By Belmont
Lay
Belmont Lay
A majority of Singaporeans voted for the People's
Action Party. (Photo courtesy of Terence Lee)
In a new column called "The Flip Side", local blogger
Belmont Lay lets loose on local politics,
culture and society in his weekly musings. To be taken with a pinch
of salt and with parental permission advised. In his first post, he
talks about the disturbing silence of the majority that supported
Singapore's ruling party.
Hi, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
I regret to inform you that the People's Action Party you
painstakingly built across 50 years has unfortunately turned into a
lightning rod for flaming in the eyes of the young, savvy Internet
generation.
Hardly a week goes by these days without someone from your
political party causing a bit of a stir. And that moment gets
transmitted all over the place primarily through something called
"Facebook" and "Twitter".
There could be many reasons for this.
PAP MPs might have been overprotected over the years by a docile
state media, so when they falter they look particularly bad.
Or your fellow comrades might be Luddites tending to avoid
computers in the belief these manifest "viruses" contagious to
people.
But the chief reason might be PAP MPs having developed a natural
ability to put one's foot into one's own mouth.
Just this week, Acting Minister for Community
Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing committed a
political faux pas. In our generation's parlance, this is what is
popularly known as a "FAIL".
Asked by a member of the public during a community dialogue if
lower ministerial salaries might produce unmotivated ministers,
Chan answered with this gem of a failed wisecrack:
"(For example,) you go to Peach Garden, you eat the S$10 XO
Sauce chye tow kuay (fried carrot cake), you can be quite happy
right? Because you are satisfied with the service and so on. On the
other hand, you can go to a hawker centre, even if they charge you
S$1.50, you might not want to eat it if the quality is not
good."
As far as bad analogies go, this one takes the cake.
This analogy is so bad, it is like trying to milk kittens for
cheese pies.
See what I mean? Bad analogies like the one I just proffered is
almost as bad as Major-General Chan's failed attempt.
But his is worse. Partly because his higher-than-higher
education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was
under a scholarship bearing your name. I only managed to hold fort
at the National University of Singapore with
an ill-gotten Arts degree.
However, as awful as these things are, there are indeed
worse.
The viciousness and savagery in which the online crowd tears
into the PAP MPs is something of a phenomenon to behold.
It is like watching Singapore Idol, but more wildly
entertaining, provocative and sinful to partake in.
Disturbing silence
So, I don't know if you've noticed this worrying trend, but it
seems that the majority of people -- about 60 percent of them who
voted for your party in the General Election of 2011 hardly
seem concerned enough to come out into the open to defend you and
your comrades when they come under heavy fire online.
Now, hear me out: This Silent Majority is truly disturbing. They
are the ones who should be there for your party. Through good and
the bad. Thick and thin. During and after general elections.
Look, your people at the PAP are pretty
good at organising grassroots activities. I remember vividly,
during GE 2011, busloads of retirees and senior citizens were
transported to nomination centres all over Singapore to cheer on
your party.
It was truly amazing to see senior citizens exert themselves in
the name of politics. And later packed away back on the bus with
catered lunches.
So why can't your people, young, old and otherwise, be motivated
to show up online and take on the PAP haters?
Why leave your office bearers, who are representatives of
Singaporeans, in the lurch during times of online crises?
This matter is of utmost importance. You need to look into
it.
The opposition has already gained a foothold online.
Take Workers' Party Chen Show Mao, for example.
He is beguiling, wide-eyed, charismatic, eloquent, effectively
bilingual, selfless, determined and social media-savvy.
And when he speaks in Parliament, he has everyone eating out of
his hands.
When he updates his status on Facebook, he creates a virtual
stampede to see who can "Like" his post first.
Half the ladies on my Facebook friends list are saying they
fantasise about the day they meet the Workers' Party MP in a dark,
lonely alley.
So that they can have the chance to converse with him in their
half-past six Mandarin without anyone within earshot and feeling
embarrassed that they are only mastering the Chinese language now
to communicate with this Taiwan-born maverick.
The other half, more or less, are quite convinced they want to
have his babies.
It's safe to say if this trend carries on, it won't bode well
for your party in the future.
Because I just checked the calender, it's not even past January
2012, yet so much has happened.
I don't have the solution and I doubt you do, too. As far as I
can tell, you're not even really on Facebook.
Maybe, the least anyone in PAP can do is to take a cue from Chen
Show Mao.
Then they can start to be half as awesome.
Belmont Lay is one of the editors of
New Nation, an online Singaporean publication specialising in
news that are 50% real and commentaries that are 100% genuine.
