"A RISING star in the Workers' Party quit the party yesterday in
protest over members' right to speak freely on the Internet.
Lawyer and central executive council (CEC) member Chia Ti Lik, who
led the WP's East Coast GRC team at the May General Election, said
that he was opposed to a new resolution on Internet conduct passed
by the party leadership.
The new ruling prevents CEC members from posting comments or
statements on the Internet in their own name.
'This is about freedom of expression. Opposition members must be
allowed to voice their criticism of the Government's policies and
engage in any issue or debate that is of public interest,' said Mr
Chia.
One of the WP's youngest leaders, Mr Chia, 32, is the second member
in as many weeks to resign from the party.
On Tuesday, another CEC member, Mr Goh Meng Seng, said he quit the
WP two weeks ago after creating what he called 'a bad image' for
the party with his harsh online postings.
Party leaders met on Tuesday night at WP's Jalan Besar headquarters
and passed the Internet resolution.
Mr Chia, who was not at the meeting, was dismayed by the move,
saying it further limited the WP's 'scope and pace' of
communication with the public.
'Since we often face problems getting our views across in the
mainstream press, our only fallback is the Internet. This is a step
backwards in public engagement,' he said.
He added that CEC members were now subject to a 'slow and tedious
process of clearance' if they wanted to respond to any public
issue.
Mr Chia joined the WP in 2004, becoming its assistant organising
secretary a year later.
He revealed yesterday that the Internet restrictions were among
other frustrations he had with the party leadership over the last
six months, including during the polls.
One other issue was manpower. He said: 'During the General
Election, we were very short-handed. Many supporters who helped out
in East Coast GRC were not even party members. They were our
friends and family.'
He added that he did not intend to join another political party any
time soon.
Mr Perry Tong, a CEC member and the WP's youth wing president, told
The Straits Times he was surprised by Mr Chia's resignation.
As for the WP's new Internet regulation, Mr Tong said he was
'comfortable' with it as the party needed to be cautious about
participating in discussions that were 'not always
responsible'.
Both the party's secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and chairman
Sylvia Lim could not be reached for comment last night."
(Straits Times, 10 Nov)
As the Book of Great Learning states:
'He who desires to rule his nation must first learn to establish
his own house'
(http://libweb.zju.edu.cn:8080/renwen/JinDian/Ru/Ru.asp?title=%B4%F3%D1%A7%D5%C2%BE%E4)
If the Workers' Party cannot even keep its own leaders together,
what hope do they have of trying to government an entire
nation?
