Govt online outreach efforts not ‘populist’ in nature: MICA Minister
Is the government going online and setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts just because it’s the popular thing to do?
No, said Singapore’s Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, during a luncheon organised by the Singapore Press Club at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel on Monday.
Responding to a question from the floor, Yaacob dismissed criticisms that the government’s recent outreach efforts online were merely “populist” in nature.
Speaking in front of an 80-strong audience made up of mainly journalists and editors, he said, “Engagement is now the buzzword. Consultation. The most important point of doing it is not because it’s fashionable or popular but because it’s the best way forward. The underlying impetus is to engage as many people as possible.”
As of December 2011, the government had set up over 140 Facebook initiatives, 60 YouTube channels, 60 Twitter accounts and 30 mobile apps, he said.
Reflecting on the progress made on engaging Singaporeans over the one year since the watershed General Elections last May, Yaacob said, “Are we being populist? No, I don’t think so. We are more committed (to engagement) now. The changing requirements of Singaporeans and the fundamentals have not changed, but we’ve taken a close, hard look at some of the public policies such as housing and foreigners and know we can do better.”
Referring to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s foray into social media last Friday when he set up personal accounts on both Facebook and Twitter, Yaacob added that the government’s online outreach efforts were not prescriptive and each ministry calibrated its own outreach efforts according to its objectives.
During the 90-minute session, Yaacob, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, also delivered the keynote address titled “Traditional and online media in the new normal” in which he talked about the speed at which information is spread online, for better or worse.
The 56-year-old minister gave examples of how distortions and hoaxes, such as the recent child kidnapping rumours, could easily spread online.
He also spoke candidly about the growing readership of alternative online sites like Temasek Review and The Online Citizen, and how reliable they were versus mainstream media.
Referring to the often-times critical stance of TOC and TR vis-à-vis government policies, Yaacob said it was up to the online community to decide who and what to believe.
“You cannot stop a site because you disagree with it. It’s a reality we have to accept. These days you have a buffet of blogs and alternative news sites from which to read. It is not wrong to disagree with government policies but the challenge is how do you do it constructively,” he said.
“Nowadays, you also have very, very good offerings like Yahoo! and ST Online, so it is really up to the online community to decide,” said Yaacob.
