The PAP has started its election rally yesterday. And the speeches were as normal as any political rally from any politician. In colloquial style, they amount to ‘Lin peh is the best. Lin peh serve the people, Lin peh is honest, transparent and accountability.’ The rally cries were to stir the emotions, fire the supporters to take up the fight. And the supporters did not fail. They shouted back, ‘Yes, Yes, hallelujah’ in response to the cry of their leaders. If there was a problem, ‘We settle now’. And the supporters roared in approval. This is not much different from meet me at the cul de sac.
The atmosphere must be highly charged with every supporter leaving the rally with the glint in their eyes and walking like Bruce Lee ready for a fight. That was what a political rally is meant to be. Get the people motivated, excited and aroused.
After the din and fury subsided in the quiet of home and senses, and after the dusk has settled down, not many would remember what was said. But they would be reminded calmly by the media, minus the emotion and temperature on what their leaders said. Hsien Loong said many things. The notable was PAP would do its best to send strong teams to the opposition wards to win them back. But he cautioned about when this could be done. Now the WP must be all in anticipation of very strong PAP teams led by strong ministers. We would have to see.
The other thing that came out starkly was flaming in the social media. Hsien Loong talked about transparency and the need for PAP to set the standard. How would this be done? PAP had previously declared the existence of its Internet Brigade. And they have been very active or very inactive and none has stood up to tell the netizen he is from the PAP brigade. Till today, none is proud enough to own up to say, ‘I am PAP Internet Brigade, and I am proud of it’, and signing in his real name with PAP behind it, like BBM or PBM. So far it can be assumed that they are just as opaque and sneaky hiding behind anonymity.
Would PAP set a new standard and make all its Internet Brigades to post with their real identity, not anonymous, be transparent, and be proud of what they are doing and be proud of being PAP Internet Brigade? Or would they be like the others, no transparency and flaming others and taking pot shots at other bloggers and feeling ashamed of their very existence?
What kind of standard and transparency would the PAP set in the internet and social media? Would PAP be just like everyone else or would it be different, setting the standard for transparency?
Would there be a PAP standard in transparency in social media?
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/