SINGAPORE: Giving Singaporeans a bigger say in both national and municipal issues is a key way for communicating and connecting with the electorate, say MPs from the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).
The need for the PAP to respond to Singaporeans' desire for greater engagement was highlighted as one of the Party's shortcomings, following a review of its performance in the last general election.
Mr Edwin Tong, MP
for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, said that since the general election in May,
grassroots leaders at the Jalan Besar division of Moulmein-Kallang GRC
have been busy looking at different ways to share the constituency's
programmes with residents.
Mr Aldrick Tay, grassroots leader for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, said: "Five years down the road, it is going to be tough.
"As
in Jalan Besar, the younger generation is playing a very important role
as in the latest GE. And, five years down the road, the competition is
much more.
"I don't think we (should) just engage through Facebook, Flicker, Youtube or Twitter.
"What
we need to do is (to) emphasize a lot of rightful information on the
website on new media channels to let the younger generation know that
they have a role to play in Singapore politics."
MPs and
Ministers are already taking the lead, by posting issues on their blogs
and seeking the views of Singaporeans in policy formulation.
Mr
Edwin Tong, MP for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, said: "Not more than half a
year ago, the PAP thought that this was noise. It was not relevant and
this was a small proportion of people.
"I think that has changed.
"And,
that viewpoint change is very important to me because that means it's a
recognition that you can look into what's on the blogs and websites to
get a sense of what the ground sentiment is.
"And with that, you start taking steps to be more organised.
"There
is a lot of misimpression on the Internet. It represents good views but
at the same time when there are misimpressions, you have to correct
them.
"The PAP has to be organised in correcting them, the
government must issue statements and we have seen how some of our senior
ministers have embraced it."
MP for Sembawang GRC Ong Teng Koon added that: "Emails and Facebook messagings have been useful to me.
"Previously,
residents brought their issues to MPs during MPS (Meet-the-People
Sessions), block visits or walkabouts. Now, they can engage via online
tools.
"Residents often have a hectic lifestyle, so they
appreciate the option to bring up issues at their convenience. This
might mean more work for myself and my activists, but it is part and
parcel of the digital age that we live in, and it allows us to engage
and serve residents more effectively.
"Posters, namecards, calendars now come with the MP's email and Facebook addresses to bring about more awareness."
Views shared by residents can also be useful for MPs during their debates in Parliament, said Mr Zaqy Mohamad.
Mr
Zaqy Mohamad, MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, said: "The first few years were
about the PAP sensing the platforms and understanding how to use it.
"Now
it's really how to use these platforms for political mileage and
political advantage and as well as not just engaging but to a certain
sense also.
"How you can use crowd sourcing, sharing ideas,
residents telling you how you can do things better or are there gaps in
what we are doing today and these are ways we can solicit feedback and
that helps a lot.
"MPs for example, you could sense people's
opinions on certain things you want to say in Parliament and this gives
normal citizens the ability to try to put their voice, have their voices
heard in parliament as well so you can carry certain views.
"The
MPs can also use the new media for political activism, something they
stand for, a cause, and at the same time brand themselves as
politicians.
"Politicians today, at least in Singapore, what they
don't really have is the personal branding - what do you really stand
for as such that you get labelled sometimes either the media or by the
general public.
"The way you brand yourself online gives an
impression of your view on certain things and what you believe in such
that when someone looks at an MP or Minister, they know what you stand
and what you have been doing and also your beliefs."
While the
social media and the Internet are the buzzwords of the day, Members of
Parliament also acknowledge the importance of addressing the needs of
the older generation in their respective constituencies and hence the
need to continue the traditional house-to-house visits and face-to-face
meetings with residents."
Mr Zaqy Mohamad added: "Face-to-face
touch points are just as important, otherwise people are going to say we
only see our MPs once every five years."
As MP for Sembawang
GRC, Mr Ong Teng Koon puts it, there is value in observing first hand
the body language and facial expressions, when an MP comes face to face
with a resident.
Mr Ong Teng Koon said:"She might tell us about
her concerns when we shake her hand which she wouldn't have otherwise,
and thereby offering us an opportunity to try to help her and make the
human connection.
"Part of the problem with the modern lifestyle
is that residents are often at work. We are very happy whenever we have
more than 40 per cent of residents at home when we visit.
"With
the average MP having around 100 blocks in the constituency, it takes
around one to two years to complete one cycle of visitation. So
approximately two to three visitations over an election cycle.
"Mathematically,
that would mean there is a fair chance that we wouldn't have reached
out to every single resident over the course of five years.
"Good
neighbourliness therefore pays an important role here, as we have had
cases whereby the resident was not at home when we visited, but
neighbours then provided her with my email address and resulted in us
being able to assist her."
- CNA/ck