Wednesday 30 March 2011

Social media and Politics

In Today's "I Say" column, Siew Kum Hong bemoans the role of social media in Singapore today.  He fears social media, especially Facebook, threatens to throw Singapore journalism into the gutter.

Central to his column is the buzz in social media after the recent unveiling by the ruling PAP of its potential young candidate, 27-year old Tin Pei Ling (left).  He states that Tin is essentially "a young woman who has taken a huge leap into the unknown by stepping forward as a potential candidate."  He questions why "some folks seems to have taken it upon themselves to dig up what they think is dirt on her personal life, in an effort to put her down and besmirch her reputation."

A quick search on her does reveal unusually high interest of a young woman's foray into politics.  Her Facebook account has since been "privatised" but not after being ransacked by curious online denizens on her personal life.  There are loads on her marriage and lifestyle - who she is married to, how and why she married him.  Insinuations of youthful addiction to materialism and claims of an extravagant lifestyle...  Well, you get the picture.

Siew's column is well-intending, but a tad idealist, even naive.  His core point being - we should not judge Tin until "she is given a chance to show what she would be like as an MP".  But the up-coming contest of who gets into the ruling seats is an election, and for the first time I see encouraging signs of a more open debate. 

For instance, Channel NewsAsia is running an unedited forum including opposition candidates.  As in past campaigns, the lifestyle of candidates will be exposed and actually discussed to determine if a candidate is indeed qualified to be an MP.  No candidate should have the curious benefit to be an MP first, then demonstrate how competent he or she is.

And unlike previous elections, the ruling PAP party as admitted in the press, that social media will play a big role.  It remains to be seen how the PAP will manage this and where the boundaries will be in the social media.  Siew's column betrays a need to "morally" control social media.  He refers to "digging up all this personal stuff" to be "overblown", and here is the killer sentence: "She is a 27-year old professional, not a nun."

Young or old, a pro or wet behind the ears, Tin, like all politicians, should look social media straight in the eye.  Sister, this is just the beginning.  And sister is not an intended pun.  Like any political arena in the world, Singapore politicians must know the media landscape has changed.  In the age of the internet, anyone can be searched.  If a politician has skeletons in his or her cupboard, come clean.  They can come back to haunt you. 

And there is nothing worse than stepping up as a politician only to step down after an unsavoury fact shows up.

Any attempt to "tame" the social media will be rewarded with the opposite effect.  It is tantamount to taming a wild beast.  The more you disturb it, the more ferocious its defense and response.  All of us have views, and the social media has unleashed a platform where these views can and are being heard.  Facebook and Twitter have toppled regimes, it is not about to change in the face of a blushing 27-year old.  And if, like China, Singapore feels the need to clamp down sites like Facebook and Twitter, it would be a sad day.  Like a genie that has been let out of the bottle, you can break the bottle but the genie is at large.

Tin should have cleaned up her Facebook way before her bright moment of political entrance.  To "privatise" her online presence after the fact suggest she has things to hide.  And honestly, we should not apologise for who we are.  So what if one has a well-to-do husband or have a weakness for branded goods?  It's good that the government is clean and not corrupt, but most would agree that it is too straitjacketed and bland, no harm in a little spice sprinkled.

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