced in cyberspace?
December 4th, 2009 | 
Author: OPINION
The “cooling-off” day proposed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to be introduced in the next election has stirred considerable interest in blogosphere with many netizens wondering how the new law will be enforced in cyberspace.
All mass rallies, door-to-door visits and public display of party symbols will be banned on the “cooling-off” day on the eve of polling day itself to enable voters to make a “calm” and “rational” decision.
Prime Minister Lee did not spell out clearly the circumstances under which the offenders will be prosecuted under the law or its penalties except that he hoped the spirit and principle of the “cooling-off” period would be upheld by Internet users.
“I can’t control several million videos on YouTube. But your website, what you are putting out in your own name, I think that should end on the day before cooling-off day,” PM Lee added.
Does the new law cover the following: -
1. Political commentaries posted on personal blogs.
2. Discussions on the elections in internet chatrooms.
3. Photos of the elections.
4. Videos of rallies, interviews and documentaries uploaded on Youtube.
5. Cartoons, parodies and satires.
For all intent and purposes, the law will be impossible to implement on the ground unless the PAP moves in to close down all the offending sites either overtly or covertly.
Anonymous bloggers will still be writing articles on the election, netizens will be flaming one another in the forums and Youtube will be filled with video clips recorded days before the “cooling-off” day.
It is far more practical to target the websites of political parties as well as established blogs with a sizable readership whose owner’s identity is already known.
Among the political parties’ websites, only SDP has a substantial readership to speak of.
SDP is the first political party in Singapore to make use of the new media to get its message across.
Soon after it announced its decision to utilize podcasts to reach out to the media, the government banned the its use during election time (the ban has now been lifted)
The readership of SDP’s website has increased since the last election and is expected to doubled on the eve of the election.
The “cooling-off” day will probably have a detrimental impact on the SDP’s campaign since the mainstream media is unlikely to give it much publicity, if any at all.
During the 2006 elections, blogger Mr Brown caused the PAP considerable embarrassment with his “Bak Chor Mee” parody which went on to be one of the most watched videos during the campaign period.
Under the new law, Mr Brown will be banned from posting any such satirical pieces on his popular blog on the eve of polling day to prevent it from “swaying” public opinion.
Blogger and gay activist Mr Alex Au whose photos of the huge turnout at the opposition rallies will also be prevented from posting similar photos on his blog “Yawning Bread” on the “cooling-off” day.
While no details have been divulged yet, the penalties for such offenses may be a hefty fine or even imprisonment to deter potential “trouble-makers” from breaking the law.
After all, an election is a “serious business” according to PM Lee whose outcome should not be left entirely to chance or determined by raw emotion.
The PAP can well afford to ignore blogs run by anonymous bloggers with a low readership and those set up during the election itself because they are not going to have exert any influence on the electoral result.
As the Malaysian experience have shown, the new media is only able to have an impact if it has a readership which is comparable to that of the mainstream media.
For example, Malaysiakini has a higher online readership than all the other mainstream newspapers controlled by the government such as New Straits Times, The Star and Utusan Melayu.
Besides Malaysiakini, there are also other semi-professional and amateur sites with a high enough readership to challenge the mass media – Malaysia Today, The Malaysian Insider, Merdeka Review and The Nut Graph to quote a few.
Though the Singapore new media still lags far behind its Malaysian counterparts, “freak” events do happen during the election as Mr Brown’s “Bak Chor Mee” which took the PAP entirely by surprise had amply demonstrated.
In fact, given the “kiasu” nature of the PAP, it will not be a surprise if the “cooling-off” day is extended to another two to three days before polling day itself to give it an additional cushion from the expected storm of negative publicity in the new media.
Mr Brown, Alex and other Singapore bloggers will have to decide for themselves if they are willing to pay the price by posting politics-related stuff on their blogs on the “cooling-off” day.
Despite another blatant attempt to manipulate the electoral system to its benefit, the new law will only affect swing voters who have not made up their minds.
To the many Singaporeans who have already decided who to cast their votes for, it will matter little if the “cooling-period” is a day or a week.
Posted in 20 Responses to “How will the “cooling off” law be enforced in cyberspace?”
Loading ...
Alex Tan Allan Ooi AWARE Chee Soon Juan Chiam See Tong Claire Lee David Widjaja DBS Dr Allan Ooi Dr Silviu Ionescu Dr Vivian Balakrishnan Foyce Le Xuan highnote5 Hong Lim Park Jack Lin Xinli Jack Neo Jack Neo affair Jack Neo scandal Josie Lau Josie Lau Meng Lee Lee Kuan Yew Lehman brothers Lighthouse Evangelism MAS minibonds Miss Singapore World NTU stabbing PAP Pastor Rony Tan Ris Low Romanian diplomat in hit-and-run Rony Tan S-League silviu ionescu Singapore Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Tan Kin Lian Thio Su Mien Tiger Woods affair Tong Kok Wai Top 8 Vivian Balakrishnan Wendy Chong Y O G Youth Olympic Games
WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.
When the new law is passed, those well known bloggers will have no choice but to keep their “mouth” shut on the cooling-off day. TR can continue to function since most of your correspondents have no name and are overseas.
Great foresight!
Bloggers should stop asking what they can or cannot do. This will give PAP ideas on how to control you.
As a country with law, they have to come up with the law and we follow. If there is loop holes, you make use. Don’t ask them for an answer so that they will make life easy for you, election is not child play. We need not behave like student awaiting for the teacher to tell us what to do. We cease on every loop holes.
One thing TR can do for us, is to follow all the rules and report to us what is the new rules. Hopefully some Samaritan lawyer can help explain the rules.
If there is no rules so be it, we can choose to listen to our dear PM or not, its our choice nobody else. What he says is his personal suggestion until it is made into law.
If the PAP makes ridiculous harsh rules, the world will get to see what kind of government we have or not have.
The coherence of this opinion piece leaves much to be desired.
First, it reminds us that the PM has not spelled the details of the impending laws sufficiently, which led him to question whether political commentaries on personal blogs, discussions in internet chatrooms, youtube videos will be permitted.
Then he goes on to preemptively conclude that under the new law, “Mr Brown will be banned from posting any such satirical pieces on his popular blog on the eve of polling day.” Ditto for Alex Au’s.
The writer is very much jumping the proverbial gun since the PM has only thus far stated that the websites of the political parties will be bound by the new rules.
We may not agree with measures such as “cooling-off” periods, but we do not have to start shooting from the hip (and hit the still hazy target).
tweet and facebook…let’s see how is that going to be cool off…Maybe shut down the TELCO for 24 hrs…and impose martial law.
I think they may want to ban pictures of Massive Election turn out at the opposition rallies as Yawning Bread had posted during the last election.
I believed that this coming election, alternate news sites such as TR and OLC will send their cameramen to the rally sites.
Readers will see a contrast between the turn out of PAP rallies and opposition rallies.
The PAP may want to ban this pictures as these pictures may cause people to think liked a Freak and vote for a freak party!
There will be law and order issue as there will be many freaks walking around Singapore then!
Begging your pardon, citizenofSG, I think you meant to say, “We should seize (i.e. grab) every loophole.” “To cease every loophole” as you wrote, actually means “to stop every loophole.” Just trying to help you out so that people do not misunderstand your actual intent. Cheers!
citizenofSG on Fri, 4th Dec 2009 10:08 am
citizenofSG,
I do not understand wat u trying to say, u meant rules are good for us for law abiding citizens?
Please do not be fooled or trying to fool us as this is the ploy of PAP to gain more votes as they had knew that the ground sentiments are no good for them!
These are rules that can be founded in countries such as Iran, Cuba (whom PM Lee had been this week, to learn from the Cubans how to control the Cubans better?) and not in true democracy! Singapore is not a true democracy but a democratic dictatorship country (not sure got this word)
There are already rules that govern the internet right?
For example, Defamation will be dealt with.
So, why disallow blogging on that day?
Why disallow ‘talking’ on internet?
Should people also not be allowed to talk at home for more cooling off effect?
Malaysia opposition won with much help from the bloggers and internet and technology.
Obama ditto.
I hope internet can be allowed to help our opposition win as well. But this cooling off thing. H
Is the state controlled media allowed to publish/broadcast pro-PAP propaganda on the “cooling off” day? Newspapers, radios, TV “news” must also cool off and not have any kind of political commentaries on that day.
After all, these state controlled media reaches the mass of s’poreans and i’d be surprised if this were not another ploy to gain some unfair political advantage.
@Eklektro – thanks for your correction.
Pardon guys for the error. It is seized and not ceased. LOL.
What the PM said as we all know would likely become law somehow. However the law cannot tell us that we cannot blog and full stop. The law must cover a lot of ground and if bloggers ask too many question, they will know better how to shut the bloggers out. Every law has got its loop holes initially but will likely to be plugged later on. Irregardless of how wide a scope they cover inadvertently there will be some loop holes which is an advantage to the bloggers.
My advice is that we shouldn’t give PAP a chance to write an extremely tight law that really handicap the bloggers. If you ask too many questions, they know your concern and instead of helping your concern, they will and can fix you much more easier without the need to second guess.
As you can see, the article writer is asking some questions which is the concern of the bloggers, the chances are they are likely to say no. In the event if the law did not say yes or no to these activities specifically, it opens for argument should anyone wish to continue doing so. I don’t know so much about law but at least in common sense it should be so.
Moreover who knows if cooling day is really meant for cooling. Who knows what activities are being organized prior to election day. By that very day, the opinion polls gathered by the PAP will already shows what is the likely outcome of the final result. Armed with the opinion poll, its anybody guess what the fixer will fix the next day. One day a lot of activities can happened. Your imagination is better than mine.
don’t tell me they are banning facebook and twitter on cooling off day. that will make a joke of singapore’ open image.
They will ban porn, masturbation and sex. Visiting the Geylang prostitutes will be illegal. It is the “cooliing-off” day!
@citizenofSG
Maybe leaving a huge area of gray will confuse the bloggers to where the out-of-bound markers are and force them to practice self-censorship.
@BryanT
“Among the political parties’ websites, only SDP has a substantial readership to speak of. SDP is the first political party in Singapore to make use of the new media to get its message across.”
Now that SDP is mentioned by TR, satisfied now?
Dear commentor: Don’t ask too many question,Just vote out the PAPies on the Election Day. Good Luck
@BryanT
I do appreciate your csndid opinions,frankly.
what coherence you asked of this write-up but may i ask you
what coherence there is to “cooling-off” as there is really no heat here in well-behaved sunny island as comapred to even the “mild-mannered” japanese or koreans or even our humbler
“malaysians” not to mention the famous taiwanese?
you tell me?
I think historically every single change that has been made in relation to elections has been to the benefit of the gahmen. So, I would say it is safe to assume the purpose of this change is again for the benefit of the gahmen.
Hiaz, why act like big people but think like small people.
“I can’t control several million videos on YouTube. But your website, what you are putting out in your own name, I think that SHOULD end on the day before cooling-off day,” -LHL
He said SHOULD does not mean MUST lahz. It’s just an opinion.
IN the present GRC system, the PAP have being taken control of island, and now with adding COOLING DAY, and is singaporean wants a single to single combat of MP elections. THEY are so kiasu and can not let singaporean to see their true face. THAt is island with many foreigners and singaporean are really going to face a tough and difficult times to elect their favorite MPs. THE PAP have lose their touch of people.
no need to cool off – telling u all now, just vote for the opposition. its time for change! No need to pay our dear PM the salary of 7 other world leaders combined.
can the editor please check his spelling and grammar before posting? it just requires simple proof reading.