The media's agenda against the Singapore Democrats

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Monday, 09 March 2009

Singapore Democrats

The title may sound a little melodramatic and alarmist. What basis do we have for saying this? Consider this: The local media will give other opposition parties coverage and write-ups. But they won't even give the SDP the right of reply.

Case in point: Today ran a story about Mr Chiam See Tong where reporter Mr Loh Chee Kong took aim at the Singapore Democrats and accused us of practising the “darker side of politics” by “ousting” Mr Chiam.

Firstly, it was Mr Chiam who resigned as party secretary-general, no one ousted him. Secondly, Mr Chiam resigned after executive committee members voted against a motion that he had tabled. How does voting by the executive committee constitute the dark side of politics?

But when Dr Chee wrote in to correct Mr Loh's version of events, Today remains silent about publishing the reply.

This is not the first time. In 2008, Ms Chee Siok Chin, who was made bankrupt by the Attorney-General, had applied to the Official Assignee (OA) to travel to Stanford University to attend a course in political leadership.

The Straits Times Forum published a letter from the OA that was not just misleading but an outright lie. When Ms Chee wrote to correct the factual inaccuracies, the newspaper refused to publish it. (See here)

In March 2008, the Straits Times published a letter by a Mr Paul Fernandez that praised the PAP Government and called on the Singapore Democrats not to conduct “publicity stunts which waste taxpayers' money.”

Again as before Dr Chee replied but the Straits Times refused to publish it. (See here)

Last year, Lianhe Zaobao reported an opposition member, Mr Goh Meng Seng, saying that the Singapore Democrats are an extremist party and that this website was losing readership. (See here) The SDP explained its strategy and provided statistics to show that its readership was (and is) increasing.

SDP assistant secretary-general, Mr John Tan, pointed these out in a reply which the Chinese newspaper refused to publish.

In 2005, the Straits Times published two letters: One by Mr Siow Jia Rui and the other by Singapore ambassador to Australia Mr Joseph Koh attacking Dr Chee over the matter of hanging of small-time drug peddlers like Mr Nguyen Van Tuong while the Government continued dealing with Burmese druglords. Today and Lianhe Zaobao also carried reports critical of Dr Chee over the issue.

None of the newspapers published his reply.

The New Paper carried a scathing article on Dr Chee over the issue but censored the most crucial points in the reply. This despite Dr Chee's strict instructions not to amend his letter without permission. (See here and here)

In addition, important news such as the on-going trials where the SDP repeatedly exposes the incompetence and untruthfulness of police witnesses, and where crucial issues of public interest are being argued in court, the press refuse to report on them.

Melodramatic? Alarmist? No, we call it like it is.

Note well: This trend will intensify as we draw closer to the next elections. The SDP will be rundown and vilified by the local media again. Is it any wonder then that many Singaporeans don't understand what we are striving for?

We will persevere, however. We will not kowtow to the autocrats who control all the newspapers and broadcasting stations in Singapore and who run this country like a fiefdom.

Our only avenue of communication with the Singaporean public is the Internet. We therefore call on our supporters to help us disseminate our information and encourage voters to visit this website.

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Comments (9)

Tue 10 Mar 2009 6:23 AM | | ngejay - disseminate information

"We therefore call on our supporters to help us disseminate our information and encourage voters to visit this website."

OKAY will do.

Tue 10 Mar 2009 6:54 AM | | seebeng - It's a misnomer

It's a misnomer to call the PAP propaganda tool as "the media".

If it's truly the media, it wouldn't be languishing at 147th position in world ranking!

SPH, like NTUC and other PAP outfits, is a pretender to the title "media". It's a real shame, a disgrace to call it the media or mainstream media (MSM).

Tue 10 Mar 2009 12:24 PM | ahsayman

I wish I have the skill to draw a cartoon of a gigantic white pit bull with a smaller puppy version of itself around the neck which hung a medallion with SPH embossed on it. They are guarding a huge door above which a plaque with the words "JUSTICE" is mounted. Standing in front of these are caricatures of Dr.Chee and members of his team. A speech bubble with the words "So what are you going to do about it?" will be point ended at the puppy!
Hope a SDP supporter who is a caricature artist can transform my idea into a drawing.

Wed 11 Mar 2009 9:40 AM | Robox

Re: "...they won't even give the SDP the right of reply."

While the Knower Of All Things Under The Sun, Lee Scum Yew, waged war against the foreign media when they (Note: only sometimes) did not publish replies from the criminal PAP government, he pleaded - of all things - the right of reply by his gangster government.

Apparently, the cause he is passionate about - the right to reply - like all rights in Singapore, is to be applied only selectively: to those close to him and his party.

That's cronyism, another type of corruption by a government that is already irretrievably corrupt.

However, while I understand the gist of the article, I may caution the SDP there is no such thing as the right to reply. Instead, the right to free speech does imply balanced coverage (by the media) and by denying the SDP ANY access to the media in terms of its letters to them, and EVERY SINGLE TIME, the media is indeed waging an agenda against the SDP.

Since the media is obviously not staffed by people professional enough to exercise balanced coverage, it is incumbent on them to publish the letters to them by the SDP that will provide that balanced coverage.

Re: "We therefore call on our supporters to help us disseminate our information and encourage voters to visit this website."

Have been doing, and will continue to do so.

Tue 10 Mar 2009 5:18 PM | jacys

Is that all SDP can say ?

Tue 10 Mar 2009 9:02 PM | guy2100

SDP, please introduce your manifesto soon. Let the people know your agenda now. Elections is inevitable. It looks like it's going to be held very soon. We will help to disseminate your manifesto in all online forum (even at REACH). People need to know about SDP. This is critical for the future of our country. I'm losing my faith with Singapore. Everyday that passed made me more determined to leave it. SDP, you are the only light of hope that I got.

Tue 10 Mar 2009 9:18 PM | Paul Poh

[i]"We therefore call on our supporters to help us disseminate our information and encourage voters to visit this website."[/i]

Okay, no problem SDP.

I will help to counter PAP false propaganda.

What we need is truth, not PAP false propaganda.

Tue 10 Mar 2009 10:48 PM | democrat

To deny a democratic party the right to speak from their point of view is also denying democracy in Singapore.And I am ashamed to say that it is in our national pledge

Thu 12 Mar 2009 5:54 PM | Tan Tai Wei

The real "social dynamics" of the situation could be something like this.

SDP's trying to engage, on such issues, with SPH, indeed, with all functionaries, nay "digits", of government is like what they say in hokkien, ie. like chicken trying to speak to ducks.

It's having persons with the courage of their convictions trying to engage with "officers" who are at their post only to protect the inflated salaries they receive, and, because they are in the majority, would smile among themselves at how silly the likes of Chee are to care for values enough to want even to put their personal interests at risk, and how "street-smart" they themselves are to manoeuvre things in such ways as exemplified in the acts of Today Chee complains of.

It's the same futility of communication as described by Jesus when he said "Don't cast pearls before swines" and "Don't give what is holy to dogs".