For those of you who don't know the background of TOC, TOC is the brainchild of ex WP Youth leader Andrew Loh Hong Puey (aka PMonkey10 of the old SBF).
Andrew Loh first mooted the idea of setting up a credible news blog like Malaysiakini way back in early 2006 just before the May GE. He has been asking SBF forumers for opinions on setting up this blog including me.
After GE 2006, Andrew Loh mass emailed all his friends and associates to call for interested parties to set up this blog and I was one of them.
I was quite enthusiastic initially about Andrew's project but pulled out after he insisted on recruiting YPAP members into the editorial team to boost its credibility. At that time, Remy Choo was not even in the loop.
We all know that how passionate Andrew Loh is about TOC. He has the ambition to build up TOC into a respectable socio-political blog. TOC started initially with a few writers and being a new blog, its viewership is not that fantastic in the early days.
Things starting to look up for TOC with the joining of Remy Choo. Choo pulled in many new faces including Gerald Giam, Kai Jie, Benjamin Cheah etc, all his kakis.
Then without any notice, Andrew Loh announced that he is passing TOC over to Choo due to "conflicts" with his work in WP. This is strange considering that Andrew knew about Choo's association with the PAP.
Why did Andrew Loh give up his hard work to Remy Choo and let him let get the credit for TOC's "success" today ???
From what I heard from insiders, Andrew Loh was "persuaded" by a PAP MP to "pass the baton" to Choo in order to take TOC to greater heights. Subsequently Ephraim Loy was roped in to be TOC's deputy chief editor.
Did Andrew Loh hand over TOC to the PAP willingly ? Or is Andrew Loh a PAP mole ? Let us don't forget that Andrew Loh was a YPAP member before he suddenly joined WP in 2004 under very mysterious circumstances.
The latest I heard is that TOC may be welcoming a PAP MP on board its Editorial Team soon and to deflect expected criticism from its readers, it may also rope in a WP CEC member, possibly Yaw Shin Leong or NSP CEC member Goh Meng Seng as a "counter-weight" so that it can continue to wayang shamelessly as a "non-partisan" blog.
TOC's viewership will be expected to be boosted at least 10 times if a PAP MP joins it even as a guest writer ! And expect the state times to publicize it daily ! TOC will be finally be established as a "credible" "alternative" news blog targetting at readers from the middle ground. Heck care about the 20% of hardcore opposition supporters who reads the SDP blog. PAP is only interested to secure the support of the middle 40% and that's the function served exactly by TOC in cyberspace.
Who is this genius who come up with this brilliant ploy to counter the rising anti-establishment sentiments in cyberspace ? It is not Andrew Loh or Remy Choo. In February 2007, Baey Yam Keng, who heads one of the PAP's new media subcommittee (or the internet counter-insurgency team) told The Straits Times that "It was necessary for the PAP to have a voice in cyberspace as there were few in the online community who were pro-establishment". He admitted sending activists to counter anti-PAP rhethoric in cyberspace. But this can only work if activists are not 'too obvious' about it, Mr Baey said yesterday. Otherwise it comes across as 'propaganda'. 'The identity is not important. It is the message that is important,' he added.
I must say that TOC has achieved Mr Baey's objectives of giving PAP a real voice in cyberspace with so many establishment figures on its Editorial Team which audits every single article vigorously before it is published. Choo was also not "too obvious" initially until his "working relationship" with a PAP MP is exposed for all to see.
Coincidentally, TOC was set up 3 months after the PAP's internet counter-insurgency team. The team was headed by Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen. However the campaign is strategized by Lui Tuck Yew and Zaqy Mohamad. Now Zaqy Mohamad is from Hong Kah GRC in the west. Does Remy Choo knows him ?
Go and figure out for yourself who is the mastermind behind TOC. I have already stated the obvious. I leave you to reach your own conclusions.
Andrew Loh first mooted the idea of setting up a credible news blog like Malaysiakini way back in early 2006 just before the May GE. He has been asking SBF forumers for opinions on setting up this blog including me.
After GE 2006, Andrew Loh mass emailed all his friends and associates to call for interested parties to set up this blog and I was one of them.
I was quite enthusiastic initially about Andrew's project but pulled out after he insisted on recruiting YPAP members into the editorial team to boost its credibility. At that time, Remy Choo was not even in the loop.
We all know that how passionate Andrew Loh is about TOC. He has the ambition to build up TOC into a respectable socio-political blog. TOC started initially with a few writers and being a new blog, its viewership is not that fantastic in the early days.
Things starting to look up for TOC with the joining of Remy Choo. Choo pulled in many new faces including Gerald Giam, Kai Jie, Benjamin Cheah etc, all his kakis.
Then without any notice, Andrew Loh announced that he is passing TOC over to Choo due to "conflicts" with his work in WP. This is strange considering that Andrew knew about Choo's association with the PAP.
Why did Andrew Loh give up his hard work to Remy Choo and let him let get the credit for TOC's "success" today ???
From what I heard from insiders, Andrew Loh was "persuaded" by a PAP MP to "pass the baton" to Choo in order to take TOC to greater heights. Subsequently Ephraim Loy was roped in to be TOC's deputy chief editor.
Did Andrew Loh hand over TOC to the PAP willingly ? Or is Andrew Loh a PAP mole ? Let us don't forget that Andrew Loh was a YPAP member before he suddenly joined WP in 2004 under very mysterious circumstances.
The latest I heard is that TOC may be welcoming a PAP MP on board its Editorial Team soon and to deflect expected criticism from its readers, it may also rope in a WP CEC member, possibly Yaw Shin Leong or NSP CEC member Goh Meng Seng as a "counter-weight" so that it can continue to wayang shamelessly as a "non-partisan" blog.
TOC's viewership will be expected to be boosted at least 10 times if a PAP MP joins it even as a guest writer ! And expect the state times to publicize it daily ! TOC will be finally be established as a "credible" "alternative" news blog targetting at readers from the middle ground. Heck care about the 20% of hardcore opposition supporters who reads the SDP blog. PAP is only interested to secure the support of the middle 40% and that's the function served exactly by TOC in cyberspace.
Who is this genius who come up with this brilliant ploy to counter the rising anti-establishment sentiments in cyberspace ? It is not Andrew Loh or Remy Choo. In February 2007, Baey Yam Keng, who heads one of the PAP's new media subcommittee (or the internet counter-insurgency team) told The Straits Times that "It was necessary for the PAP to have a voice in cyberspace as there were few in the online community who were pro-establishment". He admitted sending activists to counter anti-PAP rhethoric in cyberspace. But this can only work if activists are not 'too obvious' about it, Mr Baey said yesterday. Otherwise it comes across as 'propaganda'. 'The identity is not important. It is the message that is important,' he added.
I must say that TOC has achieved Mr Baey's objectives of giving PAP a real voice in cyberspace with so many establishment figures on its Editorial Team which audits every single article vigorously before it is published. Choo was also not "too obvious" initially until his "working relationship" with a PAP MP is exposed for all to see.
Coincidentally, TOC was set up 3 months after the PAP's internet counter-insurgency team. The team was headed by Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen. However the campaign is strategized by Lui Tuck Yew and Zaqy Mohamad. Now Zaqy Mohamad is from Hong Kah GRC in the west. Does Remy Choo knows him ?
Go and figure out for yourself who is the mastermind behind TOC. I have already stated the obvious. I leave you to reach your own conclusions.
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