Democracy: PAP Government IS NOT PAP
I have read the coverage on PM Lee interview on Channel News
Asia recently. What caught my eyes was naturally about the "next
General Election". Nope. It is not about any speculations on
whether there will be a General Election this year but rather how
our Prime Minister made his statement here.
The very first sentence read "The Government will leverage on new media
in the next General
Election, Prime Minister Lee Hisen Loong has said". I am not
very sure whether the Prime Minister has actually uttered that
SPECIFIC wordings because I do not have the chance to watch the
whole interview but it seems to me that it must be a "Government" stand on new media during
"General Election".
First of all, the GOVERNMENT, which is filled with civil
servants, has nothing to do with General Election apart from making
sure that the election is carried out in a FAIR and JUST way.
During General Elections, the Cabinet will only be a care-taker
government. Political parties and members SHOULD NOT utilize public resources for
their political campaigns. How close PAP has observed such
democratic rules is up to anyone's guess.
But if the CNA report is "presenting trusted, unbiased and informed
opinions" as what the Prime Minister has proclaimed, I guess it
just demonstrates that CNA, its reporters and editors have actually
thought that there is absolutely NOTHING WRONG FOR
A POLITICAL PARTY, even though it is the ruling party, TO UTILIZE
GOVERNMENT RESOURCES DURING GENERAL
ELECTIONS!
If CNA is, as proclaimed, a TRUSTED NEWS PROVIDER, then the Prime
Minister must have uttered the very specific words that the
GOVERNMENT is actually CAMPAIGNING by LEVERAGING on New Media
DURING GENERAL ELECTIONS! So who is the GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGNING FOR
during GENERAL ELECTIONS? This is a very FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION that
citizens of any DEMOCRATIC country should ask the ruling
party.
I am really beginning to doubt whether the ruling party takes
DEMOCRACY SERIOUSLY or not! Or is it just WAYANGING about being
Democratic while deep down its heart, it just takes for granted
that PAP=GOVERNMENT and GOVERNMENT=PAP? And that PAP could utilize
all the GOVERNMENT resources for its political
interests?
Well, maybe I am still very naive after witnessing the pork barrel
politicking of PAP in using GOVERNMENT HDB upgrading, GRC and
Electoral Boundary redrawing as political tools to attain political
interests for itself, I still hold the belief that Democracy still
exists in Singapore with the basic fundamental principles intact. I
must be wrong in believing that PAP still believes in Democracy.
It is just
basically a DICTATORIAL political party which only WAYANG about
Democracy by having some elections with all the rules skewed
heavily to their political advantages.
From this little report here, I must say that I am more convinced
that Democracy is already dead in Singapore, in
principle. People from the Prime Minister to the
reporters and editors of local media no longer believe in the basic
fundamental principles of Democracy any more. Unless there are
enough brave souls that could stand up to such absurdity in the
system, win a few GRCs via that totally skewed and impossible odds
against the PAP + Government machineries + Media, I do not see how
Singapore could evolve and progress democratically.
I would actually urge the PAP to do away with such a pain of going
through the motion of General Elections where they themselves do
not respect the fundamental principles of Democracy and declare
Singapore a dictatorship once and for all.
If PAP does not even respect the fundamental principles of
Democracy, why do they need to try to Wayang about General
Elections? If they could not even differentiate what is PAP as a
political party and what is the role of government, then just equate
PAP=Government=Singapore. It will really save us a lot of time and
trouble in playing such Wayang game.
Goh Meng Seng
CNA - THE Government will
leverage on new media in the next General Election, Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong has said.
In an interview with Channel News Asia to be aired on Tuesday
night, he noted the growing influence of the Internet on politics,
citing the recent United States presidential election as an example
and said Singapore would go the same way.
President Barack Obama's campaign, for instance, used new media to
put out their messages, organise and even raise money. But PM Lee
said the change here will not be an an easy one.
'We are still learning. It is not easy to make this transition. It
is like going from sea to land or vice versa, you are changing your
medium and you need to get comfortable with it. But we are working
hard at it.'
He also said the party was on the lookout for more MPs comfortable
with new media. His remarks are the latest sign of the Government's
changing mindset towards new media.
Last month, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts
Lee Boon Yang said that the Government is 'fully into'
e-engagement, when responding to suggestions made by the Advisory
Council on the Impact of New Media on Society.
Since then, Government agencies have also begun responding to forum
letters posted on The Straits Times website. PM Lee stressed,
however, that traditional media will always have a place in
presenting trusted, unbiased and informed opinions. But he didn't
dismiss online views outright.
'Well, there is a place called the Wild West and there are other
places which are not so wild. And the new media - some of it are
Wild West and anything goes and people can say anything they want.
And tomorrow take a completely contrary view and well, that is just
the way the medium is,' he said.
'But even in the Internet, there are places which are more
considered, more moderated where people put their names down and
identify themselves. And there is a debate which goes on and a give
and take, which is not so rambunctious but perhaps more thoughtful.
That is another range.'
The interview on the evolving media landscape was in conjunction
with Channel News Asia's 10th anniversary in March.
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