Fear and Patriotism: Another Threat to Netizens

I am really amused at the way PAP throwing out threats after threats against Singaporeans on the net. Singapore may be a small country but it seems that the amount of FEARFUL threats thrown at the relatively small number of Singaporean netizens has really gone out of proportions.

Even communist countries like China do not throw such threats around. PAP has claimed that they want to "evolve" in this new era of New Media but inherently, it is apparent to all of us that such "paternalistic" nature of the way it threw out threats after threats has demonstrated that PAP is very much outdated and backward. Even the Chinese Communist Party has evolved and they actually made use of their netizens to effect a close check on their ranks and files!

I have not heard any constant nagging threats thrown by the Chinese Communist Party over the various attacks thrown at CCP and its leaders. Well, yes, they may have formed a huge internet brigade to counter some of the bad mouthing but in a more general sense, Chinese netizens have not stopped nagging at their government.

Why? It has been proven that such nagging noise from the ground by these netizens could be very powerful when it comes to Nationalistic aim of defending that Nation's interests against foreign countries. It seems that the Chinese people is both capable to critic their own government as well as defending their Nationlistic rights when they face foreign threats.

What is more intriguing in the following CNA report is that it mentions that nobody is interested to give feedback even with the PAP government whole effort to solicit them from Singaporeans on the net! What does that really mean? It means that they young Singaporean netizens are either apathetic towards the country under PAP or that they would rather nag at the PAP government at their own will instead of helping them in any ways they can!

What does that really mean? PAP's paternalistic style of National education plus threats have failed miserably in lecturing the young Singaporeans into patriotic citizens! The more threats they throw at young Singaporean netizens, the more defiant we will be!

Fear and patriotism DO NOT MIX at all. You may try to maintain your total grip on power by using all means of fearful methods but in the long run, you will definitely lose trust of your people and your power totally. These have happened repeatedly over the centuries whereby Ancient dynasties boom and died.

There is one common saying, it is all in the mind. True in this instance that no matter how PAP has claimed that they are "open" or "light touch" or "engaging the New Media", the fundamental mindset of being rigid, outdated and paternalistic in them are really showing and taken over their deeds. It is no wonder nobody on the Net take them seriously in what they say or claim to do for the good of the Nation. This is explicitly shown by the lack of participation of their so call "feedback" process executed on the Net.

Sincerity of this regime is being graded near ZERO after many years of observations of how PAP government just WAYANG away on the NET by paying lip service on feedback collection. And how could they try to build up their credibility on the Net when the tightly controlled media keeps pounding on the credibility of the Netizens? It is just like calling out names at a group of people but in the end, you try to "engage" them for views! Since you have already labeled them as "not credible" and worse, ministers keep throwing threats at them, why would anyone believes you and your sincerity in "engaging" them for their view? Couldn't the multi-million dollars annual salaried ministers understand such simple logic?

Goh Meng Seng

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...410619/1/.html

Govt says policies on new media will evolve as new challenges crop up

By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 21 February 2009 2044 hrs


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A websurfer shopping online.




SINGAPORE : The Singapore government has been embracing and even adopting new media for its work.

And while it is still some way from fully tapping the potential, the government said it will gradually evolve its policies with a light touch, as the Web2.0 revolution constantly throws up new challenges.

Singapore is the most wired city in the world. And according to a survey, young Singaporeans aged 15 to 24 spend an average of eight-and-a-half hours a day being connected.

And the government has been using new media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube and forums to hook up with citizens.

Another new media outlet is the OnePeople Portal.

The online resource on racial harmony was launched by the Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Saturday.

While the government is gradually liberalising its approach towards online engagement with its citizens, the minister added that one has to be responsible and careful when posting their thoughts online."

Dr Balakrishnan said: "Anonymity in cyberspace is an illusion. You will remember in 2007, we prosecuted three persons under the Sedition Act because of the blogs they put up which denigrated the religion of one of our communities in Singapore.

"The reason we did that was to send the message that your words have an impact; if need be, we can identify you, and if we have to, we will be prepared to prosecute you."

But there are some challenges in the government's use of new media to get public feedback.

Dr Milagros Rivera, member, Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS), said: "We expected people to give feedback. Nobody did. I think seven people posted comments on the AIMS website, and then the blogosphere went crazy with all kinds of comments and discussions about New Media.

"You can have a very nice welcoming website for the government to give feedback. If people are not comfortable they will just stay in their little forums and in their blogs and they will do their thing."

And there is no doubt more challenges will crop up as cyberspace continues to evolve and change the way people communicate with one another. - CNA/ms
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