In anticipation of the impending General Elections in Singapore, new regulations are presently being formulated by the Singapore Elections Department to regulate the use of the Internet by political parties at election time. The Department promised that the rules would be implemented in a few months time, and definitely in time for the next General Election.
This announcement came from Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Lee Hsien Loong at no less an appropriate time then the launch of the official website of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) at www.pap.org.sg on 8 June 2001.
DPM Lee explained that the proposed rules were sorely needed, as the present set of election rules pre-dated the Internet and did not allow political parties to post election materials on their websites during campaigning.
DPM Lee also expected that people would rely on the Internet as a source of political news, but was worried that stories could spread indiscriminately on the Internet, regardless of their truth or falsehood. This would be exacerbated by the Internet’s immediate publication possibilities. The proposed rules would also hopefully address this often-cited fear of the PAP, which has acted often in the past to correct perceived falsehoods against the party or key members of the party.
When questioned about the enforceability of the rules in relation to the notoriously ungovernable Internet medium, DPM Lee responded that rules were still needed even if they were not 100% effective.
This news follows closely on the heels of a much publicised Singapore parliamentary debate over the use of electronic voting and voting eligibility requirements for citizens posted overseas.
Is this an indication that the PAP will be launching a major electoral campaigning "offensive" on the "cyber-Heartland" ("Heartlander" is a term often used in PAP propaganda to describe the working class in Singapore)? Certainly, the sophisticated, Flash-enhanced PAP website would be a site to watch in this respect.
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