A bill to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act ahead of the next election was passed but only after a fairly lively debate with some politicians arguing it risked curbing freedom of speech and hurting Singapore's efforts to be a regional media hub.

Singapore must hold a general election by August 2002 and the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) is expected to call for one later this year or early next year.

``Contrary to what the media have been speculating, the government has decided to allow political campaigning on the Internet in the upcoming general election,'' Minister for Information and the Arts, Lee Yock Suan, told parliament.

``However, a free-for-all Internet campaigning environment without rules is not advisable,'' he added, noting regulations were necessary to guide responsible use of the Internet.

Singapore's last general election took place in 1997 under rules that predate the rise of the Internet. The city state now has the highest penetration rate in Asia at 48 percent or some 90,000 subscribers with broadband access.

LIBEL LAWS ENOUGH

Some members of parliament suggested that existing laws on libel should be adequate to restrict errant online publications.

``Those persons responsible for those publications, make them accountable for libel or sedition or other disseminated matter which are criminal in nature... the bigger issues of allowing our citizens to mature are surely more important for nation building,'' said opposition MP Chiam See Tong.

Others asked to what extent individuals could communicate their views online without risking prosecution, and whether the legislation would affect telephone messages, emails and prove stifling for Singapore, already known for its many regulations.

``Elections in Singapore should not be too quiet,'' said nominated member of parliament Simon Tay.

``This bill, like the bill on the foreign media before, takes us a little step toward increasing the regulation that might bring down the temperature.''

Tay said it was beneficial to allow free and fair discussions during an election period, whether in person or on the Internet.

The government discourages foreign media from interfering in domestic politics and recently enacted legislation to punish foreign broadcasters deemed to be doing so.

The changes governing ``election advertising'' would apply to political party Web sites and non-party political Web sites, which must be registered with the broadcasting regulator.

Political Web sites can publish party posters and manifestos, candidate profiles, party events and positions on issues, and some moderated chats and discussion forums, Lee said.

But non-party political Web sites should not campaign for any party, such as party banners and candidate profiles.

Lee said a full list of the details of what would be allowed on Web sites would be released when the regulations were finalized but he gave no more precise details.

On barring election surveys and exit polls, the minister said these gave the illusion of reflecting public opinion but were often based on small sample sizes, bad question design and improper sampling, which led to inaccurate and slanted results.

``Opinion polls can also give rise to a 'horse-race' mentality, which can detract voters from learning the candidates' qualifications and their positions on key issues,'' he said.

The prohibition on election surveys, defined as an opinion survey of how electors would vote, applies to all media during the election period until polling day.

The penalties upon conviction are a fine not exceeding S$1000 (US$568) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both.

An  AFP report August 14 said, opposition leaders slammed the amendment, saying the new law was designed to curb their efforts to reach out to the electorate via the Internet amid widespread speculation that polls would be held well before the August 2002 deadline.

"It's another way the government is trying to crack down on the use of the Internet," Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), told AFP.

"They know it is is one way the opposition (parties) can use it and be on level playing field with the ruling party," he said.

And the government's refusal to lay down the rules governing the new law, preferring instead to release them at an unspecified time before the next elections are announced, would crimp the opposition parties' campaigining efforts, Chee said.

"The one thing that is very clear is that they have not specified the rules yet," he said.

"That is the problem with the government. They are always making the rules at the last minute."

"It's something that is going to hinder our efforts at the next election even more," Chee added.

With the Internet now a popular medium of news for most Singaporeans, Chee said it has been an effective way in which the SDP has been able to present the party's platform.

"With our website, we've been using it as creatively as we can to make sure we get our views across to the people," he explained.

James Gomez, a Singapore political scientist who founded the civil rights group Think Centre, expressed similar views.

"It is not healthy because this is policing of political discussions in general," he said.

"There is a desire to control and legislate discussions," he told AFP.

The strictly governed city-state already has a ban on political advertising using films or video and singing is not allowed at political rallies.

Affluent Singapore is politically stable with the PAP sweeping every election since 1959, after the former British colony was granted statehood.