It’s official. The government (Or rather PAP) will leverage on new media in the next General Election.
No surprise actually. There has already been talks about this for quite some time. Since the government invited Eric Schwartzman to give a talk on New Media to the Civil Servants last October, we all knew that they are not going to take the new media lightly. After all, this is the natural step to take. It would be foolish if PAP isn’t going the new media way. Look at how Obama make use of the new media during the presidential election.
It’s good that PAP is going to to leverage on the new media. I hope the opposition parties like WP and SDA are doing likewise. In the end, the one who is going to benefit is the voters. We will be able to access more information about the candidates that we are voting for. More places to voice out our opinions. The next election is going to be an exciting one. I hope my Jurong GRC won’t get walkover again. (Hello opposition party, you reading this?)
There are signs that the election is coming soon. Yawning Bread spotted a Channel News Asia page that says “General Election 2009″ although the contents are from the 2006 election.
Looks like there might be a chance that we will have an early election. Time to get ready guys.
on Feb 26th, 2009 at 12:28 AM
The PM’s speech about New Media put a fire in everyone’s belly to start implementing new media communications strategies. But as with anything, the devil is in the details, and I did not get the impression that the government has the necessary risk tolerance to enter into discussions it does not control. On the one hand, they look at what happened in Malaysia and worry that something like that could happen to them. On the other hand, there does not seem to be much understanding or appreciation for empowering the community to define your identity. It will be fascinating to see how the growth of social media takes place in Asia. Will it grow like it has in the West, or will the solution be uniquely Singaporean?
on Feb 26th, 2009 at 1:34 AM
Eric: Nice of you to drop by.
I think it’s going to be an entirely different ball game for the government. I think they are too used to have full control of everything. And we all know that you can’t have full control of the new media.
Yes, it is going to be interesting to see the outcome of all these. It will be a good case study for those who are into new media communications.
on Feb 26th, 2009 at 11:21 AM
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