TR EMERITUS

OPINION

YPAP Chairman Teo Ser Luck and Vice Chairman Zaqy Mohammad have come under fire lately in cyberspace for their inept handling of the “Eric How” fiasco which is turning out to be a PR disaster for the YPAP.

Even before the callous comments made by “Eric How”, other YPAP members have incurred the wrath of netizens by their most insensitive, arrogant and over-bearing attitude.

YPAP member Sear Hock Rong leaked confidential information about an online critic of the PAP Alex Tan and used it to attack him. Instead of moderating his remarks, other YPAP moderators of its Facebook Edgar Khieu and Genesis Shen joined in the fray.

When asked to clarify if there are any conflict of interests between his business interests and grassroots work, Sear challenged netizens to make a report against him.

It is almost impossible to maintain a decent exchange on the YPAP Facebook without Edgar Khieu and Genesis Shen issuing warnings to netizens of all sorts to “watch” their words.

As leaders of the YPAP, Teo Ser Luck and Zaqy Mohamad should have put a stop to such anti-social behavior by their members right from the beginning. The fact that they did not do so seem to suggest that they condone and endorse such online speech and actions and share some, if not all of their views.

When “Eric How” posted his infamous remarks slamming netizens who criticize the government because they did not get any “fruits” from their forefathers, nobody from the YPAP stepped forward to condemn him or distance themselves from it.

YPAP Facebook moderators Edgar Khieu and Genesis Shen even joined in the chorus and sing to the tune of “Eric How”. Only after two weeks did YPAP bother to put up an “official statement” to protect their asses. What do they treat netizens as? A bunch of idiots to be pushed around by them like this?

The media reported that Teo Ser Luck had spoken to one of the “Eric Hows” about the remarks posted after which he lodged a police report.

Anybody familiar with the new media would have advised Eric How not to blow the matter up by going to the police and media. In fact, the matter will never be given such an extensive publicity in the press without the tacit support of the senior leadership of YPAP.

Not too long ago, a YPAP member wrote in to us threatening to lodge a police report over one of our readers posting his personal particulars on our site. He alleged that he had been “harassed” after that.

We advised him against doing so as it will only create more negative publicity for the YPAP and he finally agreed to let the matter rest.

The media reports on the “Eric How” fracas sounds like an damage control exercise conjured up by the spin doctors of SPH to get YPAP out of trouble as the negative publicity continues to snowball.

Instead of pondering carefully if the “Eric How” who made those comments is indeed an impostor, both Teo Ser Luck and Zaqy Mohamad  jumped straight to the conclusion that he is and therefore the new media is not trustworthy.

Teo Ser Luck told Chinese tabloid Lianhe Wanbao that it is a “challenge” to differentiate the truth from the lies on the new media. Zaqy Mohamad told The Straits Times the incident was ‘unfortunate’. ‘But this is the reality of the Internet, who can you trust?’, he added, insinuating that the new media cannot be trusted.

As we have more than adequately demonstrated, it is highly unlikely that the “Eric How” responsible for the offensive remarks about netizens is an impostor. (read article here)

Based on our preliminary investigation, there is indeed an “Eric How” from NUS Arts and Social Sciences and his family has close connections with the PAP. (If you are from NUS and you know this Eric How, please contact us at [email protected])

At the very least, both Teo and Zaqy should have suspended their judgement until more information is made available instead of accusing the new media for spreading unverified rumors about YPAP members.

They are supposedly the “best talents” in Singapore and it is absolutely amazing and appalling that they are unable to spot the loopholes in this case.

Being public figures and MPs, their words carry a lot of weight and it is disappointing that they think so lowly of Singapore bloggers and netizens.

Since they have wronged the online community, shouldn’t they have the decency to apologize to them?

We hereby call on Teo Ser Luck and Zaqy Mohamad to apologize to Singapore netizens for the following:

1. Failure to rein in on disruptive, arrogant and brash YPAP members like Sear Hock Rong who went around flaming netizens and attacking their characters.

2. Endorsing the statement made by “Eric How” on 1 January 2010 for more than two weeks by their complete silence on the matter.

3. Wrongly attacking the new media for spreading lies about “Eric How” when the truth of the matter is not out yet.

Saying sorry is not enough – Sorry also must explain!

Teo and Zaqy should also explain their inaction and actions to netizens:

1. Are they aware of YPAP Sear Hock Rong’s incessant attacks on Alex Tan and his business interests in Eunos and if they do, why didn’t they speak to him about it?

2. Do they know about the “Eric How”’s remarks on 1 January 2010 and why didn’t they denounce them immediately?

3. Why didn’t they stop the two “Eric Hows” from making the police reports or did they ask them to do so?

4. What makes them so sure that the “Eric How” is an impostor when all the facts seem to suggest otherwise?

5. Did they check their facts thoroughly before they make those unwarranted remarks about Singapore netizens in the press?

It appears from recent events that YPAP is never interested or sincere in wanting to engage the online community. It sets its own rules for engagement and demands that we follow them.

Unable to take the heat from their critics, they resort to making police reports to intimidate them into silence and to throw smokescreens via the mainstream media to confuse the public.

Since YPAP members and supporters are unwilling to conform to the usual practices of the larger online community, it is better that they stay within their own clique to practice their standard PAP-type of conversations with one another.

We call on all netizens in Singapore to BOYCOTT the YPAP till Teo Ser Luck and Zaqy Mohamad show remorse and issue a public apology to us.

Do not post on their blogs, websites or Facebooks. IGNORE them completely. If you are already on their Facebook or mailing list, leave immediately. Be careful when posting comments on their sites as any wrong word you use may result in a police report lodge against you.

After all, YPAP members have stopped engaging netizens on its Facebook already and it doesn’t make sense to continue talking to a “wall” there.

In the meantime, we urge the “Eric How” who made those comments about netizens being “donkeys” to be a man and own up. We know who you are and we are just collating the evidence to prove to the public beyond any doubt that you are not an impostor and you exist in real life.

21 Responses to “Call on YPAP Teo Ser Luck and Zaqy Mohamad to apologize to netizens over the”Eric How” fiasco”