I guess it’s all about scaring the youths.

Don’t worry big brother, our job as citizens are to teach our children that the Men in White are beholden to the electorate. Period.

Please feedback this to your masters. We are voting for change. :)

I like TR but also like TOC. How?

I dont want to sound hypocritical or even come across as naive; even as I speak about all these lofty ideals; anyone armed with a rudimentary knowledge of gaming history will know only too well, we the brotherhood have fought over 300 or so wars; stretching from the Malabar front to the Andullisian plains against all manner and form of adversaries in the known universe (many of you have even fought along side us); over territory, rights, minerals etc. Granted these may not be real wars; they may even be no more than sandbox politics, but nonetheless they embody the full gamut of odium, hatred and horror that is only too real.

On reflection, we may be the least qualified people to speak on this subject. I have to be perfectly honest with all of you; as we dont have a very good track record as peacemakers.

There are even times when I have privately asked; whether it is possible for us to genuinely seek peace; when war is only thing we seem to know since the beginning of time. This I have asked myself many a time in private.

So perhaps what the government may be trying to do is right after all – they seem to be taking small steps; maybe that is the right way, then again maybe not – I really dont know. I dont.

SD

Dont believe me? Go and ask yourself what has really changed in the latter?

If monitoring is such an effective strategy; why isn’t the Berlin wall still standing today and why isnt half the world still ruled by the Soviet Union? So you need to be sensible about these things.

If you want to get ahead in the internet; IMHO nothing beats the straight forward approach as its the shortest distance between A and B; for instance if we see someone digging a big hole online; we will just ask them, “what are you doing?” and in that impromptu manner; we get to know a whole lot of things about them along with understanding their social make up, history, goals, roles, philosophy, values etc. This is basic common sense. You dont need to be 007.

Why would anyone in their right frame of mind sweat the easy peasy stuff – when all they need to do is sit down for a simple conversation?

I dont understand.

SD

I will disagree with the author reading on the current state of interactions- that the govt sets the agenda for online conversations between both parties.

Actually, I think the author means the government sets the agenda for online conversations at their own websites. User-driven content at REACH and other government-related websites don’t set the agenda.

Actually, there is an irony in the whole issue, as captured in Donaldson’s last sentence.

On one hand, we are still in the fear big brother mentality. Yes, the government is watching us and that makes us afraid. So we don’t want Big Brother government to come online and encroached into our space.

On the other hand, we want the government to take New Media seriously. That will mean listening and engaging people online, being responsive to citizen’s questions and queries.

The govt becomes Big Brother if it comes online to read ‘online sentiment’ but it is Non-Responsive, Stuck in Ivory Tower if it doesn’t. Being “Big Brother” is another negative way of saying “listening to ground sentiment”. So my main point is you can’t have one and reject the other, because they are the same thing.

—–

I will disagree with the author reading on the current state of interactions- that the govt sets the agenda for online conversations between both parties.

The fact that the govt is monitoring sites means citizens are speaking their mind, sets the topic for discussion and the govt listens (albeit in secret). So if this whole secret monitoring thing is working well, HDB will have gotten the message that citizens (on TOC) are complaining abt high flat prices and this will induce the govt the react to it.

Nevertheless, this arrangement can still improve. What I argued is that contrary to people think, there is still passive listening. But should we be satisfied with passive listening? Personally, i prefer the govt to come online and engage citizens more. Like Donaldson, I think we should still move towards citizen-govt interaction. But it will not happen if we are so scared of the govt coming online.

Truth will stand the test of time. It is not a crime to speak your mind unless your views and reasoning are based on fabrication and purely to disagree for the sake of disagreement regardless of the facts. We are all living in this technologically advanced 21st century global village, you can blanket the entire Singapore but you cannot stop the world who believes in freedom of speech and expression.

Let’s not kid ourselves and speculate unnecessary fear amongst us. If one has not done anything unlawful, what is there to fear even “IF” you are being monitored?Let the voting do the talking if any changes are to happen at the very top “that hopefully benefit the general public as a whole”. However, do not expect any prudent policies change to satisfy 100% of the public, this can never happen not even in the world’s most democractic countries that has far laxed rules than tiny Singapore.

Sincerely

Observer (SG-HK)

They still think we are in the 60’s and old ways will work in todays dynamic society. Dinosaurs that are living in the future with no knowledge of the evolving landscape….. no matter how hard you try to hold on to your old and stubborn ways… the cracks are starting to show….

How do you control free men? You cannot. Get use to it.

Let us change the tide. During election, Let the “New Media watch the Big Brother” instead. Take real-time video using camera phone and stream the pathetic attendance of PAP election Rally into UStream, new video media service and show the world how pathetic and laughable is the people’s support for PAP.
Put Sitoh’s shark-fin carrot into Youtube. Show how Lim Sweet Say sing “upturn the downturn” song in election. Show how old fart spout his usual highfalutin nonsense again.

we are not talking about reallllllllll crimeeeeeeeeee being committed, are we ?????.

What an excellent analogy!!

With the amount of flak the PAPies are getting (especially,recently, from amnesty international and from that famous lawyer,Amsterdam, and with SDP’s Dr Chee going for the jugular, coupled with the uproar from the populace) they must be really feeling the heat, and with their reputation, all over the world, in tatters, a tipping-point should be coming for them soon, and when this happens, lets hope the following takes place:-
1) some of the PAPies dying from shame
2) some defections (if not mass-defections) from the ranks of the PAPies to the opposition.

Why is a rich country like singapore wants so much tax??? You tax us but give to ur high pay people to speculate in shares, speculate in houses, because they r so rich, they can buy this and sell in 3 months, some even instantly. The richer can richer and the poor, poorer.

Is that the Singapore we all want? Or is that the Singapore, that only the Rich wants?

Let us vote, damn it! I am sure to vote against you. Let me see how many votes you really get. Unbelievable corrupted government.