http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/0...-with-strong-support-from-young-singaporeans/
Written by Our Correspondent
The “Vote PAP out” Facebook has garnered more than 3,000 members in less than two months with many young Singaporeans joining the group to voice their displeasure against Singapore’s ruling party.
Set up in late December last year by a vocal online critic of the PAP, Mr Alex Tan to “counter” the propaganda from the state media, the group has seen new members joining at an estimated rate of 300 a week.
It has since exceeded the membership of both the YPAP Facebook Network and YP Facebook.
A quick glance at the members reveal that most of them lie between the age group of 18 to 30 and are not members of any opposition parties.
All were united by a common disdain for the ruling party and are vehemently against their continued political hegemony in Singapore.
Such a Facebook would be unimaginable a few years ago, a sign that young Singaporeans are becoming politically more aware, educated and astute and they are not likely to accept blindly whatever propaganda the mainstream media churns out.
While the already pervasive “anti-establishment” sentiments are gathering momentum in cyberspace, the PAP appears clueless as to how to crawl back lost support among the post-1965 generation.
Its attempts to do so via the YPAP and a forgettable P65 blog have backfired miserably.
The YPAP was embroiled in a series of controversies lately most notably a police report made by a member Eric How against a non-existent Facebook impersonation on “advice” of YPAP Chairman Teo Ser Luck.
YPAP members have since stopped posting comments on their Facebook after they were grilled by netizens for making a mountain out of a molehill by involving the police.
The PAP should not dismiss the trends in cyberspace as another example of “youthful indiscretion.”
Young Singaporeans will be the kingmakers of the next general election, emulating the examples of their counterparts in Malaysia, Japan and U.S.A.
A small group of highly motivated and passionate voters among a larger group of apathetic and passive voters can easily sway the votes.
For example, if each of the 3,000 Singaporeans on Alex Tan’s Facebook were to persuade 10 of their relatives and friends to vote against the PAP, they will have a ready pool of 30,000 opposition votes which are more than sufficient to tilt the balance in closely fought contests.
The PAP’s bland propaganda is wearing thin with each passing day as more and more young Singaporeans step forward to reclaim their nation.
Written by Our Correspondent
The “Vote PAP out” Facebook has garnered more than 3,000 members in less than two months with many young Singaporeans joining the group to voice their displeasure against Singapore’s ruling party.
Set up in late December last year by a vocal online critic of the PAP, Mr Alex Tan to “counter” the propaganda from the state media, the group has seen new members joining at an estimated rate of 300 a week.
It has since exceeded the membership of both the YPAP Facebook Network and YP Facebook.
A quick glance at the members reveal that most of them lie between the age group of 18 to 30 and are not members of any opposition parties.
All were united by a common disdain for the ruling party and are vehemently against their continued political hegemony in Singapore.
Such a Facebook would be unimaginable a few years ago, a sign that young Singaporeans are becoming politically more aware, educated and astute and they are not likely to accept blindly whatever propaganda the mainstream media churns out.
While the already pervasive “anti-establishment” sentiments are gathering momentum in cyberspace, the PAP appears clueless as to how to crawl back lost support among the post-1965 generation.
Its attempts to do so via the YPAP and a forgettable P65 blog have backfired miserably.
The YPAP was embroiled in a series of controversies lately most notably a police report made by a member Eric How against a non-existent Facebook impersonation on “advice” of YPAP Chairman Teo Ser Luck.
YPAP members have since stopped posting comments on their Facebook after they were grilled by netizens for making a mountain out of a molehill by involving the police.
The PAP should not dismiss the trends in cyberspace as another example of “youthful indiscretion.”
Young Singaporeans will be the kingmakers of the next general election, emulating the examples of their counterparts in Malaysia, Japan and U.S.A.
A small group of highly motivated and passionate voters among a larger group of apathetic and passive voters can easily sway the votes.
For example, if each of the 3,000 Singaporeans on Alex Tan’s Facebook were to persuade 10 of their relatives and friends to vote against the PAP, they will have a ready pool of 30,000 opposition votes which are more than sufficient to tilt the balance in closely fought contests.
The PAP’s bland propaganda is wearing thin with each passing day as more and more young Singaporeans step forward to reclaim their nation.
