Category: Politik

Low Thia Khiang: Towards A First World Parliament
At the last General Election in 2011, I urged Singaporeans to vote Workers’ Party to move Singapore Towards a First World Parliament.

I thank voters who have supported this call. We have seen the outcome of moving Towards a First World Parliament. Today, we have a more responsive government that is more sensitive to the needs and struggles of the people. The ruling party has also openly admitted that the Cabinet has shifted more to the left to be more focused on the livelihood concerns of ordinary Singaporeans.

Some Singaporeans asked what the Workers’ Party has been doing in the last four years with the call Towards A First World Parliament. I present here“The Workers’ Party in Parliament, 2011-2015” for your information.

The government has responded to the voters of Hougang, Aljunied and Punggol-East who returned 7 elected WP members to Parliament, which is 8% of the total of 87 elected members in Parliament.

A Landmark Election 2015

This election is a landmark election in a new era in Singapore, because your vote will set direction for the future of our nation.

First, do you want to send a signal to the ruling party that the government should continue to be transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the people?

Second, should you empower yourself to participate in the decision-making process to shape your own future and the future of your children and grandchildren in the next era of Singapore?

Build a Balanced Parliament

Parliament is the supreme representation of the People; it derives its legitimacy in making policy and laws for Singapore on your behalf via elected Members of Parliament. You have to decide whether having more ruling party MPs in Parliament resulting in an imbalanced Parliament is in the best interest of the future of Singapore and your children.

More importantly, your vote is a signal to the ruling party that it cannot do what it deems fit without taking you seriously. It will signal to what extent the ruling party can deprive you of your power to participate in the policy-making process without consulting you, in the name of acting in your best interest.

There are trade-offs to every policy. Singaporeans entrusted the ruling party to decide on the trade-offs in the last 50 years of nation building; will it continue to work well in the next 50 years? How many more trade-offs should Singaporeans tolerate?

The talent pool Singapore has today and what is required for Singapore to succeed are vastly different from the past. Many talented Singaporeans today excel in their own fields and gain international recognition. The ruling party’s mindset of monopolising power to exercise control over almost every aspect of our society and to set direction for all endeavours is a hindrance to the continuing development of Singapore in achieving excellence to become an outstanding nation.

People must be freed from the political net-trap where talented Singaporeans in management and the professions have to worry about political correctness in decision-making and the reaction of our political leaders. Our political leaders should serve the people, not be our political masters.

To be creative and to be able to think out of the box, people should feel free to express themselves and debate issues within known limits as a multi-racial and multi-religious society. People must also feel secure and be assured of their rights against unreasonable and disproportionate actions from the government and our political leaders.

We must build confident professional, business and people sectors to enable Singapore to continue progress in the next 50 years. This requires checking the power of the government and empowering the people via a more balanced Parliament representing the diversity of Singapore society.

Why Vote Workers’ Party?

The Workers’ Party (WP) is a Rational, Responsible and Respectable party with a long history and established track record.
- WP has been offering Singaporeans a choice at every General Election since 1957. WP has been the voice of the people in Parliament since 1981.
- WP engages the government in policy making in a rational manner, and it does not oppose for the sake of opposition. When the policy is clearly not in the interest of the nation and the people, WP engages the front bench in debate and opposes it. WP supports policies that are beneficial to the people and the nation.
- WP articulates balanced views and takes into consideration our multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-lingual context as a society in our political discourse.
- WP has managed Town Council well despite many challenges and hurdles along the way in managing a much bigger town from about 9,000 units at Hougang Town Council to over 70,000 units at Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council. Apart from a number of procedural and accounting lapses pointed out in the Auditor-General’s report, which by now have mostly been addressed, the other important aspects of town management such as cleanliness, lift breakdowns and maintenance are comparable to other Town Councils. WP now has more MPs experienced in Town Council management.
Vote Workers’ Party – Empower Your Future

Your vote is your power. To exercise the power of your vote, you need to have an alternative party deserving your support. I have put in my best efforts for over a decade to build The Workers’ Party to be your credible choice.

Before 2011, the ruling party cruised along with policies that led to escalating cost of living, employment and retirement insecurity, and strained infrastructure due to runaway immigration. Your vote changed the course and led to U-turns; change for the better is only beginning. We need to continue the change by sending more Workers’ Party candidates into Parliament.

You can empower yourself to make decisions for your own future.

Vote Workers’ Party; use the power of your vote to empower your future.

Message from Mr Low Thia Khiang
Secretary-General
The Workers’ Party

Source: www.wp.sg
September 2, 2015
Calon SDP Janji Kemuka Isu-Isu Keprihatinan Penduduk

SEBAGAI penduduk kejiranan Marsiling Drive, calon Parti Demokratik Singapura (SDP), Cik Wong Souk Yee, merasakan bahawa beliau wajar mewakili penduduk GRC Marsiling-Yew Tee di Parlimen.

Semasa ucapannya kepada penyokong SDP di pusat pencalonan Sekolah Rendah Yishun semalam, Cik Wong, 56 tahun, bekas tahanan politik, berkata:

“Selaku penduduk Marsiling Drive, tentunya saya bersemangat ingin mewakili anda di sini dan berjuang demi hak anda.

“Undilah SDP agar kami dapat mewakili anda di Parlimen. Saya dan rakan-rakan saya akan mengutarakan isu yang anda prihatin.

“Kami ingin memperjuangkan suasana penuh ketelusan. Jadikan kami suara anda di Parlimen.”

Cik Wong dan tiga lagi rakan sepasukannya – pakar psikologi, Encik John Tan, 54 tahun; Encik Bryan Lim, 38 tahun, yang memimpin unit operasi latar parti; dan bekas pengarah kolej Islam setempat, Encik Damanhuri Abas, 45 tahun – bersaing dengan pasukan Parti Tindakan Rakyat (PAP) di GRC yang baru dibentuk mengikut perubahan sempadan pilihan raya tahun ini.

Pasukan PAP di GRC itu dipimpin bersama Speaker Parlimen, Cik Halimah Yacob, dan Menteri Kebudayaan, Masyarakat dan Belia, Encik Lawrence Wong.

Di laman Facebook Encik Damanhuri, beliau yang ingin mengutarakan isu berhubung hak masyarakat minoriti, melahirkan rasa terharunya dengan kemesraan penduduk di Marsiling-Yew Tee yang ditemuinya.

“Saya percaya banyak yang boleh dilakukan buat anda (penduduk Marsiling-Yew Tee), khususnya dalam menolong keluarga dalam membesarkan anak-anak kecil.

“Saya adalah bapa lima anak. Justeru itu saya memahami kesukaran dan cabaran yang dihadapi ibu bapa, khususnya ibu atau bapa tunggal,” katanya.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

September 2, 2015
SingFirst Seeks To Make History In Tanjong Pagar GRC

New opposition political party Singaporeans First (SingFirst) believe they have a fighting chance of overturning the People Action’s Party (PAP) in Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the upcoming general elections.

SingFirst secretary-general Tan Jee Say and led psychiatrist Dr. Ang Yong Guan, 60, sales executive Melvyn Chiu Weng Hoe, 36, media consultant Fahmi Rais, 48, and market risk manager Chirag Desai, 38, to file nomination papers at Bendemeer Primary School on Tuesday morning. The latter three are first-time candidates.

Tanjong Pagar has been uncontested in the past five elections since becoming a multi-seat constituency in 1991. It was helmed by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew since 1955 until his passing earlier this year.

PAP’s team will be led by minister Chan Chun Sing, 45, along with Senior Minister of State Indranee Rajah, 52, consultant surgeon Dr. Chia Shi-Lu, 43, assistant general manager at Temasek Cares Joan Pereira, 47 and former high-ranking police officer Melvin Yong, 45.

There was a slight hiccup for SingFirst after it was pointed out that they had not filled in the name of the GRC in their forms, but it was swiftly resolved and Tan was bullish about SingFirst’s chances.

“There is a heavy burden on us to create history and we will create history,” the 61-year-old declared.

“We are optimistic; there is a lot of goodwill from residents who have met us… if you were to ask me, I would say [we have a] 50-50 chance of a breakthrough in this GRC.

“We know it is tough, with the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s influence, so it’s not easy but I think we have got a good chance. Residents want change… this is an election about the future, the election is not about the past. So those who glorify the late Lee Kuan Yew are barking up the wrong tree.”

Tan, a former presidential candidate, said the issue of having too many foreign workers was one of their main concerns, stating it is a “national problem” that Singaporeans “cannot run away from” no matter where they are.

Meanwhile, Chan asserted the PAP team was “feeling good” heading into a historic contest and said: “Tanjong Pagar [residents] know who have been working for them, and who’s only stepping in when the time is right.”

Three-corner fight in Radin Mas

Meanwhile, there will be a three-cornered fight at the Radin Mas Single Member Constituency (SMC) between PAP incumbent Sam Tan Chin Siong, 56, Reform Party’s Kumar Appavoo, 46 and independent candidate Han Hui Hui, 23.

“I’m here today [and] we will fight; fight for our CPF, our public healthcare, our public housing,” Han, a blogger and social activist who has been outspoken about Central Provident Fund (CPF) issues, said.

“Regardless of whether it’s a two or three-cornered fight, every candidate has to prove their worth to convince the residents,” said Tan.

The newly re-constituted Jalan Besar GRC will see a straight fight between PAP and the Workers’ Party (WP).

Minister Yaacob Ibrahim leads a four-member team along with Heng Chee How, Lily Neo and Denise Phua against a WP side helmed by L. Somasundaram and comprising Frieda Chan, Redzwan Hafidz, Adrian Sim.

“We take every challenge seriously,” Yaacob promised. “At the end of the day, the opponent doesn’t matter for us. I think the real challenge is for us to demonstrate to our voters that we mean business; we are an experienced team and we can deliver what we have promised.”

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

September 2, 2015
Top 10 Electoral Battles To Watch

It is election season in Singapore. GE2015 is finally here and it is the most keenly contested election since 1965, with 181 candidates from 9 political parties and 2 independents going for all 89 seats in Parliament. No more walkovers and “instant MPs” whom we didn’t vote for!

There will a total of 13 Single-Member Constituencies (SMCs) and 16 GRCs in GE2015, up from the current 12 SMCs and 15 GRCs. That’s a total of 29 contests to watch. Which will be the most keenly contested or interesting ones to watch? Get ready your popcorn. Here is list of the top 10 battles,adjusted from my previous list, after taking into account the development on Nomination Day where all the contesting candidates in each wards are disclosed.

First off, I believe the National Solidarity Party (NSP), will no longer be a serious contender after all the flip-flopping and “pattern more than badminton” moves that the party has been up to over a span of just a few weeks leading up to Nomination Day. They also lost most of their strongest candidates from GE2011 like Hazel Poa and Nicole Seah.

Oh, and most of the election trolls like that Uber driver, the “Parrot Man”, the crying tuition teacher and even the supposed candidate backed by the king of online troll, SMRT Ltd (Feedback) – all did not make it.

Surprisingly, Han Hui Hui made it, resulting in a three-cornered fight in Radin Mas SMC. Nonetheless, Radin Mas is still not in the revised top ten as it is likely the incumbent PAP will win by a wide margin, given the two much weaker opposition candidates are going to split votes from each other.

Here’s the revised top ten list:

1.

East Coast GRC

Incumbents: PAP’s Lim Swee Say, Senior Lee Yi Shyan, Mohamad Maliki Osman and Jessica Tan

Challengers: WP’s Gerald Giam, Daniel Goh, Leon Perera and Mohamed Fairoz Shariff

Without a doubt, this will be the hottest contest to watch for GE2015. The strongest opposition party, with 7 MPs and 1 Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) in parliament, is set for a rematch in East Coast GRC where they narrowly lost to the People’s Action Party (PAP). It was the narrowest win for a GRC for the ruling party, with just 54.8% of valid votes. For the WP, Gerald Giam from the losing team in East Coast GRC managed to snatch a seat in parliament as a NCMP for being one of the best-performing losers.

Giam is leading the WP team for this second showdown. Will he be second time lucky? The incumbents seem pretty confident of defending their turf as much has been done by the team on the ground in recent years.

“Someone was joking to me that because we have undergone so many changes in Bedok Town Centre, some of (the Opposition candidates) who come here once every five years might get lost, so we might need to provide free tour guide services to show them around,” shared Lee Yi Shyan in a media interview.

2.

Aljunied GRC

Incumbents: WP’s Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim, Chen Show Mao, Pritam Singh and Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap

Challengers: PAP’s Yeo Guat Kwang, Victor Lye, Chua Eng Leong, K. Muralidharan Pillai and Shamsul Kamar

This is the only GRC currently helmed by an opposition party. The WP’s top guns are all in this GRC, including WP’s secretary-general, Low Thia Khiang, and WP’s chairman, Slyvia Lim.

The PAP is unwilling to send any current bigwigs to contest in Aljunied GRC.Instead, they chose to field a ‘suicide squad’ of political unknowns, led by four-term labour MP Yeo Guat Kwang, mentored by former PAP chairman and Cabinet Minister Lim Boon Heng.

WP’s Achilles heel are the controversies over town council funds and the way the WP is running the town council. By fielding a team of grassroot leaders, the PAP may be capitalising on this issue to bring down the WP. Do not dismiss the ‘suicide squad’ just yet as they may be the underdogs necessary to win over the hearts of Aljunied voters. Not too sure how Lim Boon Heng will be of help though.

3.

Potong Pasir SMC

Incumbent: PAP’s Sitoh Yih Pin

Challenger: SPP’s Lina Chiam

This was the longest held opposition ward in Singapore for 27 years, helmed by popular opposition figure, Chiam See Tong, 80, Secretary-General of the Singapore People’s Party (SPP), until the PAP won back the SMC in 2011.

In GE2011, the wife of Chiam See Tong, Lina Chiam, lost the SMC to twice-unsuccessful challenger Sitoh Yih Pin of the PAP by a mere 114 votes in a close 7973-7859 vote count. Since then, Sitoh has been hard at work, slowly winning the ground with his sincerity.

Lina Chiam has also been shoring up her experience in parliament, speaking on a wide variety of issues, fielding the most questions among all the MPs, NMPs and NCMPs.

Both take their jobs very seriously. The two are now set for a rematch.

A third independent candidate, lawyer Tan Lam Siong had expressed interest to contest in the SMC but had pulled out at the last minute, choosing instead to lend his support to Mrs Chiam.

This will be a very close fight. It really could swing either way.

4.

Tanjong Pagar GRC

Incumbent: PAP’s Chan Chun Sing, Chia Shi-Lu, Indranee Rajah, Joan Pereira, Melvin Yong

Challenger: SingFirst’s Tan Jee Say, Ang Yong Guan, Chirag Desai, Fahmi Rais, Melvyn Chiu

The voters in Tanjong Pagar GRC has never voted before since the GRC was first set up as it was helmed by Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away earlier this year.

It would be extremely foolhardy to go against Lee, who has a god-like status in the hearts and minds of most Singaporeans, regardless if they are supportive of him or not.

Nonetheless, the GRC is now helmed by newbie minister, Chan Chun Sing, Minister in Prime Minister’s Office and the Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress.

A new political party, Singaporeans First (SingFirst), helmed by Tan Jee Say, will be contesting the GRC. Tan is an investment adviser and former civil servant. He was a principal private secretary to former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.

The electoral at Tanjong Pagar GRC is largely untested as they have not voted for ages. As such, it will be interesting to observe how they vote.

5.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Incumbent: PAP’s Vivian Balakrishnan, Christopher de Souza, Liang Eng Hwa, Sim Ann

Challenger: SDP’s Chee Soon Juan, Chong Wai Fung, Paul Tambyah, Sidek Mallek

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) fielded their best team in this GRC. Dr Paul Ananth Tambyah, 50, Professor of the National University Hospital at the Department of Medicine is a strong candidate to watch from the SDP. Another interesting figure to watch will be Dr Chee Soon Juan, the controversial secretary-general of the party who was recently discharged from bankruptcy and is contesting in together with Dr Tambyah in the same GRC.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC is led by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

The SDP garnered a respectable 39.9% of valid votes, their best result for GE2011. Would they be able to up their vote shares this election? Or will the PAP be able to garner a wider vote share and win with an even bigger margin, given all the policy changes since 2011?

6.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Incumbent: PAP’s Ng Eng Hen, Josephine Teo, Chong Kee Hiong, Chee Hong Tat, Saktiandi Supaat

Challenger: SPP’s Benjamin Pwee, Hamim Aliyas, Law Kim Hwee, Abdillah Zamzuri, Bryan Long

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), led by Benjamin Pwee, fielded a joint team together with Chiam See Tong’s SPP, with two of their members quitting DPP to join SPP. Pwee contested in the GRC in 2011 together with Chiam under the SPP before he splintered off to join the DPP. They have since reunited.

The PAP is fielding a strong team at the GRC, helmed by Defence Minister, Dr Ng Eng Hen and Senior Minister of State for Transport and Finance, Josephine Teo.

They will be joined by three new faces – Chee Hong Tat, former Second Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry; Chong Kee Hiong, CEO, OUE Hospitality Trust; and Saktiandi Supaat, Head of Foreign Exchange Research, Maybank.

The PAP won with 56.93% of valid votes in GE2011. Would they be able to improve their winning margin? Or will the SPP be able to make further inroads to capture the GRC?

7.

Macpherson SMC

Incumbent: PAP’s Ms Tin Pei Ling

Challengers: WP’s Mr Bernard Chen and NSP’s Mr Cheo Chai Chen

This is a new SMC carved out from Marine Parade GRC and will see a three-cornered fight between the incumbent PAP’s candidate and a candidate each from WP and NSP.

Tin was extremely unpopular in 2011 and almost cost PAP to lose Marine Parade GRC which was helmed by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. She has since worked hard on the ground and in parliament. Her public image has improved and she seems to enjoy strong support in her constituency.

Bernard Chen is a long-time WP supporter and party member. He slowly rise through the ranks with his hard work and determination.

Cheo Chai Chen is a has-been, one-term MP when he contested and won a seat under the then-SDP led by Chiam See Tong. Many see him as a vote-spoiler for the opposition. It is unlikely he will draw much vote and I am of the opinion that he will get less than 1% of valid votes, losing his deposit.

Taking Cheo out of the equation, the battle is mainly between PAP and WP; Tin Pei Ling and Bernard Chen. For Tin, it will be sweet validation to all her critics if she can win this on her own, showing that her hard work paid off.

8.

Marine Parade GRC

Incumbent: PAP’s Goh Chok Tong, Edwin Tong, Fatimah Lateef, Seah Kian Peng, Tan Chuan-Jin

Challenger: WP’s Yee Jenn Jong, Dylan Ng, Terence Tan, Firuz Khan, He Ting Tu

Versus a weak opposition party, the NSP, who had just one strong candidate in their team, fresh face, Nicole Seah, then 23, the much stronger PAP team was only able to win with a small margin of 56.65% of valid votes in 2011.

For the coming election, the PAP team will see competition from a stronger opposition party, the WP. Plus Yee Jenn Jong nearly won in Joo Chiat SMC which has since been absorbed into Marine Parade. He is leading the WP team.

With Goh Chok Tong stepping down from the cabinet, the anchor minister for Marine Parade GRC is now Minister for Social and Family Development, Tan Chuan-Jin.

Would Tan be able to win back vote shares? Or would WP claw away more votes?

9.

Fengshan SMC

Candidates: PAP’s Ms Cheryl Chan and WP’s Mr Dennis Tan

This is a new SMC carved out from East Coast GRC, which many speculated as a move to protect East Coast GRC as Fengshan had allegedly polled poorly for the ruling party in GE2011. The anchor minister for East Coast GRC, Lim Swee Say, however, has dismissed this as untrue.

In any case, expect a keen contest between PAP and WP with a small winning margin.

Long-time grassroots volunteer Cheryl Chan is the first new PAP candidate to be fielded in a new SMC in nearly three decades, since the GRC system was introduced in 1988.

10.

Ang Mo Kio GRC

Incumbent: Lee Hsien Loong, Ang Hin Kee, Darryl David, Gan Thiam Poh, Intan Azura Mokhtar, Koh Poh Koon

Challenger: Reform Party’s M. Ravi, Gilbert Goh, Jesse Loo, Osman Sulaiman, Roy Ngerng, Siva Chandran

This GRC is helmed by none other than the current Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong. It is interesting how this GRC has consistently been contested since GE2006 when the WP fielded a young, untested ‘suicide squad’ led by Yaw Shin Leong, then the leader of the WP’s Youth Wing.

The PAP won with 66.14% of valid votes, lower than than the national average.

In GE2011, the PAP won with a wider margin of 69.33% of valid votes, against a motley crue of candidates, assembled last minute by the Reform Party.

The Reform Party is back again. This time with lawyer, M Ravi leading the team, featuring a roster of Hong Lim Park regulars like activist and blogger, Roy Ngerng as well as frequent rally organiser, Gilbert Goh.

Ngerng started his sociopolitical blog, The Heart Truths, in 2012. He was found guilty in October 2014 of defaming Lee Hsien Loong in a blog post. Goh is famous for the multiple ‘Say No to 6.9 million’ protests which he organised in Hong Lim Park.

All of them seem to have an axe to grind with Lee Hsien Loong.

While it is highly unlikely for the Reform Party to capture Ang Mo Kio GRC, it will still be extremely interesting to watch the group go about harassing Lee Hsien Loong at political rallies, cornering him with tough questions.

Get your popcorn ready!

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

September 2, 2015
SMU Apolitical Team GE2015 Guide Launch & Panel Discussion: First Class Voters Needed Too
On the 31th of August, SMU Apolitical team held a book launch event for its second publication titled A Guide to General Elections in Singapore (GE 2015 Edition) edited by alumnus Grace Morgan. Afterwards, a panel discussion followed the launch was graced by the following panelists:
- Gillian Koh, Senior Research Fellow from NUS’ Institute of Policy Studies
- Eugene Tan, Assoc Professor of Law from SMU
- Jack Lee, Asst Professor of Law from SMU
- P.N. Balji, Former editor of TNP and TODAY
This is our write-up on the points discussed by the panelists on the day, that we felt were essential and learning points relevant to what we’ve been writing on Offbeat Perspectives.

What the book covers
The booklet is a non-partisan informational guide for voters partaking in the upcoming GE2015. It comprehensively covers the terms used in Singapore’s political landscape to details of the electoral process and political parties in the field.

The booklet is the second of a series of primers introducing public law concepts to the general public in an easy-to-understand way. (directly adapted from the booklet synopsis)

Panel Discussion

Dr. Gillian Koh [Source]

Dr. Gillian Koh inaugurated the discussion with three points she feel that voters should take into consideration:
1. Matching party’s promises (from the last election) to their performance
2. Citizens’ demand for an efficient and diverse government for check-and-balance purpose
3. GE2015 may be the watershed election that will “filter” the opposition down to a few prominent parties
She recognized the pluralistic views among the younger generations, as well as the high-income and better-educated citizens, to want to have alternative voices within the government.

Also, she considered that voters’ decisions may be swayed by their emotions during the rally experiences. She explicates the rationality and the importance of looking at government’s policy development over the years to vote for the party who will be able to serve its people well.

Prof. Jack Lee [Source]

Prof. Jack questioned the ambiguous nature of politics-related laws, drawing attention to:
- Defamation Act
- Section 33 of the Films Act Ban: banning “party-political films” directed towards one’s political end (one gets charged merely having the film content to be related to politics?)
- Electoral laws and advertising (potential pitfalls for unwary parties)
He also mentioned that it is not allowed for parties or anyone from the general public to conduct opinion polls among voters to seek out information of the party they’re voting for. One-to-one message transmission is allowed but not via mass/social media. A food for thought raised by him was whether this stifles the opposition’s opportunity to garner votes.

P.N. Balji [Source]

P.N. Balji discussed about the media coverage on Singapore elections.

Firstly, he noted that the Workers’ Party received a considerable amount of media publicity during GE2011 (where it is a good situation). In years to come, media coverage will become “bolder*”.

*There weren’t any clear definition given to what it means for media coverage to be “bolder”. We interpreted that it means for mainstream media to become more receptive to cover both opposition and the ruling political parties during the election season

Secondly, the way the government manages the media sources has its impact on the professionalism and the sophistication of media content. It is also important to ensure ethical news reporting (i.e. truthful), as exemplified in the case of Chinese Daily’s wrongful allegations against WP candidate Daniel Goh [read about the case here].

Thirdly, social media plays an important role in today’s political landscape. There is an increasing number of players – some lie in the extremes (either pro- or anti-government) but there are certainly others who hold onto balanced views in their articles. The biggest problem encountered by these players is the lack of resources (manpower, time and cost) to conduct investigative journalism which is critical step to obtain objective information. There is also a lack of credible platforms for the government to put across their message to the citizens.

Balji illustrated the relationship between mainstream and independent media to be one of an interdependent one. While the independent relies on the mainstream for firsthand information like facts, the mainstream sources “surveil” and possibly model popular topics after independent sources to interest its readers.

Prof. Eugene [Source]

Being the moderator of the discussion, Prof. Eugene initiated the discussion and occasionally commented on the points mentioned by the above-panelists. He agrees with Dr. Gillian that GE2015 may see some opposition parties as being “irrelevant”, screening them down to a significant few. When asked about media, he expressed that there are “no such thing” as independent media since most of them would have to rely on funding from somewhere. He considered about the “illusion*” of independent media that most of us would have.

*The illusion wasn’t further elaborated by Prof. Eugene. We interpreted it as the objectivity of media, that there shouldn’t be a preconceived notion among us that allindependent sources are objective. Prof. Eugene added that nevertheless, we should refer to both mainstream and independent sources for information to form an unprejudiced perception of the situation.

Dr. Gillian then ended the panel discussion with some meaningful words on voting:

“What we need are first-class voters, not a first-world parliament. That would also mean we’d need to have a first class game (diversity within the government and unbiased media sources).“

Source: https://offbeatperspectives.wordpress.com
September 2, 2015