Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Bridgade

[PTADER]

Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Bridgade

"In the cyberspace kopitiam of Internet, there is a different world where politics, news and gossip are exchanged in an unmoderated, uncensored fashion. The Government recognises that it too must enter Internet and help create a Singapore neighbourhood....Young PAP (YP) is one such outfit staking a place in this neighbourhood..Insight: Do you think an unmoderated uncensored forum like Internet is good for intellectual development here? Mr Fock: It is good, provided you can get the nuisance users out. Open debate is always good for any society.Hopefully, instead of just sliming the Government, we can get the Internet community to provide ideas and feedback and be engaged on policies to improve the country." Young PAP makes a stand on behalf of S'pore on internet , 147th Prostitute Press, 08 April 1995

"THE People's Action Party (PAP) is mounting a quiet counter-insurgency against its online critics. It has members going into Internet forums and blogs to rebut anti-establishment views and putting up postings anonymously....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. One activist who is involved said that when posting comments on online forums and the feedback boxes of blogs, he does not identify himself as a PAP member." PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace , 147th Prostitute Press, 03 February 2007


The PAP online presence has come a long way from the mid-90s when it was headed by the YPAP Internet Committee (IC). Then people like Harold Fock would post in scs using their real names. But the YPAP IC was a failure. It could not spread its propaganda about the PAP nor did it succeed in tearing down members of the opposition parties.

Fast forward 12 years later and the PAP presence is no longer headed by a YPAP member running an inexperienced, amateurish and bumbling YPAP Internet Committee. It has evolved. A new committee has taken over the role of the YPAP IC. The "New Media (NM)" committee is now headed by a PAP Minister to run its "counter-insurgency" campaign. One sub-committee strategises this "counter-insurgency" campaign. The other, the "new media capabilities group", executes these strategies.

The success of the PAP NMC over the YPAP IC over the past 4 years until today is obvious to see. It has opposition supporters (even some of the older ones who should know better) eating out of their hands.

It has members of the opposition, whose myopia and inability to see the larger picture, joining it to flay members of the opposition camps. It has opposition members, whose selfish and narrow interest in protecting their party's interest in fear that the success of another opposition party is "bad" for them, joining this PAP NMC in disparaging and tearing down other opposition members from other opposition parties. And all this is done under the self-righteous guise of "fair criticisms" when the intent is clearly otherwise.

The PAP Prostitute Press, needless to say, will seize on "what netizens are saying" and publicise such "sentiments" in the mainstream media as being the "common" sentiment expressed by netizens. The just concluded PE is a prime example.

It will only be to the detriment of members of the oppostion and their supporters if they continue to join members of the PAP New Media Committee (some of whom pose as WP supporters like what young and ambitious "steffychun" does) to disparage and tear down other oppositionists and opposition parties. A tit-for-tat "war" will result. It has happened before. It may well be initiated by the PAP NMC. If not, it will certainly encourage and fan this online "war".

The end-result? Those waiting in the wings will not step out. And whatever current success you may have cannot and will not be replicated as the CSMs and TJSs waiting in the wings step back rather than risk getting their names dragged through the m&d. These are "heavyweight", successful professionals. They do not need to be in oppositional politics in the first place. They can afford to pack up and leave should the political and economic climate degenerate further. It is the ordinary Singaporeans who have neither the money nor skills to emigrate and who need these people most to represent their interest who will suffer.

To the opposition supporters and opposition members, I say this again: Have no fear. A rising opposition tide lifts each and every and all opposition boats. And that includes your party's boat.

 

[PTADER]

YOUNG PAP MAKES A STAND ON BEHALF OF S'PORE ON INTERNET
147th Prostitute Press
8 April 1995

In the cyberspace kopitiam of Internet, there is a different world where politics, news and gossip are exchanged in an unmoderated, uncensored fashion. The Government recognises that it too must enter Internet and help create a Singapore neighbourhood. It envisages both the private and public sectors taking part to increase the country's influence, effectiveness and competitive advantage. Young PAP (YP) is one such outfit staking a place in this neighbourhood. Zuraidah Ibrahim speaks to Mr Harold Fock, 25, the Head of the YP Internet Committee.

Insight: What has your experience on the Internet been like?

Mr Fock: I have been net-surfing for a year. It's an incredible experience, like living in a library with unlimited information.

You can obtain almost anything under the sun at the click of a mouse. You want the US Library of Congress? Just click. You want to send a letter to someone in the US? Send it. And in five seconds, he receives it and replies almost instantly. And you get to discuss issues with other Internet citizens around the globe. A lot of foreigners have questions and comments about Singapore.

Some are inaccurate, like caning for chewing gum, for example. On some issues, I try to reply and correct any misrepresentation.

Insight: Did you get flamed or attacked?

Mr Fock: Oh yes, in very colourful language. On the Internet, there is this culture of independence and liberalness. Anyone representing or backing the government, any government in the world, is open to hate mail.

I now know that the best defence is to ignore the flame throwers. If you respond, you give them another opportunity to get abusive.

Insight: How do you feel when users impersonate PAP politicians?

Mr Fock: Most of them are signed on as overseas users. They send their mail to a re-mailer, which is like a washing machine which jumbles the messages and churns them out anonymously.

A lot of people think there is complete freedom on Internet. I think there is a difference between freedom of speech and responsibility of speech. Speaking freely on what you think on an issue is fine. But impersonating someone else is dishonest.

But I believe governments are not powerless. In Helsinki, for example, the government there went to a re-mailer's office recently and raided the messages in a bid to fight back.

Rules should and do apply in cyberspace. For example, there was this guy Jake Baker who wrote pornography on the Internet using real names. He is now being sued in the US.

Legislation is also on the way in the US to punish people who transmit pornographic material. So even over there, in a country where individual freedom is so highly held, there are rules.

We must work to wipe out bad influences on Internet. Or else, what will happen is that bad information will drive out good information. Internet users will be the losers.

Insight: What about the users' comments on Singapore?

Mr Fock: There are local issues such as COEs, ministers' pay, and there are national issues.

Right now, a cyberspace war is being fought between Singaporeans and people around the globe over the Contemplacion case. We are being called the hangman of the world.

But I am happy to say that Young PAP members have not had to do much. Other Singaporeans have been busy defending their Government.

But it is not always easy because attackers are intelligent users who write well. There was this Filipino who wrote at least 10 to 15 pages of a step-by-step thesis on how Contemplacion was framed.

On the net, you meet people wanting to find out real information about Singapore and others who spread false accusations.

Among the more ridiculous things I have heard are the claims that elections in Singapore are rigged and that no foreign publications are allowed in here.

Insight: So how do you respond to them?

Mr Fock: On national issues, you can be sure that Young PAP is not alone. There are many Singaporeans who spend hours responding to criticisms.

For example, apart from myself, there were at least 10 others who wrote in and bashed the guy who said nonsense about foreign publications in Singapore.

On local issues, there are disagreements among Singaporeans. YP members try to argue for reasonableness and we put across the Government's case.

Insight: So how exactly does the YP see its role on the Internet?

Mr Fock: We make a stand on behalf of Singapore. We tell the truth, we try to be precise and concise. We also try to have some style because the Internet culture abhors self-righteousness. It prizes reasonableness, empathy and humour.

Insight: How do you inject humour, say, when defending the COE issue?

Mr Fock: It is very difficult to be funny about the COE. I myself cannot afford a car yet and I am not too happy.

But on many other issues, you have got to have style. For example, there was the announcement that YP is going to China next week. A foreigner had what he thought was a smart question: How come Singapore arrested people for the Marxist conspiracy and now YP is linking up with communists in China?

We wrote back and said there's a big difference. One is about our own internal security and the other is about making friendships. But we wrote it in a light-hearted manner, no tough words or anything.

Insight: Do you think an unmoderated uncensored forum like Internet is good for intellectual development here?

Mr Fock: It is good, provided you can get the nuisance users out. Open debate is always good for any society.

Hopefully, instead of just sliming the Government, we can get the Internet community to provide ideas and feedback and be engaged on policies to improve the country. If someone out there has a scheme to improve the COE, let's discuss it.

Insight: YP is seen as a docile junior wing of the PAP. How will this affect your ability to respond quickly and effectively in cyberspace?

Mr Fock: There was some concern among our members that we are inexperienced and not ready to assist the Government and that we risk ignoring the chain of command if we just speak up on our own.

But we felt that the best way to look at is that, to paraphrase BG Yeo, as long as you belong to the same football team and drive the ball in the right direction, it is OK.

So, sometimes we might hit a goalpost. But then it is better than not doing anything and just watching.

But it is also not all that difficult to defend Government policies. Most of them are quite logical and carefully considered.

If there is anything we don't feel comfortable answering, we won't. If it's something way above our heads, we leave it.

Insight: What about fears that the YP will be an arrogant lot?

Mr Fock: There was talk on Internet that with YP net-surfing, you will have a bunch of arrogant youngsters who want to command and control discussions. But none of that has or will happen. We have a good team of people who do not suffer from arrogance and who know that the moment you behave self-righteously, no matter how logical your argument is, your credibility is lost.

Internet is a very good training ground to learn to be humble, to deal with adversity and with raw politics.

Insight: What would you say to people who tell you that you should be concentrating on winning minds here, rather than in cyberspace?

Mr Fock: Sure, the net now has a more select crowd of foreigners, students and professionals. But it is important that we get in and engage them because it will be an important network soon. To ignore Internet would be like laughing at Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone.

 

[PTADER]

PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace
147th Prostitute Press
3 February 2007


THE People's Action Party (PAP) is mounting a quiet counter-insurgency against its online critics.

It has members going into Internet forums and blogs to rebut anti-establishment views and putting up postings anonymously.

Sources told The Straits Times the initiative is driven by two sub-committees of the PAP's 'new media' committee chaired by Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen.

One sub-committee, co-headed by Minister of State (Education) Lui Tuck Yew and Hong Kah GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad, strategises the campaign.

The other is led by Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Baey Yam Keng and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Josephine Teo. Called the 'new media capabilities group', it executes the strategies.

Both were set up after last year's General Election. Aside from politicians, some 20 IT-savvy party activists are also involved.

When contacted, Mr Baey declined to give details of the group's activities, but he outlined the broad principles of the initiative.

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 said.

As such, the committees aim to 'observe how new media is developing and see how we can use the new media as part of the overall media landscape', he added.

'How do we facilitate views that are pro-party and propagate them through the Internet?'

The approach reflects comments by Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui at the PAP's party conference in December. He called on younger activists to put up views 'to moderate the vitriol and balance the skewed comments' on the Internet.

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.

One activist who is involved said that when posting comments on online forums and the feedback boxes of blogs, he does not identify himself as a PAP member.

He tracks popular blogs and forums to 'see if there is anything we can clarify' on hot-button topics such as the impending hike in the Goods and Services Tax.

But he added: 'We don't rebut everything. Sometimes, what is said is fair enough, and we send the feedback on to the committee.'

This latest initiative comes on top of a blog site with posts by 12 MPs born after Singapore's Independence in 1965.

It recognises that more younger Singaporeans are relying on the new media as a main source of information.

An Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) study conducted last year found that younger and better-educated Singaporeans relied on information from the Internet when shaping their voting choices at the last GE.

Among the opposition parties, members and supporters of the Workers' Party, in particular, post regularly on forums online.

But IPS senior research fellow Tan Tarn How wonders about the effectiveness of the PAP's campaign.

He said Internet users who post on forums such as Sammyboy tend not to be interested in 'intellectual debate' and so will not be persuaded by PAP activists anyway.

As for more serious-minded bloggers, he said the views that the activists may put out are already available in the mainstream media.

 

[steffychun]

All countries have such brigades. Solution? Form a division to counter it.

 

[glockman]

Your post reminds me of an article I read a while back. I searched and found it. Regarding the 50 cent Party (or Army) set up by the Chinese govt. People were supposedly paid 50 cents for each comment made in support of the government. I wonder how much the PAP IB dogs are paid.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/22/chinathemedia.marketingandpr
China joins a turf war

The Guardian, Monday 22 September 2008

John McCain's campaign team has been at it. Wal-Mart was revealed as doing it. Sony in the past dabbled with it. Online, astroturfing - whereby stealth PR tactics are passed off as grassroots enthusiasm for a product or candidate - is flourishing. But in China, things have gone one step further - with the establishment of the country's 50-cent army.

At first glance, it might not resemble the kind of fighting force likely to strike fear into the hearts of its enemies. But, aided by China's dominance of online media conversation this year, the army is rapidly assuming a formidable reputation. The premise is the same as many astroturfing projects: pay people (predominantly students) to push a certain line by posting to the many forums, blogs and bulletin boards that have proliferated in the country. The difference is that it is the government - rather than companies or campaigning groups - that is employing these estimated 300,000 "soldiers".

Examples include attempts to guide domestic public debate - 50-cent posters will support speeches by Chinese leaders, for example, and were used in debate over which type of educational qualification Chinese students should be allowed to receive. But astroturfing is also used to defend China's honour abroad - when CNN's Jack Cafferty referred to the Chinese leaders as "goons and thugs", a number of 50-cent army posters offered up posts attacking him, and news sites reporting the Tibetan uprising earlier this year were flooded with 50-cent comments.

According to popular lore, and a number of Chinese bloggers, each post made pays 50 Chinese cents or five mao. It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a lucrative occupation. William Moss, an account director at the public relations agency Burson-Marsteller, calculates that a post needs to be made every four minutes during a gruelling 72-hour working week if you are hoping to earn the bare minimum wage in one of the country's bigger cities.

"Pocket money? Maybe. But I wouldn't plan on sending the kids to college that way," says Moss.

Hong Kong blogger Oiwan Lam, who helped expose the issue thanks to her links with the mainland's online community, believes that China's 50-cent army is probably motivated by a combination of commerce and nationalism.

"If you really post frequently you can earn something," says Lam. "But it could be a combination of economic gain and political responsibility."

In this regard, the campaign is not all that different from some of the political techniques utilised outside China. McCain's presidential campaign recently attracted criticism when it emerged that volunteers were being offered prizes in exchange for seeding comments and messages supplied to them. The rewards on offer - books signed by McCain, a ride with the candidate on his campaign bus - tap into the mix of profit and politics alluded to by Lam.

While astroturfing is seen by some as ethically dubious, it is still growing in popularity, thanks, in part, to the ease with which web 2.0 technologies - the likes of Twitter, Wikipedia and YouTube all feature heavily - can be employed to sway public opinion using the elusive power of word-of-mouth marketing. "Astroturfing happens because people instinctively assign different levels of credibility to different sources of information," says Moss. "Individuals or groups that have a vested interest in your opinion are generally less credible, those that don't are more credible. True word-of-mouth or buzz is very powerful for that reason, and organisations will work very hard to cultivate it."

Certainly Wal-Mart and its PR agency Edelman thought that buzz was worth capturing when they created a front organisation called Working Families for Wal-Mart, funding a fake travel blog that pushed an overtly pro-Wal-Mart message. And then got found out. Edelman representatives were unwilling to comment.

However, astroturfing remains firmly in vogue, according to one source at a London PR firm. In the gaming arena, for example, pro-Microsoft comments are regularly attributed to astroturfers, while other companies exposed for employing the tactic in one form or another include Sony, L'Oréal and ExxonMobil.

The payment model for corporate astroturfers is often similar to that for China's 50-cent army - although the figures involved are rather more healthy, with astroturfers for corporations able to make a decent living. "Many purported social media experts have figured out how to manipulate social networks instead of genuinely participating in them," says Brian Solis, the founder of FutureWorks PR. "There are new media consultants and agencies that are employed to do this and other forms of comment, voting, and promotional marketing." The challenge lies in actually tracking down a real-life astroturfer, or even the companies that employ them. Bloggers and posters are bound by confidentiality, while few agencies appear willing to admit that they condone, let alone participate in, the practice.

Calley Nye, a viral marketing consultant, who often adopts the online moniker Silicon Calley, says: "I have in the past hired people to astroturf, but always temporarily. If you leave the same people in for too long, they get too obvious and it's easy to get someone to do it for like a week."

Nye refuses to name her clients - "it would kind of defeat the purpose, if everyone knew it was fake" - but rather casually touts a figure of $100 for two hours work which, at least, sounds rather more promising than the Chinese government's modest payments.

Then there is PayPerPost.com, which the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) - a not-for-profit organisation that aims to strengthen "participatory democracy by investigating and exposing public relations spin and propaganda" - points to as a pervasive form of online promotion. The website links paying companies with bloggers who are paid to promote their products but, however, insists on full disclosure within the post. The minimum fee suggested for a post, $5, is hardly riches, but the site's top-ranked blogger pulled in $4,000 last month.

Paul Denlinger, an independent business consultant based in Beijing, also sees financial rewards from astroturfing, pointing out that IT hardware brands in China regularly pay decent sums in return for gamers pushing their products online.

"There are companies that act as middlemen between the big makers and some of the gaming companies," he says. "They have people who work the bulletin boards, and they pay people who are very dedicated gamers. Some of them can certainly make a living off this kind of thing."

Another PR source points out that, despite the obvious risk of being exposed, the "potential upside" of astroturfing means that there will always be organisations willing to take a chance. "But any time you play fast-and-loose with transparency you risk your reputation."

This risk may be the only thing that gives corporations pause, given the state of anti-astroturfing regulation. According to CMD senior researcher Diane Farsetta, professional PR bodies have ethics codes that "look good on paper". "However, those ethics policies are never enforced by, for example, rescinding the membership of professionals or firms that break them, even if they break them repeatedly."

Meanwhile, US legislation to limit astroturfing was shelved last year. An EU directive which was incorporated by the UK earlier this year does outlaw many astroturfing techniques, but doubts persist over whether trading standards officers will have the resources to comprehensively enforce it.

 

[Seee3]

The IB was most successful in the last PE by pretending to be anti-TT so as to draw votes away from the strongest challenger.

 

[cleareyes]

Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Bridgade

"In the cyberspace kopitiam of Internet, there is a different world where politics, news and gossip are exchanged in an unmoderated, uncensored fashion. The Government recognises that it too must enter Internet and help create a Singapore neighbourhood....Young PAP (YP) is one such outfit staking a place in this neighbourhood..Insight: Do you think an unmoderated uncensored forum like Internet is good for intellectual development here? Mr Fock: It is good, provided you can get the nuisance users out. Open debate is always good for any society.Hopefully, instead of just sliming the Government, we can get the Internet community to provide ideas and feedback and be engaged on policies to improve the country." Young PAP makes a stand on behalf of S'pore on internet , 147th Prostitute Press, 08 April 1995

"THE People's Action Party (PAP) is mounting a quiet counter-insurgency against its online critics. It has members going into Internet forums and blogs to rebut anti-establishment views and putting up postings anonymously....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. One activist who is involved said that when posting comments on online forums and the feedback boxes of blogs, he does not identify himself as a PAP member." PAP moves to counter criticism of party, Govt in cyberspace , 147th Prostitute Press, 03 February 2007


The PAP online presence has come a long way from the mid-90s when it was headed by the YPAP Internet Committee (IC). Then people like Harold Fock would post in scs using their real names. But the YPAP IC was a failure. It could not spread its propaganda about the PAP nor did it succeed in tearing down members of the opposition parties.

Fast forward 12 years later and the PAP presence is no longer headed by a YPAP member running an inexperienced, amateurish and bumbling YPAP Internet Committee. It has evolved. A new committee has taken over the role of the YPAP IC. The "New Media (NM)" committee is now headed by a PAP Minister to run its "counter-insurgency" campaign. One sub-committee strategises this "counter-insurgency" campaign. The other, the "new media capabilities group", executes these strategies.

The success of the PAP NMC over the YPAP IC over the past 4 years until today is obvious to see. It has opposition supporters (even some of the older ones who should know better) eating out of their hands.

It has members of the opposition, whose myopia and inability to see the larger picture, joining it to flay members of the opposition camps. It has opposition members, whose selfish and narrow interest in protecting their party's interest in fear that the success of another opposition party is "bad" for them, joining this PAP NMC in disparaging and tearing down other opposition members from other opposition parties. And all this is done under the self-righteous guise of "fair criticisms" when the intent is clearly otherwise.

The PAP Prostitute Press, needless to say, will seize on "what netizens are saying" and publicise such "sentiments" in the mainstream media as being the "common" sentiment expressed by netizens. The just concluded PE is a prime example.

It will only be to the detriment of members of the oppostion and their supporters if they continue to join members of the PAP New Media Committee (some of whom pose as WP supporters like what young and ambitious "steffychun" does) to disparage and tear down other oppositionists and opposition parties. A tit-for-tat "war" will result. It has happened before. It may well be initiated by the PAP NMC. If not, it will certainly encourage and fan this online "war".

The end-result? Those waiting in the wings will not step out. And whatever current success you may have cannot and will not be replicated as the CSMs and TJSs waiting in the wings step back rather than risk getting their names dragged through the m&d. These are "heavyweight", successful professionals. They do not need to be in oppositional politics in the first place. They can afford to pack up and leave should the political and economic climate degenerate further. It is the ordinary Singaporeans who have neither the money nor skills to emigrate and who need these people most to represent their interest who will suffer.

To the opposition supporters and opposition members, I say this again: Have no fear. A rising opposition tide lifts each and every and all opposition boats. And that includes your party's boat.

The fear mongoring and mudslinging has started.

You use the PAP IB as a facade to attack others. So what is ur aim? curtailing others so that cant put SDP and TJS down?

You have been doing this for years. it does make me wonder, who realy atre from PAP IB. Seems like you have fit the bill in creating instablity .

 

[saratogas]

I heard their commander is TPL... Will the soldiers be paid $$$?

 

[captainxerox]

the inability to win votes in pe and ge shows that pap ib is loosing. but they will still do it surgically to cause fear and confusion.

"However, given that bloggers and forummers are still actively criticizing PAP policies online and challenging the system of Government more than ever, one wonders if the PAP Brigade, if such existed in the first place, has been effective at all. Furthermore, given the apparent U-turn in the Government’s policy of engaging Singaporeans through forums and blogs not under its purview, it is perhaps time to question if the PAP Brigade has lost its teeth."
http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=1827

"This is the objective of the counter-insurgents then. It is not to sell the Government message. That is the superficial level. It is to keep everyone separated. It is to introduce suspicion and mistrust into discourse. It is to divide ultimately."
http://xenoboysg.blogspot.com/2007/02/deep-throats.html

"What would be the different sorts of comments posted and tactics used if the MIW invade forums and blogs?
1. Subtle reinforcement of the status quo, with token acknowledgment of the problems. (See Molly's example of the fictitious comments).
2. Quasi-authoritative citing of "facts" and figures to counter criticisms without any boost/damage to MIW credibility.
3. Finger-pointing. E.g. "Why are you always complaining and complaining about the government? Why don't you provide a solution instead of ranting here incessantly?!"

These aren't scary yet. What might be darker is IF they do the following (but Molly is NOT saying that they will):
4. Deliberately incite certain seditious/defamation comments and then go on a mission to arrest people for sedition/defamation. Or post seditious comments in blogs and then arrest bloggers for sedition.
5. Other than just "defending" the MIW, they smear the reputations of opposition politicians, even disguising themselves as opposition politicians to post remarks that would discredit them. (In short: If I can't grow taller than you, I will at least chop off your legs.)"
http://mollymeek.livejournal.com/138515.html

 

[PTADER]

Your post reminds me of an article I read a while back. I searched and found it. Regarding the 50 cent Party (or Army) set up by the Chinese govt. People were supposedly paid 50 cents for each comment made in support of the government. I wonder how much the PAP IB dogs are paid.

It can be fairly lucrative if you do well. Harold Fock failed to do well and has been chucked aside. Those who perform well can be rewarded with a ride on a coattail into Parliament.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

actually the new media/social media internet effect has thus far proven to be way over rated going by the the results of both GE11 & PE11...

 

[PTADER]

Re: Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Brigade

The fear mongoring and mudslinging has started.

You use the PAP IB as a facade to attack others. So what is ur aim? curtailing others so that cant put SDP and TJS down?

You have been doing this for years. it does make me wonder, who realy atre from PAP IB. Seems like you have fit the bill in creating instablity .

The opposition camp, like the PAP camp, is divided along the spectrum ranging from the "soft" to the "hard" core.

The "hard" core needs to appeal to the that percentage within the "soft" core plus non-opposition/non-PAP swing voters if it ever wants or hopes to cross the line.

The "soft" core, likewise needs to rely on the non-opposition/non-PAP swing voters for a decent score. However, to cross the line, they too (as much as they may not want to admit or worse, fail to realise) cannot afford to alienate the "hard" core camp. There is no way the "soft" core of the opposition can cross the line without the support of the "hard" core camp. This has been made abundantly clear in this PE.

The simple strategy of the PAP NMC (PAP Internet Brigade) is to play one off the other. It would be better if they could egg on opposition "supporters" to do this. It would a God send if so these so called oppositionists and their supporters voluntarily do this without needing to be egged on by these poseurs. The PAP NMC can actually disband if this continues and becomes entrenched.

There is no need to help the PAP to tear and run down (fair criticism excepted) any oppositionists or any opposition parties as has happened before in the past. It is currently happening, albeit not as bad as before but with, nevertheless, the potential to deteriorate if it continues. You can't stretch a band without it eventually snapping.

LKY and his thugs have proven they can do this tearing and running down very well without anyones' help. So, there's no need to help them. You get nothing out of it.

This is not a zero sum game where the success of one opposition party is "bad" for another. It is a synergistic relationship where the success of one bodes well for the other.

 

[PTADER]

actually the new media/social media internet effect has thus far proven to be way over rated going by the the results of both GE11 & PE11...

I tend to agree if it refers to the past. But there are indications to suggest that future GE battles will have closer results as more qualified and "better" candidates step out to contest.

And I think the role of the new media may well help secure that small percentage for either PAP or opposition to tip across the finishing line.

 

[steffychun]

so if there is a PAP brigade, the anti-PAP brigade failed this PE. So they discovered that TT's sons had a simple NS life. They got people to scream Jiak Liao Bee. Didnt work.

 

[Confuseous]

For all the resources that the PAP has, it has failed time and again to tame the Wild Wild Web. The reason is simple - they keep thinking that the channel is the enemy, not realising that it is CONTENTS that is killing them. CONTENTS as in those dished out daily like PAP press releases in our national "news paper" and the absolute lack of stories that are even mildly critical of the government. The latest case of the Shin Corp losses when Temasek sold their shares. I am still waiting for any of the SPH 'newspapers' to tell us.

There was an LKY School report which indicated that the PAP lost about 10 percentage points in "credibility" to about 76%, even as the SDP doubled (albeit from a low base) from 12% to 24%. The SPH played no small part in the PAP numbers, while iin the case of the SDP, the increased credibility is quite a surprise. The significant increase in the number of English-speaking immigrants in recent years has not increased the ciruculation of ST; it has actually gone down, together with other English papers.

There are many ways to skin a cat - when SPH starts producing newspapers that are felt to be objective, and when negative letters of the government are printed, there won't be a need for 'alternative' media. In the meantime, the 'cowboys' have staked ownership of the Wild Wild Web and any circling of the wagons by the MIW on white horses will be quite easily repelled - in numbers, in the quality of the discussion, in the cohesiveness against a purported onslaught which, time and again have always failed to materialise.

The recent statements by president-in-waiting and LHL on engaging the WWW confirm that they are still clueless. BOTH commented that they will engage the young in the social media, not realising that a bad/unfair/self-serving policy remains bad/unfair/self-serving. Using social media does not make these more palatable.

 

[refulgence]

Nicely analysed, Confuseous bro. Unfortunately, the older cohorts of Singaporeans have been hardwired by the LKY regime over the decades and the reach of the social media remains extremely limited when compared with the mainstream media. Netizens form an exceedingly small proportion of the populace, although they are vociferous and highly critical of the ruling elites, no doubt emboldened by the cloak of anonymity.

 

[Perspective]

Re: Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Brigade

The opposition camp, like the PAP camp, is divided along the spectrum ranging from the "soft" to the "hard" core.

The "hard" core needs to appeal to the that percentage within the "soft" core plus non-opposition/non-PAP swing voters if it ever wants or hopes to cross the line.

The "soft" core, likewise needs to rely on the non-opposition/non-PAP swing voters for a decent score. However, to cross the line, they too (as much as they may not want to admit or worse, fail to realise) cannot afford to alienate the "hard" core camp. There is no way the "soft" core of the opposition can cross the line without the support of the "hard" core camp. This has been made abundantly clear in this PE.

The simple strategy of the PAP NMC (PAP Internet Brigade) is to play one off the other. It would be better if they could egg on opposition "supporters" to do this. It would a God send if so these so called oppositionists and their supporters voluntarily do this without needing to be egged on by these poseurs. The PAP NMC can actually disband if this continues and becomes entrenched.

There is no need to help the PAP to tear and run down (fair criticism excepted) any oppositionists or any opposition parties as has happened before in the past. It is currently happening, albeit not as bad as before but with, nevertheless, the potential to deteriorate if it continues. You can't stretch a band without it eventually snapping.

LKY and his thugs have proven they can do this tearing and running down very well without anyones' help. So, there's no need to help them. You get nothing out of it.

This is not a zero sum game where the success of one opposition party is "bad" for another. It is a synergistic relationship where the success of one bodes well for the other.

It is exactly because it is not a zero sum game that I think it's alright for components outside PAP not to agree with each other (whether one defines that as "tearing down" is another question altogether). The PAP's space will gradually get smaller and smaller and this will give rise to multipartisanship.

 

[Ramseth]

Re: Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Brigade

It is exactly because it is not a zero sum game that I think it's alright for components outside PAP not to agree with each other (whether one defines that as "tearing down" is another question altogether). The PAP's space will gradually get smaller and smaller and this will give rise to multipartisanship.

Election is a zero sum game. How can you grow out of 100% of the total votes cast?

 

[steffychun]

Re: Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Brigade

the anti PAP brigade is just as fragmented.

 

[talkincock]

Re: Warning: The Rise and Success of The PAP Internet Brigade

...

Saw this in jeesus's siggy. You must have made quite a pile by now.

Steffychun is probably being paid $0.34 per post he makes.