Singapore
logs on to the Net threat
South China Morning Post. November 22,
1999
BARRY PORTER in Singapore
The Internet offers the chance for Singaporeans to avoid censorship and express theirviews anonymously.
AS Singapore's dominant People's Action Party (PAP) celebrated its 45thanniversary yesterday, its elders were pondering just how long they couldhold on to one-party rule in the face of a more demanding young electorateand the threat of the Internet.
Frustrated by a lack of hard policy debate in parliament and traditionalmedia, Singapore's younger generation are increasingly taking to the World-WideWeb to curtail state censorship and vent their views.
James Gomez, 34, an author and independent political activist, said:"When I found there was not enough space for me to express my views throughtraditional media, I decided the Net was my only opportunity." His Website (www.politics21.mainpage.net) is one of a wealth of new sites andchat-rooms that have sprung up over the past few years, reshaping the futureface of political debate.
They range from the downright provocative, like Singaporeans For Democracyhttp://www.gn.apc.org/sfd to the more sober Socratic Circle (www.homex.s-one.net.sg/member2/socratic-circle),run by small group of like-minded, free-thinking intellectuals.
Some sites are managed out of Singapore, some by Singaporeans abroad,particularly overseas university students who have tasted Western life.
Tan Lee Kiat, one Singaporeans For Democracy's (SFD) volunteer Web editor,said: "Our aims are to promote democracy in Singapore, to present an oppositionpoint of view to the propaganda churned out by the PAP, and to provideSingaporeans everywhere an avenue to express their opinion without fearof repercussion through a certain amount of Net anonymity."
SFD is run by overseas Singaporeans through a London server to avoidgovernment interference. It was launched on national day last year andclaims to get 25,000 to 30,000 hits a month, including many from the government'sInternal Security Department.
It also has a team of Singaporean volunteer editors in Sydney, Australia,who publish a print version.
After four decades of strong-arm rule, it would appear the powerfulPAP has finally come across a medium it cannot fully control.
Cutting Singaporeans off from the Internet would cause uproar and couldundermine the government's designs on transforming the republic into aworld-class electronic commerce and media hub.
Even blocking off certain offending Web sites on Singapore servers wouldinevitably cause a backlash and possibly undermine confidence.
Even then, for each site blocked, a replacement can readily be spawnedovernight.
"No government in the world is going to be able to cut itself off,"admits PAP chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan.
"It is not possible to prevent its spread, particularly in our casebecause we are becoming a more computer-literate society by the day," saidMr Tan, who despite being from the older generation has led Singapore'stechnology drive.
Like it or not, the PAP's leaders realise the Internet is not goingto go away and have resolved they must ready themselves for a more openand plural society rather than fight it.
The first review of Singapore's censorship laws in a decade is currentlyunder way, with the principal purpose of taking into account the impactof the Internet.
The PAP and government have also taken the initiative, launching a hostof their own political and information Web sites, including even a forumfor public feedback (www.gov.sg/feedback).
In a book launched yesterday to mark the PAP's 45th anniversary, itsfounding father Lee Kuan Yew acknowledges that new technology will cause"major changes" to the nature of Singapore society.
"The party structure will have to change to adapt itself to changesin society," said Mr Lee, PAP secretary-general from 1954-1992 and primeminister for 31 years until 1991.
In the same book, For People Through Action By Party, his successorGoh Chok Tong has outlined a three-pronged approach for reforming the PAPto take into account a new generation of voters to allow it to surviveinto the new millennium.
"First, you must have younger people who can reach out to younger Singaporeansto talk to them in their language, understand the intricacies of policiesand help to mobilise people," he said.
"Two, you also need a generation of PAP members who are very savvy withthe Internet. It will be an important means of communication in the future.
"Third, you have to know how to manage the way elections are being foughtin future, and the changing demands of the electorate with this sort oftechnology."
George Yeo, Singapore's information minister for 10 years and now trademinister, said: "I knew sooner or later the Internet would become a politicalarena so I, as chairman of the youth wing of PAP, founded the first politicalWeb site in Singapore knowing full well I was going to regulate it."
While information minister, Mr Yeo thought it best that only his partybe initially allowed to launch a party Web site and chat-room to firsttest the water (www.youngpap.org.sg). After an experimental period, otherparties were belatedly allowed to launch their own.
The National Solidarity Party, headed by Tan Chee Kien which has nomembers of parliament, was the first opposition party to fly its flag incyberspace (www.nsp.org.sg).
Singapore's main opposition party, the socialist Workers' Party headedby Joshua Jeyaretnam with two MPs, also has a site (www.wp.org.sg).
The Net has also provided a forum for dissidents in exile to reach backto fellow Singaporeans back home.
Tang Liang Hong, an unsuccessful Workers' Party candidate in the 1997election, has set up his own Web site in Australia (www.ozemail.com.au/~tangtalk)after fleeing Singapore fearing for his life.
He was subsequently sued in his absence for millions of dollars by PAPleaders for alleging they lied when they called him a Chinese chauvinistduring the election campaign. You can read Mr Tang's libellous versionof events on-line.
"In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, trademinister Mr Yeo gave a clear insider view as to how the PAP intends totackle 'unmerited' dissent on the Internet." Mr Yeo said: "Come the nextgeneral election, I think the elections department will have to allow somecampaigning on the Internet because you just can't avoid it, whether youlike it or not. So let's have rules which apply to everybody."
The PAP believes it can use the same successful methods it has usedto silence what it considers to be unfair criticism in the print media,television and public speaking events - the libel courts.
Mr Yeo said: "If you defame someone, you will be sued if you cannotback it up.
"So I can call you a scoundrel. That is fair comment. But if I callyou a liar and I can't prove it, then I know for sure you are going tocall me up, take me to court.
"It keeps a certain high tone to political debate in Singapore . . .which is not bad."
PAP leaders have yet to experiment with their first cyber libel case.Should the offenders be based in Singapore, serving a writ should not bea problem. But if they are abroad or cannot be identified, then this mayprove difficult.
Author Mr Gomez, who this month launched a book Self Censorship -Singapore's Shame, believes there is already an element of self-censorshipby Singaporeans permeating the Net because users think they are being watched.
"When I first announced my book through a few mailing lists on the Internet,the first order I got was from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for twohard copies," Mr Gomez said. "It shows people are watching."
In addition, the government has been exploring as many avenues as possibleto exploit the positive side to the Net.
Wynthia Goh, a 27-year-old Singaporean postgraduate student in New Yorkwho helps run the popular Singapore chat-room, SInterCom (www.sintercom.org),said: "The Singapore Government has come on to the Net in a big way. Theyare visibly making use of the Internet as a communication tool." The government'sFeedback Unit, for instance, runs a mailing list sending policy digeststhat provide answers to questions people have raised.
Net geeks can now automatically get news and transcripts of speechesof senior government officials from the mailing list of every governmentministry.
The government has also been trying to build bridges by using the Netto reach the public, like sending e-mailed invites to get people to attendfeedback sessions.
They have also conducted surveys through the Internet.
Ms Goh said: "All these are commendable developments. The governmentis obviously making an attempt to get on the Net and they deserve creditfor it."