SDP: PAP getting cold feet over the New Media
March 14th, 2010 | 
Author: Written by Our Correspondent
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has taken a jibe at the proposed changes to the election rules announced in Parliament lately as a sign that the ruling PAP is getting “nervous” over the New Media.
In a statement published on its website, SDP Assistant Secretary-General John Tan claimed that the changes are “just another ploy by the PAP to instill fear in the people.”
Under the new election rules, political websites will have to register with the Media Development Authority and they are banned from doing any sorts of election advertising for parties and candidates on cooling off and polling days.
Offenders will be liable to be fined up to $1,000 or jailed for up to 12 months. Of particular concern is that the offences are now made seizable which means that the police can arrest bloggers who run afoul of the law without any warrant of arrest.
As the PAP controls 82 out of 84 seats in Parliament, it can amend the Singapore Constitution as and when it likes to serve its own partisan interests without any opposition or interference from anybody.
John felt that the “advertising guidelines introduced is clear indication that the PAP is running scared of the New Media and how it is a leveler of information flow.”
“The ruling party also knows that because of its control of the traditional media, more and more Singaporeans are turning to the Internet for information. The overwhelming sentiment in cyberspace is for the opposition and against the PAP. The Government is thus desperately trying to regulate cyberspace during the elections even though it knows that it is near impossible to do so given the nature of the beast,” he added.
The New Media is becoming an important battleground in public opinion with the proliferation of a dozen new socio-political sites since the 2006 elections, one of which already has a readership higher than that of some news sites belonging to the mainstream media.
Of all the political parties in Singapore, only the SDP has established a presence in cyberspace with the others lagging far behind. Efforts by the PAP to engage the online community have faltered so far. A website set up by its young MPs in 2006 is now effectively defunct after the MPs quitted blog, citing lack of time to contribute articles on it.
The YPAP, which is tasked with reaching out to the young IT-savvy voters has also failed miserably with its latest PR disaster over the “Eric How” saga making its members a laughing stock among Singapore netizens.
The fast rising anti-establishment sentiment in cyberspace is a cause of concern for the PAP as it may trigger a political tsunami similar to Malaysia’s in 2008 where young voters abandoned the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and voted for the opposition in droves.
A Facebook started by a 22 year old project engineer to vote the PAP out has garnered more than 4,000 members in less than 3 months, the majority of whom are Singaporeans in their 20s and 30s, a clear sign that the PAP is losing ground among the younger generation of voters.
For party used to winning nearly 100 percent of the seats and garnering more than two-thirds of the popular vote, the loss of a few more seats including a GRC and an expected drop in the percentage of votes to less than 60 percent will be considered a disastrous performance thereby destroying both its legitimacy and credibility as the only party with the “mandate” to govern Singapore.
John ended his article by calling on Singaporeans to vote for the opposition in numbers “that will surpass the 50 percent mark”. The PAP must be denied its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament to prevent it from changing the Constitution repeatedly at its whims and fancies and to push unpopular policies down the throats of Singaporeans again without proper planning and deliberation.
The next election represents the last chance for Singaporeans to reclaim ownership of their nation after which they will be swarmed by the hordes of foreigners brought in by the PAP to shore up its flagging support base.
Read SDP’s full press release here
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24 Responses to “SDP: PAP getting cold feet over the New Media”
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Many Singaporeans are using the internet now.
nothing new..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4882746.stm
Singapore attacked over blog gag
Last Updated: Thursday, 6 April 2006, 10:14 GMT 11:14 UK
The Singapore government has been condemned for gagging political discussion on the web in the run up to the country’s parliamentary elections.
Yes the Opposition regardless of which Party will have my vote.
Singaporeans are cowards and they only take care of their backyards… That’s the problem. People should look at the bigger picture collectively. Personally I feel PAP should continue to govern the country, BUT with an opposition/shadow cabinet to audit and check their balances. That’ll elevate Singapore to the next level of society, knowledge economy and intellectual nation build on transparency and democracy. Right now it’s socialism and it’s really depressing. It’s time we move on to the next chapter. PAP’s governance worked for the past few decades but reckon it’s time we (the nation) evolves as a nation.
cold feet, i think not.
so scare, papaya will pee in their pants when erection results come.
All these years of talking with no brains, make their head smaller. Proud papaya they are, no train in live firing exercise and all theory thinking small heads, game over fast and premature.
Born in the zoo, paper tiger they are. meow ~
It is disappointing the ruling party is trying to control the internet.
The Fillipinos did it, Indonesians did it, Malaysians did it, and now its our turn. WE WILL DO IT! MAJULA SINGAPURA !!!!
“Singaporeans are cowards and they only take care of their backyards”
Only cowards allow a Traitor who betray Singapore in WW2 to be the “Father of Singapore”
I am starting to see the ugly side of the young PAP.
True, this election will be the last chance for Singaporeans to save our lives and reclaim our rights. The gagging by PAP must be stopped and the soonest the better. If we don’t make changes to the political landscape now, we will never be able to garner the same amount of energy and resources to topple PAP in future – that will mark the end of Singaporeans. Spread the words and remind everyone the insecured new rulings placed in our necks on election day. We need everyone to know it hard.
PAP getting cold feet over the New Media-YouTube:PRC new citizens!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDKCSNlVIiA
The beans will soon be spilt. The Pigs And Piglets will soon be running helter skelter!
remember..lah who is the boss of SPH. Another PAP man. To “jaga” everything for the PAP.
The traditional media has become the tool of the ruling party to brainwash the citizen into believing all their policies, including those ill-planned and ill-implemented policies. For e.g. when the government failed to control the HDB price, the tradition media will brain-washed the citizen into believing that this is an asset appreciation but does it benefit the citizen in anyway except migration ? Few year ago, 3 room flat in Toa Payoh is 200K and now is 300K. Few year ago, 4 room flat in Toa Payoh is 370k and now is 470k. The citizen can only gained by downgrading if he/she continues to stay in Singapore. The net-return in selling the 4 room to 3 room is the same. But the new buyer, he/she has to pay additional 100k. So is there anyone gained from the so-called asset appreciation ? No, except HDB who will price now their new flat at the higher price.
the more websites like TR and Yawning Bread promote themselves through emails, the more alternative perspectives can reach people. If the stupid rear-admirer expects singaporeans to ’self-regulate’ then he will be very disappointed. our brains are and need not be wired to the incumbent govt’s propaganda. many sporeans now have a strong thirst for alternative voices because the mainstream media is no much different from their north korean counterparts.
chee soon chuan should be arrested as he is beholden to forengners money. The congenential liar that say he support freedom in Sg but completely borchup the plight of Sg males who are force to do 2 years of NS.
As I watched the US congressman speaks during the Woman Air Service Pilot (WASP) Gold Medal Presentation in honor of the WWII war veterans, I can only admire the sacrifice they made in order for a free world. Honor, Integrity, Service, Committment and Faith are what keep this country from falling during the WWII. It is with these values that American thrive with the technology and development they have now. This is what Singapore is lacking now after so many years under the helm of PAP. The way PAP manage Singapore like an MNC and top down and it does not help its people to progress at all after all these years. We are still relying on the big brands rather than creation of our own brand. The paying of big salary to ministers only help them to wanting to have more and getting lazy. The backdoor minister did not do any better w/o the real fighting spirit. They got into the seat w/o a battle is so sad of Singapore politics. After traveling to US and Europe, I can only say Singapore is still lagging back at least 10 years. Though I can safety say the teachers are teaching good values during my school days; it is the government that destroy the good values that the teachers have passed on. Where is the Integrity, Service to people and fighting spirit? All is lost through the PAP liberal immigration that destroyed what we have built during the formative years of Singapore.
New media enables some ideas to be aired when, for example, old media controls entirely what can be aired yesterday on Talking Point with mah bow tan.
notice the key words:
“first time buyers.. priced out of the market” and “leave it to the market”
if “the market price has been rising and rising and is now 50% more than like 3 years ago”, what is the state of the market?
secondary school answer: market is rising because demand outweighs supply.
in a free market, what would be the response?
secondary school answer: increase supply (and not tie one hand behind back and pretend to increase a little at a time) or temper demand (instead of nudge nudge a little only) or both.
are we in a free market?
secondary school answer: no, because supply does not come any time. it comes only when a single authoritarian body decides it should come. and if that body misinterprets the market, we have a problem, as we already do now. also, if that same authoritarian body has control over demand (population size), we have a bigger problem on our hands.
so why do they keep referring to the market?
secondary school answer: they are trying to fool some people. maybe all the people.
You people better do it. Yes , we can do it. Here is one reason.
Tan Kin Lian Blog
Monday, March 15, 2010
High pay of Singapore Government Leaders – a view by Rex
REX comments as follows,
I have heard of the “sour grapes” argument several times before. Some people think that commenting on Minister’s pay is a sign of “jealousy”. I don’t think so. “Jealousy” means you don’t have something, you want something others have. In the bible it is called covetousness, and it is one of the sins under the Ten Commandments.
It is not jealousy because, I don’t even want $3 million a YEAR. It is good enough for me to have $100,000 a YEAR to be comfortable (even less, if i have been already working for 30 years, since i have accumulated wealth already). I cannot be jealous of something i don’t need. What I am going to do with 3 million a year? There is a law of diminishing returns. Too much of something IS COMPLETELY USELESS. It is a waste of resources. It is like forgetting to close the tap, the water just wastes away, it could hae been put to better users. THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT. Not Jealousy.
Another reader suggested that our PM is much better than President Obama, so he deserves his salary. Even if I agree with the reason he gave (which I don’t), where do we stop – pay LHL 5 times Obama’s salary? Why not 6 times? Why not 10 times? How about 100 times? How do you calculate the number that leads to their salaries, if they are so good?
I went to the Minsitery of Finance Singapore Budget website and check out the Prime Minister’s Office staff costs. It was only about 0.3 % of the Total 2010 Budget of Expenditure of Singapore. Oh yes, if you compute salaries by relating to budget of the country, you may say 0.3% is peanuts. But this is unfair playing with statistics.
I give example: An agent who spent 1 hour selling a $1 million house gets commission of 2%($20,000). He coud spent the same time to sell a $100,000 house and get only $2,000. Is there significant difference between the efforts made selling a bigger house and a smaller house, to justify such a huge commission? Commission is a dirty word, because the percentage cuts are pegged to items which don’t necessarily relate to the effort put in. Same as in the political scenario as per the salary.
Finally, the argument that “we should move on and stop grumbling about their salary”. It is none of my business if CEO of XYZ company gets paid huge amounts. It is a commercial entity and the company is profit driven and can pay him what they like to. However, minister’s salary are TAXPAYERS money at source. Taxpayers money can be allocated to many other areas of development in a country, unlike a commercial private company which is duty bpund only to make profits and nothing else.
Open your eyes big big.
Do not be like a deaf frog, cannot hear.
Do not be like sheep ready to be led to slaughter, day after day, year after year.
REX
Despite all the hoo ha being said, for the electorate to decide voting for an alternative, the Opposition just simply had to provide a real credible alternative as the way it is today, it’s nothing but a fragmented movement uncoordinated. So show the electorate you’ve got what it takes to win over at least one GRC in the next GE as a real breakthrough and the subsequent elections would be a breeze…
can kenneth jeyaratnam beat mah bow tan? jeyaratnam has cambridge double first honours, experience running hedge fund.
what credentials does mah bow tan have?
Our futures and our children’s futures look bleak if pap continue its rule..
Are we worried that our reserves are being depleted as we speak?
Are we worried that our children may not get a place in local uni even though their results are up to the mark?
Are we worried that they may be enslaved to a pricey hdb flat for a good part of their lives, and no retirement to think of?
Are we worried that they may have to undergo career change in middle age, and end up retraining as security guards, bus drivers, and other low paying jobs, while struggling to live in a high-cost of living environment?
sigh. i really hate it when the gahmen flexes its authority through legislation. MDA…what a load of bollocks.
to me its harassment, bullying, condescension….i can go on and on. let us make use of every opportunity, every open digital platform to state our case.
question: will TR abide by the law?