Shanmugam has tried to deflect criticism of the PAP's intention to clamp down on internet free speech with more draconian laws under the pretext of combatting harassment and trolling.
Last Friday, he claimed that the PAP was not looking at curtailing free speech.
The PAP's target, he claims, was those who hide behind a cloak of anonymity to make untrue claims.
"Why should people be uncomfortable expressing their views on political and social issues?" he asked.
Shanmugam is typical of the PAP man who has a jaundiced view of civil society as one where everyone who criticizes the PAP is malicious. By forcing them to expose their identities, the PAP can then readily take action using laws that are phrased in an overly broad and vague manner.
Look at what happened Alex Au, Leslie Chew, JB Jeyaretnam, Dr Chee Soon Juan, Cherian George and many more.
While attacking "anonymity" for facilitating harassment, Shanmugam conveniently ignores the harassment that the PAP-controlled SPH has been engaging against PAP's critics, a harassment that has degenerated under PAP man, Warren Fernandez and his deputy, Zuraidah Ibrahim who direct a posse of shameless lapdogs from Rachel Chang to Tessa Wong, Andrea Ong, Chua Mui Hoong, Melvyn Singh and Goh Chin Lian.
Can you pick out any reporter in SPH who is even remotely critical of the PAP?
To Shanmugam: One doesn't have to be anonymous to engage in the most pernicious and insidious attacks.
The SPH and its reporters have been openly and blatantly smearing and running down critics of the PAP and opposition party politicians in the past decades and they do so with impunity under the protection and aegis of Shanmugam's party.
If this is not harassment, then what is?
Shanmugam fails to see that the anger online has a wellspring and that is the anger at the injustice and unfairness in the way the PAP conducted itself.
This latest move to clamp down on the internet following the unpopular internet licensing regime only serves to show that the PAP will not be shedding its dictatorial, despicable and power-hungry core in a hurry.
Hopefully, this will serve to drive more thinking Singaporeans who have a measure of self-respect for their own intelligence to vote against the PAP in 2016.
The Alternative View
*Article first appeared here.