Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore needs to develop its own ways to keep online conduct civil and constructive.
Sharing a Facebook post from Communications and Information Minister, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim on Tuesday (June 3), Mr Lee said trolling and flaming are not problems unique to Singapore. He cited a court ruling in Europe, where freedom of speech is considered a near-sacred virtue.
"Recently, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that when a website publishes a controversial story that may attract defamatory or insulting comments, the website must anticipate this trolling and flaming, and be ready beforehand to remove these comments promptly".
Mr Lee said the case reflects how societies are still finding the right balance between freedom of speech and responsible online behaviour.
He agrees with Dr Yaacob that "freedom of speech does not come free from the need to be responsible for what one says, either online or offline"
Years ago, the previous PMs went to bed greying their hair over penetrating issues such as how to make Singaporeans propagate but the current PM apparently, has other priorities. It is astonishing to watch how much time he has been spending thinking about how to develop its unique ways to keep online conduct "civil and constructive."
The cheapest solution to internet trolling is having a little sense of humor. Otherwise as we know it, life will be tough on the internet because it is so easy to get angry over remarks splashed on an individual, especially so if he or she is a public figure. Just ask Justin Bieber. When one gets flustered easily, everything can be offending and any remark can be used to sue. For instance, suing someone's pants off over the internet because he called you a pink fag without substantiation. The chap would, of course, be made a bankrupt because while he might be able to prove the pink fetish, he wouldn't be able to prove the fag was a fag. In such a case, the court may gives the plaintiff a clean name but it doesn't change what many think - that he is now a suing pink fag. Like it on not, that is how it works on the virtual world. The above is just an example. Any references to any non-frictional shady characters are unintended and coincidental.
Although trolling and flaming on the internet has potential to be damaging, it doesn't come close to trolling in real life. Take for example, when someone fucked up for a term or two, realised it too late and made a public apology at a CBD area a week before polling day, it might incite a giggle or two from the majority. However when he repeated his mistakes the apologised for, it wasn't funny anymore, even for those with a large capacity of humor.
For someone who called his people a disgrace for defending their identity, he expected the same people to defend the country after declaring that Singapore 'belongs to everyone.' He endorsed extensions after extensions of CPF withdrawal ages, claiming longer life expectancy while trying his best to reverse that of the people, allowing food imports with 'very low' radioactive contamination. [link] Trolling the people at a new level.
In Parliament, his set of guidelines for what he termed as "Constructive politics" actually meant what hasn't been working for the people for the last 10 years, anything outside the golden boundaries will be deemed 'destructive,' and any opposition party that crosses it is 'sub-standard'.
The PM doesn't seem to understand the happenings in the internet is inconsequential should the job be done right on the ground in the first place. Thus to the observer, allocating so much time and resources focusing on curbing the internet, is both illogical and meaningless. For someone who claimed he was flame proof yet sues when provoked, his relentless pursuit for internet control along with trolling masses at its finest, highest level attainable with dead-end policies since the day he was sworn in for duty, wouldn't that makes PM Lee is the King of the Trolls?
A Singaporean Son
*The author blogs at asingaporeanson.blogspot.com