SINGAPORE
Those three words posted on the People’s Action Party (PAP) Facebook page by a grassroots leader have drawn sharp criticism from scores of Netizens.
This latest cyber-storm comes just a month after another PAP activist drew flak for another online posting — about renting out his HDB flat and living in a private property.
Political watchers suggested that these two incidents in quick succession have raised the question of whether the ruling party ought to perhaps keep a closer eye on comments posted online by those seen as linked to the PAP.
In the latest incident, grassroots leader Jack Lin, responding to a post on the PAP Facebook page, commented: “We got first-class ministers and Government, but still got third-class citizens.”
That comment led several Netizens to label the grassroots leader “narrowminded” and “downright arrogant”.
On Tuesday night, the general secretary of Joo Chiat Community Club Youth Executive Committee told MediaCorp that his intention was “to relay the fact that certain people, hiding behind the curtain of anonymity, posting irresponsible comments and insulting others, were having the conduct of ‘third-class’”.
Mr Lin, who described himself as an entrepreneur, said that he was “just a volunteer and activist” with the Young PAP (YP).
He also apologised for any “misinterpretation” caused. He added that he would “take steps to be more careful with (his) choice of words”. His posting has since been removed.
When contacted, YP vice-chairman Zaqy Mohamed said it could be “damaging” when people try to associate activists’ personal views as representing the party, so there would be steps taken to educate members, especially younger ones, about online engagement and what they should not do when defending their positions.
Mr Zaqy revealed that YP leaders have been told to remind members who are active online to “practice restraint, be responsible in what they say and have some respect for others as well.” He added: “It’s a constant reminder.” It would be “tough”, however, to keep a closer watch, given PAP’s large membership base, said Mr Zaqy, who is also head of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Information, Communications and the Arts.
When asked about the latest brouhaha, coming ahead of the next General Election, deputy chairman of the GPC, Mr Baey Yam Keng felt that regardless of whether the polls were drawing near, “the ability to communicate well is a critical skill” and the ruling party ought to continue its online engagement.
The KEY is to learn from mistakes, he said. “I hope people will be able to give (younger members) space to grow and learn. The LAST THING we want is people who are scared to express their views.”
When asked about the political impact of such online posts, former Nominated Member of Parliament Zulkifli Baharudin said: “The job as a party member is to make sure you don’t add to unnecessary confusion and rumours going on ... So the party has to be a bit more careful.”
Activists should focus on “serious issues”, rather than just on countering rumour-mongers, Mr Zulkifli added.
However, Mr Zaqy had a different view. He believes that certain rumours should not be ignored, such as the reason for the recent floods, and in such cases, “we do need to engage the various platforms, online and offline, as far as possible”.
“To some extent, there is an external network we can consider tapping — your activists, your grassroots, your other channels that could further reach out to members of the population.”
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SUNDAY TIMES 25th JULY 2010