Alex Tan to YPAP members: “Don’t be anonymous cowards on Facebook”
December 15th, 2009 | 
Author: Written by Our Correspondent
In his latest blog entry, Mr Alex Tan upped the ante by sending his challenge to have a public debate at Speaker’s Corner to the following YPAP members: Corns Tan, Foo Yoong Kheong, Alan Soh, Sear Hock Rong, Edgar Khieu and the moderator who banned him from posting on the YPAP Facebook, Law undergraduate Genesis Shen.
In his message, Mr Tan urged the YPAP members to walk their talk and “don’t be anonymous cowards on Facebook.”
Mr Tan had been posting on YPAP Facebook forum for the last six months before he was banned for “indulging in name-calling and vulgarities” which even made the headlines in The Sunday Times.
It is not known if he was banned because of his combative style or because the YPAP members are unable to manage his relentless attacks on the government.
Despite being discredited by YPAP members for being detained for 5 days during his National Service, Mr Tan continues to heckle them.
There was no immediate response from the YPAP. It remains to be seen if any YPAP member dares to take up Mr Tan’s challenge and have a “live” debate with him at Hong Lim Park.
Mr Tan’s courage is rare among Singapore youths who are largely apathetic towards the nation’s politics, let alone express their disapproval of the government openly.
Besides blogging, Mr Tan also set up a Facebook group “Vote the PAP out” to protest against the ruling party. Among the grievances listed on the Facebook are – influx of foreigners, disadvanages of National Service, sky-rocketing property prices, high medical costs and low CPF’s interest rates.
Faced with an electorate which has becoming increasingly flustered and disillusioned with its policies, the ruling party has introduced a “cooling-off” day to enable voters to ponder over their choices “calmly” and “rationally”.
The additional day will probably have no effect on its hardcore detractors like Mr Tan who has long made up their minds to vote for the opposition, regardless of who the candidate is.
The unthinkable prospect of a “freak election” is “freaking” out the ruling party which has engineered overwhelming electoral victories for itself one after another since first winning power in 1959.
With victory almost acertained for the ruling party, Singaporeans may be more inclined to cast a protest vote it. The uncertainty arises if large number of voters think in this manner and vote for the opposition.
It is indeed worrying that the majority of netizens are supporting Mr Tan in his solo crusade against the YPAP which shows that the ruling party still has alot of work to do to win disaffected young Singaporeans to its side.
Copyright © The Temasek Review, 2009
Related articles:
1. Alex Tan challenges YPAP to public debate at Speaker’s corner
2. YPAP member slammed by netizens for revealing critic’s detention record
3. YPAP member resorts to smearing critic’s character to silence him
4. PAP MP De Souza: More robust debate from PAP than opposition MPs
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Congrats Alex.
If such an “event” occurs (preferably on a weekend), I will go watch and participate if possible.
Alex Tan, you are courageous,I support you all the way.A rare kind of youth,who is promising, potential candidate for the next GE
I welcome “healthy” debate …
None of the YPAP has the guts or courage to come out to the open. Too dangerous and too risky. A very high price to pay if something goes very wrong in the open debate, and that could even embarrass the whole establishment. Rather be safe than sorry.
Please include public participation, and we are going to hit them and hit them hard until they all go back into the hole.
Yeah… I second Viper…
Isnt this a good opportunity also for the YPAP to show off their capability?
YPAP… if you really want people to respect you… prove it…
Ours is a very TROUBLED SOCIETY. Partisan bureaucrats highly politicised and citizenry either oppressed or apathetic. When the MIW made mistakes in education, immigration, housing policies etc etc etc etc, there is NO CHECK AND BALANCES, so we fell FASTER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CLIFF DEEPER AS WELL OF SUICIDES AND NO PROSPECT OF RESCUE.
Alex Tan is a patriot. We must support him. He is NOT even partisan of any political party allegiance.
IT IS DEPLORABLE THAT THOSE IN THE CAMP OF MIW IS SO DETERMINEDLY OPPRESSIVE.
Something is DRASTICALLY WRONG with too many INCONVENIENT TRUTHS?????????
It’s not a “protest vote”; it’s a no-confidence vote
Very darling & interesting……..spread the new and many many many many many people will be there to support………..
Dear YPAP,
Why do you not want to friend Alex after you know he got detention in army?
Is a petty army detention a disease that can spread through the air. The environment of yours is so pure that you are afraid to get contaminated by breathing through the very air. Things are so bad that you need to shut the door on poor Alex.
Why is it a few F words, threaten you so much that you want to distance yourself from him?
Pity Alex caught all the F words from the army. Those of us who had went in the army also got caught some of it just like a disease. You cannot change immediately and require some detoxification before you finally get rid of it. So how about some magnanimity from the great YPAP.
Why do you want to stay engage but then disengage over pittance things that you dread to associate?
Convert him to see it your way, embrace your holy policies and make him become a YPAP. Surely young man you have the energy to go the distant to meet and associate. Or is it maybe the whole thing is your master fault, then please try to change your master ways. The opposition is so weak, could not have indoctrinated Alex to battle you this way.
How about meeting him at Hong Lim Park, to show how unreasonable and foul a guy he is to all public at large?
If you do not want to contact him personally, maybe you could say here openly or contact TR directly. It is just a friendly debate without any real bite. Should you decide to stay away and hide in your mummy pants, please give dear Alex a reply and say no to the deal. You could also do it at his blog site.
Thank you most cordially,
citizenofSG
just to correct alex, i checked the internet for these YPAP members details, only corns tan (who set up a anti-sdp website), genesis shen and edgar khieu background could not be found.
Foo Yoong Kheong and Sear Hock Rong and Alan Soh has blogs. maybe, you will like to engage a debate with them on their blogs instead.
@citizenofSG on Tue, 15th Dec 2009 2:55 pm
I agree with you.
Do the YPAP thinks they are the sole bearer of beacon of language virtue or some cuddly politicians are the only beacon of virtue of language in general.
I don’t subscribe to this kind of pomposity, least of all in the military unless they think SAF is training priesthood apprentice for killing ants or kissing frogs.
Anyone walking the corridor of power would know the late Richard Nixon was very vulgar. Aussie Premier Kelvin Rudd is also vulgar in his office.WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT??? And Edward Kennedy has this “nice” reputation of behaviour and conduct despite being cannonized at death.
“…..He is known around Washington as a public drunk, loud, boisterous and very disrespectful to ladies. JERK is a better description than “great American….”
http://comment.chinadaily.com.cn/articlecmt.shtml?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chinadaily.com.cn%2Fworld%2F2009-08%2F30%2Fcontent_8633001_8.htm&title=Kennedy+carried+to+Arlington%2C+laid+beside+brothersS
The military is NOT a kindergarden establishment of teaching morals or religion to todlers. So what that comes out of those establishment a little bit realistic of “robustness” in language?
When politicians swears violently in private or bosses swears in the office, where are all those angels in this world’s cyberspace left only masturbating with false virtues?
IF VULGARITY IS SHAMEFUL, IT IS STILL SHAMEFUL MASTURBATING PRIVATELY IN FRONT OF BATHROOM MIRROR OR INTO THE TOILET BOWL.
SO COYOTE.
Alex’s idol must be CSJ…but i think both of them are idiots only worthy of big talk but are just empty vessels..
@ jedimaster on Tue, 15th Dec 2009 5:18 pm
And your idols are Joseph Stalin, Adorf Hitler and Idi Amin -full of sh@ts?
I have read your posts. I could feel your drive in political field, but Alex i am sad to say.
We need leaders not hooligans.
Your actions are really another Dr Chee in the making, someone who didnt use his brains.
Kelvin on Tue, 15th Dec 2009 6:41 pm
And you are an annointed angel to judge?
Remember this, when a crow mimics a seagull, a crow evitably got drowned in the ocean of truth.
If I were you, I will wait and see.
@jedimaster who said: Alex’s idol must be CSJ…but i think both of them are idiots only worthy of big talk but are just empty vessels..
If you are so confident that Alex is an empty vessels, why not you declare your affiliation to the PAPies and take Alex on at HLP, on behalf of the YPAPies (if they want you).
At the moment, Alex DID drew an open challenge awaiting reply from the YPAPies (if they even have the basic courtesy of rejecting politely or balls to take Alex on), thus ACTION, while YOU are merely hiding behind a monitor. Smart readers can surely pick the actual empty vessels, can’t we all?
Come to think of it, 5, yes, FIVE YPAPies so-called ELITES, one being an undergraduate law student DON’T EVEN have the balls to take on a NOBODY named Alex?
Oh my friggin GOD! Is the YPAPies a club for SISSIES?
AND Sinkaporeans are visiting sites setup and run by a bunch of SISSIES? Since when did the sexual preference of Sinkaporeans changed?
Now, we know the kind and quality of people reading Law in NUS. How appalling!
@medicine who said: Now, we know the kind and quality of people reading Law in NUS. How appalling!
To be a lawyer in Sinkapore, you don’t need to study law at all, all you need to learn is How To kiss PaPies arse and sit, stop, bark when told to.
Additionally, instead of learning How To correctly interpret and uphold the law, you need learn how to misrepresent and twist the law to fit the facts.
A good example would be the infamous 200 metres rule
hey! this guy living in IVORY TOWER of all ivory towers!!!
‘TAK BOLEH TAHAN,BODOH!’
Pseudonyms have been used for ages,even ST allows for it.
how sinister,this “running dog”-and i don’t require him to
identify himself,afterall he’s a “stray”- not only bark…
“he barks cock and sing song”.
since his master let him loose ,i guess we better call the
SPCA to get him before he becomes a greater nuisance to the
neighbourhood.
“kurang ajar”.
wth is ypap?
am i missing something?
Ypap = PAP Youth ?
Dear everyone,
For the full story behind what went on at the Young PAP Network Facebook Group before Mr Alex Tan was banned, I invite you to read the blog post at http:”hockrong.blogspot.com to find out more.
Do you still think Mr Alex Tan deserves the attention he was craving for? Do you think what he had done at the Facebook Group made him a “hero”? Do you agree with the way he wrote there?
Thank you and regards.