Contribution from Richard Koh
May 27 2012 (from Diary of Singaporean Mind)
The above pictures are better than thousand words. The mainstream media must be neutral and unbiased in reporting news about all political parties involved in the election. All parties should be put on equal footing for competition. This is one of the main feature of a democratic society.
At the WP's post by-election press conference, the WP Chief surprisingly assailed the mainstream media for being bias during the by-election to help the ruling party to smear the character of the WP's candidate, Mr Png Eng Huat. The Chief Editor of ZB (Lianhe Zaobao), on 28 May 2012, denied and accused the WP Chief for being irresponsible to make the mainstream media as a target for shooting. The WP Chief has responded to the accusation today.
On 23 May 2012, whilst the ST clearly gave the headline that "WP faces allegations of dishonesty" at the crucial time in relation to the Png's NMP event, Mr Teo Chee Hian, DPM, however clarified that he was questioning only, instead of allegation.
Upon the tussle between WP and ZB, let's put aside whatever the arguments they have, and see the following pictures that were snapped by bloggers at Hougang for the by-election rallies held bWP. Can Singaporeans see this type of true pictures in the mainstream media during the Hougang by-election?
To move our democracy a step forward, the WP should challenge ZB for conducting an independent public survey to seek the opinion from the public whether the mainstream media have faithfully performed their duties on this matter. The contents of the survey must be agreed upon between the both parties involved and the result of the survey be made public. Has ZB the guts and courages to accept this challenge if it is raised by the WP ?
Richard Koh
Amazing.
ReplyDeleteWP's 62% of the vote in Hougang.
Png Eng Huat is able to survive and came out relatively safe and sound, with only a small 2% slide.
After,
1. An ex colleague's infidelity
that shook both WP and the
nation.
2. The bold, highly controversial
sacking of the ex from WP.
3. The subsequent Hougang ex MP's
vacation of the Parliamentary
seat.
4. The perceived planting of a
mole by the
PAP in the WP's Secretariat
Meeting, leading to the secret
release of the Meeting minutes
to the MSM regarding the NCMP
WP nomination list.
5. Then the use of the MSM by the
big shot leaders of the PAP to
engage in "character
Assasination" of the underdog
candidate, and the resulting
sledgehammering tactic so
representative of the PAP used
in past Elections repeating
itself all over again.
6. The comical effort of the
elitish "Rotary Club" trying
to curry favour with a $100,000
donation to PAP candidate Choo
to change tiolets for the poor,
elderly Hougangites.
7. Instructing temple authorities
to distribute free porridge,
their own PAP grassroots to
give out free hearing aids,
maybe free NTUC Fairprice
grocery vouchers.
8. Tempting voters with verbal
promises of estate upgrading,
verbal only, if voting for WP,
then "wait long long".
9. Tempting voters with building a
brand new wet market (after
closing the NTUC Supermarket
before the Yaw affair eruption).
10.Then a certain WP member, a Dr.
something came up suddenly to
offer himself to be the
unofficial WP spare tyre for
Election, giving a superb chance
for PAP to seize upon to
discredit WP's disunity within.
Holy Cow, the list seems to go on.
With so much distractions, jeers, bullying and threats from the incumbents, in a David and Goliath
battle, small and insignificant
David managed to come up the winner, bruised, shaken and drained
but still a winner with a comfortable margin, with the whole nation vouching for him.
It's not a BE at all, it's the GE all over again.
Phew, we have to wipe off our sweat off our brows in the early hours of 27th May, watching the
WP and Hougangites celebrating
wildly on Youtube. Outsiders like us also got infected with the exuberant mood, seeing the Police's restrain from arresting the crowd with illegal assembly
charges, just for this wee morning only.
Now who says Singaporeans are politically apathetic, citizens have really grown up, the Hougang
residents are showing us their
sophisticated ability to keep their heads above all the shrill "noises", and vote with their heads, not with their hearts, with all those temptations by the PAP, popping up all over.
What a gigantic feat shown by WP and their candidate, ah Huat.
The Rotary Club is looking so sheepishly stupid, betting on the wrong horse, at the wrong time some more.
Let's hope PAP would keep their promises for upgrading works and the wet market to be built in this ward. The whole nation is watching.
from the incumbents