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Personally, I feel that some netizens, in their support for the opposition, are actually doing more harm to the opposition cause. The opposition politicians generally try to portray a better front and it is sometimes destroyed by their supporters, or to be fair, people who claim to be their supporters. An example is Chee Soon Juan. Personally, I dun like him because of what he did to Chiam See Tong but I would vote for him and his party in any elections against the PAP as I believe in the opposition cause. From what I have read about him so far, in tremeritus (not MSM), he seems to have mellowed down and changed for the better. Yet, his supporters do more harm to his name and the opposition cause by praising him (not wrong) AND denigrating workers party as well, to the extent that voting for workers party is akin to voting for PAP. This harms Dr Chee's image and also pull the fence sitters away from workers party. This only benefits PAP. If you look carefully, NONE of the other opposition polticians do anything to hurt the opposition cause from their words but the comments from their supporters causes damage. Netizens (some) also have a tendency not to look objectively at situations and turn anything into bashing PAP which will do nothing to convert the fence sitters. Moles exist. Some "supporters" are moles actually who try to destroy the opposition. Politics is dirty. I hope no true supporter inadvertently causes more harm.

China

why? Ah? Yahoo scared if sIngapore? I realize the comments always against establishment and sibei aggressive one ...

http://www.straitstimes.com/GeneralElectio...ory_664767.html PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong was bombarded with thousands of questions during his online chat with netizens on the People's Action Party's (PAP) Facebook page on Wednesday night. Most of them raised hot-button issues that have been cropping up on different platforms and at political rallies in the past week. These include the influx of foreign talent, cost of living and rising housing and transport costs. The Facebook chat with PM Lee started at 8pm but hundreds of questions and comments, with some pledging support for the PAP and expressing words of encouragement for the Prime Minister, had started pouring in much earlier. Within four minutes after PM started the chat, more than 200 questions and comments had flooded the page. Responding to a question from Visakan Veerasamy who had asked if it was morally justified for public transport companies to make hundreds of millions in profits from commuters and if some of this could be passed on to the poor to pay for their bus fares, Mr Lee replied: 'We put billions of dollars in govt money to help subsidise the tunnels, trains and bus interchanges. I think that's morally justified, don't u think so?' He also sought to assuage concerns over the influx of foreign talent. 'We are not planning to make a 6+ million population. Not trying to get there. Don't worry,' replied the PM to a netizen.

87 percent of netizens polled want Lee Kuan Yew to retire from politics Published Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by Singapore Election | In an online poll conducted on the Temasek Review Facebook, 87 percent or 499 out of 574 of the respondents polled do not want Lee Kuan Yew to participate in the coming General Election. The 87 year old Lee has announced his candidacy in Tanjong Pagar GRC lately, sparking a massive uproar among netizens who are yearning to see him

Pianist realises his Fantasie Pianist Melvyn Tan's solo show is back on, five years after a public outcry over his dodging of national service By magdalen ng Renowned pianist Melvyn Tan is finally returning for his Singapore solo debut at the Esplanade next month. It is a bittersweet homecoming for the man dogged by a national service controversy here. Five years ago, when he tried to perform at the same venue, the public had raised an outcry over whether he had been dealt with too lightly for defaulting on his national service. 'It's been a long time coming, this concert, and it will be a poignant moment, to be able to play for the people who have supported me since I went away,' says Tan in a telephone interview from London, where he is based. His recital, titled Fantasie, will be on at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Jan 19. The 54-year-old originally planned to have his concert in December 2005 but he scrapped that when an uproar erupted over his evasion of national service while studying music in London. An April 2007 date with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra was announced but that, too, was postponed. He left Singapore in 1969, at the age of 12, to study at the famed Yehudi Menuhin School, and later the Royal College of Music, and did not return to serve his national service. When he eventually returned in 2005, he was charged for the evasion and fined $3,000. By then, he was above 40 years old and was no longer liable to serve. He had also renounced his Singapore citizenship in 1978. But that did not stop many Singaporeans from pitching in on whether his punishment was adequate. His case also led to debate over the leeway to be given to young talent pursuing their development and careers overseas, and the deferment of their national service. Now a British citizen, he says: 'The national service issue is not something that I can shake off. It is my circumstances, and something I have to accept. There is nothing really I can do about it.' He adds: 'What I want to focus on is to do a good concert and for people to enjoy themselves. That's what I want to think about.' He will be playing four pieces - two by Polish composer Chopin, Images by French composer Debussy and Fantasiestucke by German composer Schumann. The programme, he says, will be a menu of different but complementary music. 'It's not just the tastebuds that I want to stimulate. I want the audience to hear a bit of this and a bit of that,' he explains. The concert pianist has performed at many prestigious venues, including London's Barbican and New York's Lincoln Center. He is also a veteran at international festivals, such as the Edinburgh International Festival and the Salzburg Summer Festival. These days, he spends most of his time in his London studio when he is not travelling. He is also fond of exercising, going to the theatre and meeting friends. 'I always get more done in concentrated bursts. So I practise for two hours, take a walk and then come back for more,' he says. On his trip back to Singapore, he will also conduct masterclasses for students at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, the School of the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. He thinks that it will be a good opportunity for him to pass on his expertise to budding musicians. 'Over the years, I've gained a lot of experience as a performer, and this is something that you cannot get when you are in your 20s. You learn a piece and you can prepare only so much, but performing in public is something different,' he says. 'You can't teach experience but I hope that I will be able to share what I know with the students.'

Govt says policies on new media will evolve as new challenges crop up By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 21 February 2009 2044 hrs SINGAPORE : The Singapore government has been embracing and even adopting new media for its work. And while it is still some way from fully tapping the potential, the government said it will gradually evolve its policies with a light touch, as the Web2.0 revolution constantly throws up new challenges. Singapore is the most wired city in the world. And according to a survey, young Singaporeans aged 15 to 24 spend an average of eight-and-a-half hours a day being connected. And the government has been using new media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube and forums to hook up with citizens. Another new media outlet is the OnePeople Portal. The online resource on racial harmony was launched by the Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Saturday. While the government is gradually liberalising its approach towards online engagement with its citizens, the minister added that one has to be responsible and careful when posting their thoughts online." Dr Balakrishnan said: "Anonymity in cyberspace is an illusion. You will remember in 2007, we prosecuted three persons under the Sedition Act because of the blogs they put up which denigrated the religion of one of our communities in Singapore. "The reason we did that was to send the message that your words have an impact; if need be, we can identify you, and if we have to, we will be prepared to prosecute you." But there are some challenges in the government's use of new media to get public feedback. Dr Milagros Rivera, member, Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS), said: "We expected people to give feedback. Nobody did. I think seven people posted comments on the AIMS website, and then the blogosphere went crazy with all kinds of comments and discussions about New Media. "You can have a very nice welcoming website for the government to give feedback. If people are not comfortable they will just stay in their little forums and in their blogs and they will do their thing." And there is no doubt more challenges will crop up as cyberspace continues to evolve and change the way people communicate with one another. - CNA/ms