SINGAPORE: Govt replies to online

Government claims the current capacity to e-engage netizens is limited, but foresees advances in the future

The Straits Times
Thursday, January 29, 2009

By Li Xueying

THE Government has responded to an online letter from a reader to a newspaper, a move believed to be a first. Aptly, the subject of discussion was how it engages citizens on the Internet.

The reply by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) was published on The Straits Times' Online Forum website on Tuesday. It came about a week after the letter by Mr Tan Kee Lin was published on the website on Jan 19.

Mr Tan, in his letter "Disturbed by Govt's response to new media proposals," criticised the Government's decision to engage netizens only via its official website Reach or the online forums of mainstream media, saying that was not good enough. The decision was too "deterministic" and "top-down," he said. "It is still the Government that decides what issues are important enough to be debated on Reach," he added.

The letter led to a response from Mica, "Not efficient to engage Singaporeans on many online platforms."

Mica's corporate communications director Julia Hang explained the Government's stance, saying it is "not realistic or efficient to engage Singaporeans on a multitude of online platforms, which would require extensive resources."

"Because it is a relatively new medium, it would take time for government agencies to build up and develop the necessary capabilities to e-engage widely."

But, she added, "over time, as we enhance our capability and experience, we will explore other objective and accountable online platforms."

The exchange comes in the wake of a change in government policy on responding to online letters.

Three weeks ago, Mica Minister Lee Boon Yang said the Government would henceforth reply to online letters in the mainstream media if a response was warranted.

Such a step had been recommended by the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (Aims) in a report last month, which said if the Government continued in not responding to online letters, "there is a risk of being disconnected from this generation of digital citizens, many of whom produce and consume news and views online."

Contacted yesterday, Aims chairman Cheong Yip Seng said he was "heartened" by this "good first step."

"We feel that there is material online that has substance and the Government should not ignore this increasingly important platform for discussion of issues of public interest," he said.

On the Government's point that it would be selective about which letters to respond to, he said it would have to exercise its judgment "in a credible way."

"If there are letters that netizens feel deserve a response but the Government doesn't, then over time, questions will be raised over its judgment," he added.

ST Forum editor Yap Koon Hong said the move "will result in a more meaningful discussion" on the ST Online Forum.

"We hope to get even more, and better-quality, letters when readers know their letters will get a response from Government, whether published in print or online," he said.

Now, the criteria for publishing print and online letters are the same -- those of public and human interest that reflect the diversity of readers' interests and views -- except for one difference.

"ST largely avoided publishing letters in Online Forum which required or invited a government response because the Government's policy was to reply only to letters published in ST," said Mr Yap.

"That is now likely to change."

The Online Forum was started three years ago for more views to be aired, as The Straits Times was getting more letters than there was space in the paper. Now, about five or six letters are published online daily, on top of the eight to 12 in print.

Meanwhile, the reader whose letter got the ball rolling said yesterday it is "a positive move but may not translate into much in the long term."

Mr Tan, 39, who declined to disclose his occupation, still feels the Government should engage netizens on the Internet beyond the current websites.

"Right now, the Government still has the prerogative to decide whether or not to respond, and what is an issue and what is not. It is not sufficient," he said.

Date Posted: 1/29/2009