Packed rallies are out, along with their cheers and jeers. In comes the Internet, with its memes and trolls.
The era of social distancing ushered in by COVID-19 has forced Singapore’s political parties to face off online in the lead-up to today’s general election.
“Compared to past elections, parties clearly are adopting a more experimental approach to sustain people’s interest and meet different needs,” said Carol Soon (孫婉婷), a senior research fellow at the Nation University of Singapore.
Though previous elections have increasingly seen political parties vie for voters’ attention online, social media quickly shaped up to be a key pillar in campaign strategies this time around.
The shift came as politicians face public health restrictions on election activities with Singapore still grappling with COVID-19 infections. That includes the scrapping of physical rallies, typically held outdoors at stadiums, sometimes attracting tens of thousands of voters.
Social media has presented an opportunity for parties to obtain greater access to voters, many of whom are digitally-savvy and increasingly politically engaged.
Ahead of the polls, most opposition parties sought to reach voters by bolstering their content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. They also made use of the ability to conduct live video broadcasts on platforms such as YouTube and Zoom.
To facilitate online campaigning, venues were provided for candidates to do live streaming at certain time slots throughout the day during the campaign period, equipped with Internet connectivity at subsidized rates.
Minutes after the Singaporean parliament was dissolved last month, the Singaporean Workers’ Party — the main opposition force — posted a video introducing its 12 candidates in the election.
The video of its lineup of candidates smiling for the camera and set to soaring music had as of Sunday garnered 210,000 views.
Tan Cheng Bock (陳清木), the 80-year-old leader of the Progress Singapore Party, became a sensation after he attempted to use millennial slang while addressing the press during a walkabout.
Tan has avidly posted content on Instagram, including a video showing how he types with one finger, in an effort to relate to younger voters.
“Cyberspace has helped open up Singapore’s political culture,” Hong Kong Baptist University media studies professor Cherian George said.
Whether that would have an impact on “electoral outcomes is a very different question. So far, the answer is no,” he said.
The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) said it is “constantly looking for ways to creatively” get its message out on social media, but there still are limitations to its online reach.
“We have always depended on rallies and large walkabouts which are banned for this election,” SDP Chairman Paul Ananth Tambyah said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Many of the country’s present ministers, who hail from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), are already established on the same online platforms.
The party has governed since independence in 1965. While Singapore does not allow opinion polls, most analysts expect the PAP to easily win again in a race that will see all 93 seats contested by at least two parties for just the second time.
The PAP has revved up its social media activity by posting video segments explaining the party’s stance on key policy issues.
It is focused on the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout.
Ministers are also posting more updates about their activities during the campaign season. Collectively, the posts have garnered thousands of likes.
However, with greater access also comes greater scrutiny.
Social media has proven to be a double-edged sword that can inflict damage on the image of candidates and parties.
Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat’s (王瑞杰) blunder last week during a speech was widely shared, leading to memes poking fun at him and his comments.
Heng is widely seen as the PAP’s successor to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍).
Tan — a former PAP lawmaker — also had a near slip in rallying support for the ruling party instead of his own.
Just days before, PAP candidate Ivan Lim (林紹權) faced a wave of allegations online over his behavior when he was in the military and as an executive at a unit of conglomerate Keppel Corp.
Lim withdrew from contest shortly afterward, saying he did not want the allegations to distract from the PAP’s efforts. The incident prompted Lee to caution against a “culture of trial by the Internet.”
“It sets a very damaging precedent that you can condemn somebody and write him off on the basis of an Internet campaign,” Lee said at a virtual press conference Monday last week. “We don’t have time to settle it now, but we can’t simply write off and destroy people like this.”
In October last year, Singapore enacted a “fake news” law that empowers the government to issue correction orders and even force social media platforms to restrict access to Web-based content it deems untrue.
Officials have said the law is needed to quell errant online information —- drawing criticism from the opposition and even Facebook, amid concerns it would set a precedent for stifling free speech.
Since general elections were announced by the prime minister last month, officials continued to invoke the law.
In addition to targeting individual Facebook users, a correction order was also issued on Saturday last week against the SDP over statements about the city-state’s population target.
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