I refer to yesterday's report, 'Online Attacks: Minister rues lack of self policing'. I was surprised to read that Senior Minister of State (Information, Communications and the Arts) Lui Tuck Yew was reportedly disappointed by the response from netizens on MP Seng Han Thong's injuries.

In a way, it shows a lack of understanding of the mechanics or psychology of most netizens. While some netizens are responsible, thoughtful and mature contributors, many are not. The perceived shroud of secrecy the Internet provides users makes them feel comfortable in ventilating their darker emotions or exploring more sinister aspects of their minds.

The Internet gives everyone the ability to build a secret identity; they can choose to become a Batman, crusading for higher ideals, or a Joker, bent more on mischief and anarchy.

Unfortunately, most contributors prefer to assume the latter identity. So, there was a significant lack of sympathy for Mr Seng online even though most rational people would have felt he was deserving of sympathy.

My view is that policing the Net will be a thankless and almost impossible task. Doing so would further alienate the Government from the online community.

It is also a fantasy to believe that the online community will one day be able to police itself due to the enormous external and internal influences.

As a first step, the Government should manage its current online presence better with swifter response times, which is a fundamental trait of the online community.

The Government must also understand the communication dynamics in the online world. A statement followed immediately with a strong rebuttal usually either leads to an escalation in online confrontation, or worse, the withdrawal of the contributor to some other site.

Currently, certain sites, not managed by the Government, can be identified as places where open and thoughtful discussion can be engaged.

An unreasonable expectation is to be able to respond to or challenge all contributions. Hence, finding sites which have the right mix is important.

It is also useless to enter into discussions on sites which are obviously anti- establishment. It is better to let the Darwinian laws of the Internet slowly sideline and render such sites obsolete.

Navigating the Net requires a thicker skin. If every post or blog receives an automatic brutal response, it becomes easier to know how to bait the respondents.

I have yet to find a government anywhere which has been able to engage its online citizens seamlessly, but I hope our Government will give it a shot.

Mr Tong Hsien-Hui

* * * * *

5 Feb 2009
Straits Times

By Zakir Hussain, Political Correspondent

When MP Seng Han Thong was set on fire by a Yio Chu Kang resident last month, he drew many online attacks that were vicious.

Some were 'downright outrageous', said Senior Minister of State (Information, Communications and the Arts) Lui Tuck Yew in Parliament yesterday.

He was referring to postings that included statements saying Mr Seng deserved to be assaulted and a list of 10 things he should 'be thankful for' in spite of being attacked.

But instead of silencing these attackers, the online community largely bit their tongue.

The tepid response of netizens to the nasty comments disappointed Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui, who said it was 'quite apparent the Internet is not an effective self-regulated regime as some may have touted it to be'.

RADM Lui was replying to Ms Penny Low (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC), who had asked for his views on netizens' response to the physical attack on Mr Seng, MP for Yio Chu Kang.

He said: 'I do not think the community itself has done enough to rebut some of these unhelpful comments delivered by fellow netizens.

'It is a squandered opportunity for a higher degree of self-regulation.It would have been an example of the genesis, of the first steps, towards a more responsible, greater, self-regulatory regime.

'But many of those responses were not rebutted or answered, and I think it is not healthy for some of this to remain on the Net unchallenged, unquestioned and unanswered.'

RADM Lui also urged netizens to do more to define acceptable online conduct.

Ms Low noted that netizens had voted quite unjustly in an online poll.

The poll posted on wayangparty.com had asked who deserved more sympathy: Mr Seng or his attacker Ong Kah Chua. The ex-cabby received 200 votes and Mr Seng, 56.

RADM Lui noted that there were some comments sympathetic to Mr Seng.

But, he added: 'The vast majority were unhelpful, a significant number were unkind, a small number were downright outrageous.

'It was disappointing.'

Madam Cynthia Phua (Aljunied GRC) related how sometimes, positive comments her friends wanted to make on some political sites were rejected, and asked how such sites could be open to all.

Said RADM Lui: 'I don't think we want to establish a regime where we regulate and direct the proprietors of the sites to take measures where they have to accept all comments.'

Ms Low had earlier asked him whether local netizens were mature enough to enter a self-regulated online regime and how such a regime could be developed.

RADM Lui said his ministry had not done any studies to assess their maturity level, and added: 'It would be quite apparent the Internet is not an effective self-regulated regime as some may have touted it to be.'

Rumours and lies were prevalent online, as were flaming and cyber bullying, thus netizens had a critical role to play, he said.

'Individual bloggers ought to be responsible and accountable in their postings. Website proprietors and the online contributors must be responsible and prompt in moderating the sites to ensure credibility, objectivity and balance in the content posted,' he said.