January 24, 2010
Written by Our Correspondent
During a speech made at Fullerton Hotel two days ago, Singapore
Foreign Minister George Yeo said he holds dear this principle when
blogging: Be honest.
Mr Yeo is one of the few PAP ministers who blogs on Facebook.
The other is Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
“In this new world, it’s trust that enjoys the special
premium.If you are unable to be comfortable with yourself and be
truthful in the presentation of yourself, you will be discovered
very quickly. Perhaps in the past, that was not as important, but
going into the future, it is important; be what you are, and be
accepted for what you are,” he said.
Mr Yeo has indeed been very “honest” in his online exchanges
with netizens.
When a young lady posted a lengthy comment on his Facebook
seeking help in a molest case, Mr Yeo replied to her honestly in
one-liner:
“Please see your MP.”
Mr Yeo’s “honest” remark sparked a masssive outcry in cyberspace
with many netizens giving him “honest” feedback by lampooning his
insensitivity, arrogance and callousness.
Faced with an unprecedented public backlash, Mr Yeo was forced
to give a “honest” apology to the young lady.
He also revealed that the ruling party is still
‘experimenting’ on the best way to lead and interact with
Singaporeans.
“Leaders have to possess a certain ‘programmability’ and
know when to become students again so that they can pick up the
right skills in areas such as social networking to connect with the
people,” he added.
It appears that not many PAP leaders share the same sentiment as
Mr Yeo judging from their recent actions which seem to suggest that
they still regard Singaporeans as their “students”.
The YPAP has been embroiled in a controversy of late over some
“honest”comments about netizens posted on its Facebook by a YPAP
member.
Instead of launching a proper investigation into his identity
into real life, YPAP leaders Teo Ser Luck and Zaqy Mohamad jumped
straight to the conclusion that he is an impostor and insinuated in
their interviews with the media that the internet cannot be
trusted.
Such a “honest” unwarranted attack on the integrity of netizens
is unlikely to endear the YPAP to them.
For a government which is so full of itself, it is improbable
that it is sincere in “connecting” with netizens. As the “Eric How”
fiasco has shown, the YPAP is only interested in engaging netizens
on its own terms and when they are cornered, they have no qualms
resorting to the age-old practice of making police reports to
intimidate their critics into silence.
