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http://theindependent.sg/after-accu...eorge-calls-for-an-all-party-code-of-conduct/
Singaporeans who follow the media in other parts of Asia and the world can also guess why the PAP and its hardcore supporters are so thin-skinned about critiques that open societies would consider mild. It must be because decades of tightly managed debate have acclimated officials to a public sphere suffused with friendly white noise, rendering them hypersensitive to the rare instances of robust criticism.”
Prof George added that he wants the Government to take posts like GTS’s attack on the writers seriously, as these could be harmful to the individuals named, as such hate speech could lead to real-life violent incidents. He added that this type of post is also harmful to the public that consumes it, citing the report from the Parliamentary Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods that said, “Online falsehoods can derail democratic contestation, and harm freedom of expression.” Also, he noted that such blatant accusations could be harmful to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) as they could taint its “hard-earned reputation for rational and sober governance.”
Prof George emphasized how Lee Kuan Yew had always “resisted the populist temptation,” and added, “He would not have allowed the clarity of his message to be clouded by duffers and fools claiming to love him and hate his opponents.”
He also said that he was eager to hear what PAP leaders may say concerning GTS, especially because one of the post’s targets, Inderjit Singh, is a forger PAP Member of Parliament, “and the Prime Minister’s GRC teammate to boot,” and added that the “leadership will” not only “need to comfort its own ranks,” but “draw a line for all to see.”
Singaporeans who follow the media in other parts of Asia and the world can also guess why the PAP and its hardcore supporters are so thin-skinned about critiques that open societies would consider mild. It must be because decades of tightly managed debate have acclimated officials to a public sphere suffused with friendly white noise, rendering them hypersensitive to the rare instances of robust criticism.”
Prof George added that he wants the Government to take posts like GTS’s attack on the writers seriously, as these could be harmful to the individuals named, as such hate speech could lead to real-life violent incidents. He added that this type of post is also harmful to the public that consumes it, citing the report from the Parliamentary Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods that said, “Online falsehoods can derail democratic contestation, and harm freedom of expression.” Also, he noted that such blatant accusations could be harmful to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) as they could taint its “hard-earned reputation for rational and sober governance.”
Prof George emphasized how Lee Kuan Yew had always “resisted the populist temptation,” and added, “He would not have allowed the clarity of his message to be clouded by duffers and fools claiming to love him and hate his opponents.”
He also said that he was eager to hear what PAP leaders may say concerning GTS, especially because one of the post’s targets, Inderjit Singh, is a forger PAP Member of Parliament, “and the Prime Minister’s GRC teammate to boot,” and added that the “leadership will” not only “need to comfort its own ranks,” but “draw a line for all to see.”
