Dear TRS,
Ever since I have contested in Ang Mo Kio GRC in 2011, I have been a victim of online harassment from pro-PAP supporters because I have been actively criticizing the PAP openly.
As a proponent of human rights and freedom of speech, I have condoned their behavior and dismissed them as merely consequences of serving Singapore. However the personal attacks they hurled at me have been getting more personal and frequent.
Recently, they would insult my wife because she is a foreigner and tell me to emigrate because I criticize the PAP policies. They would also make other personal remarks instead of addressing my concerns constructively on a public platform like the CNA Facebook page. This group of pro-PAP supporters even set up harassment pages to gather their fellow pro-PAP grassroots to hurl abuses at me. One of them is "Actually, I'm a technician".
The page owner who is apparently a PAP supporter would stalk my Facebook profile, take screenshots and hurl insults at me everyday. He even found out where I worked, took a picture of my colleagues and even made harassment calls to my company in a bid to get me fired from my day job. I am astounded by the extremist behavior of these pro-PAP supporters. When ordinary folks like me voice our concerns and criticisms for PAP policies, why are there Singaporeans who are intolerant of alternating views to the point they have to harass others?
I have since changed several Facebook profiles and even my personal number because of the harassment by these pro-PAP supporters, but to no avail. I believe they will not stop until I become jobless.
Can you think of anything I can do?
Alex Tan
TRS Contributor