For all his talk of having a 'conversation' with the people and a Govt that will listen and take heed of the desires of the people, it seems our dear Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, cannot hide his inner feelings - that the PAP 'has, is and will always be right'. Take his recent remarks at the Chinese newspaper - Lianhe Zaobao's 90th anniversary celebrations on Friday:
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/we-must-fight-back-against-trolling--pm-lee-010159521.html
He assumed that readers of 'new media' platforms are likely to be those who are not contented as opposed to those who read broadsheets. "People who are contented don't have time to go online, those who are unhappy will complain online." He alluded that this was a 'worldwide trend' after responding to a question that the Govt was disconnected from the people.
The PM with his Malaysian counter-part in a 'selfie' at the recent CHOGM. How out of touch is he if he thinks that posting a selfie will never elicit negative comments?
It's strange even shocking that a Prime Minister of a supposedly democratic country, could and would make such a sweeping statement and then say it's a normal thing worldwide. No Prime Minister, I don't think you'd find Messrs Cameron, Harper, Abbott, Key, even President Obama, would ever make the same statement or share the same sentiments. In these countries, it's a given that people have a right to comment on issues especially Govt policy, and would never be brushed off in the same fashion.
Canadian PM Stephen Harper with NZ PM John Key (r). I don't think either of them will be concerned with negative statements made about them online.
I wonder which worldwide trend he's been following, perhaps it's true that the PAP lives in their 'own world' and in their world contented people never go online to comment, even criticise certain policies. Perhaps if he was talking about porn, I could believe him, I don't think people who go online to watch or surf porn are contented sexually! But to suggest reading and commentating on new media platforms reflects one's discontentment, simply put, is dumb and out of touch with reality. Mr Prime Minister, I'll have you know, that I know many people even those that vote for your party who choose to solely go online to get their news fix and yes, they do comment. I don't think any of them are discontented in life. They are discontented alright, but only because of the stupidity and one sided reporting that main stream media (MSM) broadsheets dish out daily, 365 days year. There is just so much 'bullshit' one can stomach, even for your own supporters. Many simply want to see what alternative sites are suggesting and to get news from another source to verify it's accuracy.
The Straits Times is a must if you want to read about China. One does wonder if it's a controlled broadsheet of 2 countries.
Just take a look at your controlled papers - the Straits Times (ST), New Paper and Chinese broadsheets. Their news are boring, who in the right mind is gonna read each and every speech made by a Minister and sometimes your fellow PAP MPs, which these papers re-print with unflinching regularity? Who's gonna be bothered with page after page on events in China like the CCP Congress which the ST dutifully details, year in year out? Sometimes I wonder if we are really a province in China, when reading the MSM. Let's take letters to the Press, out of 10, sometimes nearly all will be ones praising your party to the hilt and even on the rare occasions an opposition leaning reply gets in, it would be heavily edited to deflect the blows intended for perceived Govt failures. This scenario is repeated on their online versions. Any comment that is perceived anti-Govt is edited/deleted and the user eventually banned.
BBC Online strives to give the news as it happens instead of harping on Op Eds.
If the PM wants to see the demise of alternative media sites, then all he simply has to do, is tell the MSM to start accepting and printing more letters, comments and replies from the other side, even if they are critical of the Govt. But such press freedoms are clearly never on the PAP's remit, and as such there will always be people who no longer trust MSM sites and will instead make a bee-line to alternative media sites and international news media that simply report the news as happens. Unlike local MSM, international media sites have a clear distinction on how they report the news as it happens, and how they offer correspondents and participants' comments and reflections on these events.
Obviously the PM hasn't read the comments of readers in response to this 'famous statement' he made during GE 2006. He might not think too highly of Youtube after all.
Coming back to his remarks, he lamented on the rise of trolling which he says, prevents the Govt from getting the correct feedback, because they resort to abuse and hate-mongering. As a result the Govt feedback portal: Reach will require users to register before they are allowed to comment. He cites the examples of Yahoo, Youtube or Google which require users to register and use their accounts before commentating. He added that another MSM - 'Today', has done the same and the situation as far as comments has improved tremendously.
I am no child of the Internet, but straight up I can't believe that the PM can fall for such simplistic logic. Does he really understand how the Web works? Of course Google, Youtube and Yahoo will require users to register before commentating, how then do you think they make their revenue? They have to show genuine readership and interest, before advertisers will bite. There is such a thing as 'number of users registered' that advertisers look for.
Contented people should heed the PM's advise and not visit his Facebook page (a).
And has he actually bothered to read comments on Yahoo or Youtube before making the reference? Does he know that trolling still happens in these sites? That users can create multiple IDs and still comment? Perhaps he's been looking at his Facebook page, to see how well maintained it is, with almost no negative comment in sight? Then again why Mr PM do you have a FB page? Contented people like you and your followers do not have the time to go online to read all the stuff that you're supposed to doing ain't it? How come all your MPs also have FB pages listing all the great and good they do? After all the contented people won't be bothered with such things, they will simply go to the ballot box and mark the X next to the logo of 'the lightning symbol', wouldn't they? Why bother with such things?
The answer is obvious, it's all a charade - plainly speaking the Govt simply does not like to hear or read of negative comments in any of their sites, be it Reach, their FB pages or on the MSM. How so often have heard all these negative comments referred to as 'noise'? The bottom-line of this whole reference to trolling is simply this - you don't troll, only our own PAP supporters can. Trolling is never an issue for any Admin of any page, even one as 'great' as Reach. Why? Because all it takes is '1 click of the mouse' and the troll's ID is banned and all his comments deleted. That is why you find FB pages of the PM and his MPs generally looking so wonderful with praises ringing from comment to comment. Unless there is really some user or resident coming online to share a positive comment, you'll find that the commentators themselves are trolls. You'll see the same IDs on the FB pages of virtually every PAP MP and for good measure they will create their own pages to lambast and criticise the opposition parties. And since they are so concerned with alternative media sites like The Real Singapore, Singapore Alternative BlogSpot, TR Emeritus and others, they actually bother to create FB pages attacking these sites. And still they aren't finished, they will actually create multiple IDs and go to these sites to firstly, pour scorn and criticise the readers who support these sites and secondly, claim to 'present the truth' by regurgitating the Govt position and explanation on issues.
Cartoonist Leslie Chew pokes fun at PAP trolls in this episode of his comic strip.
I had initially wanted to share the names of these troll sites and perhaps even identify some of them, but I think they are the ones who's so desperate for attention, why should I give them more? If you wanna find out who these PAP trolls are just go to a few PAP MP's FB pages, you'll soon see a number of recurring IDs and websites. They used to appear on alternative news media sites as well, but since they have been banned, they now resort to using to using multiple IDs to post their drivel. But if you're are really into investigating this or for a good laugh at the extent of their pathetic behaviour, you'll soon be able to tell who is who despite the multiple IDs. In the end as a good investigator would say, you can mask your name but very few can change a style or pattern especially when writing something. But I'll oblige with 1 example below:
Such is the ridiculousness of the PAP trolls that a negative remark about runaway health costs has to be attacked and put in some positive spin (a). Needless to say it backfired.
Yet you seldom see opposition supporters or the authors of alternative sites bothering to go to PAP pages and commentating. Maybe it's obvious they know it'll get deleted but more importantly, they have their own pages to look after or comment in, why would they want to comment on PAP ones, when the primary reason for their own pages was to be the alternative? Yet the PAP trolls just don't get it, they have their own pages, they have their Reach, they have the MSM, they have their PM's and MPs pages, yet they still must come and troll the opposition and alternative news media sites!
As for Reach, if the PM wants people to register, just because he doesn't want to hear differing views or be in a position to respond to every differing view, then he's free to do it. In reality it doesn't change anything, the Govt will practise its top-down policy, dissent while no longer possible to be silenced, will now just be ignored.
According to the PAP mindset, comments like the above following a remark from former PM Goh, is not constructive but hate-mongering. And those Singaporeans who replied have been duly declared as trolls.
As for trolling, perhaps he should start with his own house, because the biggest trolls have all come from there. In fact before I started blogging this year, I encountered a few during the GE 2011 period, after I made 1 or 2 negative comments about the Govt. Suddenly I found myself with a few 'friend invites' from 'people I never knew'. And no there were not opposition supporters, there were either new FB accounts made by persons wanting to read and see whom I was sharing these comments with or persons open declaring their PAP support and rebutting these negative comments. Strangely these accounts were deactivated after the elections were over. I wonder if you encountered similar ones? But perhaps the PM shouldn't ban his own PAP trolls, their desperate attempts to defend each and every policy no matter how flawed it is, has long been a source of amusement for many of us.
Even today I don't believe everything I read it even if it's from the alternative view. I don't oppose every Govt policy and certain good policies must be retained because good policies are not the preserve of any 1 party. Govt is elected to serve the people and never the other way round. Even a bad Govt will have a few good policies and although I will still not class the PAP as inherently bad, I think they have lost touch with the ground and reality. 54 years of continuous rule has made them rusty, overbearing and placing retaining power over service. A change of Govt and a short period in opposition would be the best course for the country and for themselves.
Sir Nelspruit
*The writer blogs at http://anyhowhantam.blogspot.sg/