Straits Times: WP forms 'action plan' to attract more Malays

Leaders see lack of support from Malays as key reason for Aljunied GRC defeat

BY ZAKIR HUSSAIN

THE Workers' Party (WP) is rolling out its post-election plans to attract more Malay members and reach out to the community, starting with the young.

Four Malays now sit on the 12-member council of the party's youth wing, compared to none when the youth wing was formed in 2005.

"There are steps being taken to cultivate Malay party members," said WP vice-chairman Mohammed Rahizan Yaacob, declining to reveal more details.

The Straits Times understands that there is a "Malay action plan", and early indications of the type of outreach activities the party is keen on.

During the fasting month last October, for example, WP members went door to door in the private residential area of Opera Estate, which has a significant Malay population, to collect traditional Malay outfits, or baju kurung.

Youth wing members then distributed the clothes to the Pertapis Children's Home in time for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

The party's interest in the Malay community was sparked by its post-mortem of how it fared in last year's general election. The WP leaders felt that a lack of support from the Malays was a key reason for its defeat in the closely watched Aljunied GRC then.

Party secretary-general and Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang said then that the party had to work harder to get candidates from minority communities if it wanted to improve on its showing in the GRCs.

Since then, "a fair number of minority members have joined", said party chairman and Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim.

Three members elected to the youth wing's council at its conference in August were:

>> Mr Abdul Salim Harun, 25, a sales officer. He was a WP candidate in Ang Mo Kio GRC last year and is the youngest member of the WP executive council.

>> Mr Muhammad Noor, 29, who runs his own business dealing with health-care and ambulance services.

>> Mr Muhammad Faisal Abdul Manap, 31, a counsellor with a voluntary welfare organisation. The former technical officer with the HDB is a psychology graduate from Monash University.

>> The fourth, Mr Firuz Khan, 40, was co-opted to the youth wing's council in November. The general manager of chocolate company Royce' in Singapore has a master's degree in business administration from the University of Birmingham and is a former administrator of the Pertapis Children's Home.

Asked why he joined the WP, he said: "It's healthy to have diverse, alternative views on issues, and I thought I could contribute."

Mr Firuz will be speaking at a forum today, organised by the WP at its headquarters, on the proposed amendments to the Penal Code.

Said Ms Lim: "We recognise the need for WP to represent Singapore as a whole and to be in touch with concerns and sentiments across all communities."

Added deputy webmaster and youth wing secretary Glenda Han, 30: "We look across the board for people. I don't think we make a distinction, although we'll be happy if more minorities join us."

zakir@sph.com.sg

Straits Times: WP names young duo as webmasters

BY KEN KWEK

TWO young members of the Workers' Party (WP) leadership have been tasked to take charge of the party's website, following the recent resignation of two senior members, including its former webmaster Goh Meng Seng.

Mr Brandon Siow, 31, who stood as a candidate in East Coast GRC in the last General Election, is now the party's webmaster.

Miss Glenda Han, 30, secretary of the party's youth wing, has been appointed deputy webmaster, taking over from Mr Siow.

The new appointments, which were announced on the party's website, came after Mr Goh resigned from the WP last month.

The reason he gave was that he had given the party a "bad image" in a disagreement he had with WP critics on an online forum.

Earlier this month, lawyer Chia Ti Lik, who was deputy organising secretary and member of the party's central executive council (CEC), also quit the party. He said he was unhappy with the rules the party imposed on CEC members when using the Internet.

IT consultant Yaw Shin Leong, 30, the party's organising secretary told The Straits Times yesterday that there were no immediate plans to replace Mr Chia.

"The department is running well, so we're keeping that position vacant at the moment," he said.

After the two resignations, party chief Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim said the WP's leadership had issued a set of Internet guidelines disallowing CEC members from participating in online forums using their real names.

This was to keep the forums non-partisan, they explained.

Yesterday, Miss Han, a WP candidate in Ang Mo Kio GRC during the May elections, said she and Mr Siow would be in charge of updating information on the party's website.

But they would not be monitoring the Internet to ensure party members adhered to the new guidelines, she added.

"I think the new rule preventing CEC members from joining Internet forums in their real name is not unreasonable. The party must have a unified stand without contradicting statements from individuals," she said.

"But that is distinct from my new role as deputy webmaster, which is technical, not regulatory," she said.

Sunday Times: What's the story?

The Workers' Party was recently hit by the resignation of two senior members. Does it hint of trouble in the party? Peh Shing Huei and Ken Kwek investigate.


PREVIOUSLY SEEN AS RISING STARS in the Workers' Party, lawyer Chia Ti Lik (left) and businessman Goh Meng Seng's recent departures have sparked comments that there has been jockeying among younger party members for bigger roles in the party's activities. Others say some members are trying to draw closer to the senior leadership which decides who works in which area.

WHEN Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan launched a three-day stand-off with the police at the Speakers' Corner two months ago, Mr Abdul Salim Harun became a little curious.

It was during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings here, and Dr Chee had wanted to march from the Speakers' Corner to Parliament House.

"I had never seen such a demonstration, and wanted to experience what it was like," said the 25-year-old Workers' Party (WP) central executive council (CEC) member.

But Mr Abdul Salim, a WP candidate in Ang Mo Kio GRC during the May General Election, did more than just look.

Along with some other young WP members, he bought some cold cheng tng for Dr Chee and comrades, a gesture that was highlighted, with thanks, on the SDP website.

The cheng tng overture received an icy reception from the WP leaders.

Sources told The Sunday Times that WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang was displeased. He has always eschewed Dr Chee's aggressive approach to politics, and was loath to have his party's name linked to the SDP's latest stunt.

Mr Low's own brand of leadership has been regarded as a key reason for the WP's rise. But, less than six months after its strong election showing, the Hougang MP is finding his tight WP outfit fraying at the edges.

During the elections, the opposition party had impressed the public and observers with its discipline and unity.

Its team of young, educated candidates burnished the 49-year-old party's reputation, allowing it to retain the Hougang seat with an increased vote share, and garner the Non-Constituency MP position for being the best-performing loser in the opposition camp.

But since the hustings, the WP leadership has found it trickier to rein in young members eager to flex their political muscles.

They want to participate in Internet forums; they want to engage the media more pro-actively; and they are not afraid to show their support for another opposition party.

Said Mr Abdul Salim about the party leaders: "In terms of allowing different voices and criticisms within the party, I do feel they are a little conservative. But at the same time, I think they know there is a need to open up. It's just that the process takes time."

That process may be moving too slowly for some.

Last week, two young CEC members told The Straits Times they had quit the party.

Lawyer Chia Ti Lik, 32, resigned on Thursday in protest over the party's new regulations curtailing CEC members' Internet activities.

Computer retail businessman Goh Meng Seng, 36, left because he felt his harsh online postings had created a bad image for the party.

Both were rising stars in the party, with Mr Chia leading the East Coast GRC team to score 36.1 per cent of the votes in the General Election, and Mr Goh a part of the WP "A Team" which garnered 43.9 per cent in Aljunied GRC.

Nanyang Technological University Associate Professor Ho Khai Leong, an observer of opposition politics here, did not find their reasons for resignation convincing.

He said: "It seems trivial and petty, to the point of being laughable. Would a party member in Parliament resign because there is a party whip imposed? That is the rule of the game, which members have to accept."

But besides the Internet regulations, members also point to other instances of unhappiness.

Sources close to the party say there has recently been jockeying among younger members for a bigger role in party activities in Aljunied GRC. After the departure of candidates James Gomez and Tan Wui-Hua for overseas job postings, party members have been vying for places in the next "A Team".

One source said: "After the GE, there was a sudden change in the alignment of some people. People seemed to want to draw closer to the senior leadership which decides who is assigned to work in which area."

There have also been certain apprehensions about Mr Low's style of leadership. He may be recognised as the unofficial leader of the opposition in the new Parliament, but he is not above criticism within his own ranks.

"I think the party leadership is overly conservative," said Mr Chia. "Some might say that it's about being cautious. But I think sometimes you can be too cautious, shy away from important issues, and you don't perform as an opposition should."

He added: "When we're discussing issues among ourselves, there is less tolerance for differences of opinion."

Mr Low disagreed. He told The Sunday Times yesterday: "It's the same as managing any organisation. You can't please everybody. But we give everyone a stake, let them say what they want to say at meetings, then set a direction and course of action."

Regarding the "slow and tedious process of clearance" that Mr Chia claimed CEC members are subjected to if they want to respond to any public issue, Mr Low believes it is a trade-off the party has to accept if it wants to arrive at consensus within a "collective leadership".

Caution must also be exercised by party members to avoid libel suits, he said. "If a party member issues a public statement and is sued for defamation, everyone is implicated, not just the one person."

But Mr Chia, who recently posted a statement online attacking People's Action Party MP Wee Siew Kim's defence of his daughter, said that being too cautious amounted to paying "lip service" to the call for alternative views, and for checks and balances.

He argued: "The opposition at the moment does not live up to its role. It is too silent or too restrained in its criticism of the Government."

WP chairman Sylvia Lim yesterday told The Sunday Times there was no restriction on members issuing critical statements on personal blogs.

The only restriction imposed on CEC members was that they should not participate in online forums, which she felt should be kept non-partisan.

Observers are divided on how these rumblings of discontent and the recent resignations will affect the WP. Prof Ho said that unless damage control is done soon, it would "cast a long shadow on the credibility of the party".

But Dr Terence Chong, a fellow with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, did not think there will be a major impact.

"The reasons for resignation are not scandalous or criminal, but of personal differences and expectations. Most Singaporeans understand this," he said.

Both Mr Low and Ms Lim are sanguine about the recent turn of events, saying they are merely "teething problems" of a growing party.

But the unavoidable fact for the leadership is that if the WP wants to expand beyond its two parliamentary seats, it must find a way to accommodate an increasing number of contending personalities.

Party leaders will have to figure out how to cater to different modes of expression, while containing the internal tussles for influence and public exposure.

shpeh@sph.com.sg
kenkwek@sph.com.sg

---

WP leaders: It's part and parcel of the growing process

An interview with Workers' Party secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim yesterday


MS LIM is confident of the party pushing forward despite losing two members recently.


MR LOW says the WP isn't based on individuals but on collective leadership.

Q: Can you give your comments on the recent resignations of Mr Goh Meng Seng and Mr Chia Ti Lik from your party?

Ms Sylvia Lim: I think this is part and parcel of the growing process. As any organisation grows, there will be some teething problems. Generally, although the members may feel a bit sad, I think they're still committed to pushing forward.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: I don't think we should expect any person who stands as a candidate to always be with the party.

Q: Mr Chia had a certain following in East Coast GRC and among the young, while Mr Goh had a certain appeal among the Mandarin-speaking crowd. How do you intend to recover some of the lost ground?

Mr Low: You will know when the next election comes. We do have younger members and many of them are pretty active. It's premature at this time to say who will replace them, or how to replace them. The party is a whole, an organisation, and isn't based on individuals. We believe in collective leadership, and we hope people will look at us as the Workers' Party rather than as different individuals.

Q: Some WP members have said they feel the leadership is a little conservative, a little too controlling of dissenting views within the party.

Mr Low: It's the same as managing any organisation. You can't please everybody. But we give everyone a stake, we let them say what they want to say in whatever discussions we hold, we set a direction and decide on a course of actions.

Ms Lim: We have said that members should be free within the party to bring out whatever views they want. But when you engage outside as an organisation, there should be a unified stand.

Q: Mr Chia felt that he needed to be able to legitimise his statements (on the Internet) by using his own name?

Ms Lim: We have been thinking about this issue for a number of weeks. The other side we see from people who take part in these forums is that they value the anonymity, because they can say what they want. And the presence of WP office holders there makes them feel very uncomfortable. We have to respect people who are not in political parties, give them that space, let them go and debate things. It shouldn't be partisan.

---

Party's dos and don'ts on the Internet

INTERNET guidelines for Workers' Party Central Executive Council (CEC) members, as told to The Sunday Times by party chief Low Thia Khiang and party chairman Sylvia Lim:

• CEC members should not participate in online forums in their own names as partisan postings can make others "feel uncomfortable".

• CEC members are allowed to have their own personal blogs.

• CEC members are allowed to write letters to the media in their personal capacities or to post them on their own blogs.

• If CEC members wish to make any public statement on behalf of the party, whether to the mainstream media or on the Internet, they must first clear it with the party leadership.

Weekend TODAY: Frustrations under the whip

Decision to quit Workers' Party was not taken at the last minute, says Chia

ANSLEY NG
ansley@mediacorp.com.sg

THE resignation of Mr Chia Ti Lik from the Workers' Party (WP) was the result of months of "frustration", and not one that was made suddenly, according to the lawyer once dubbed the rising star of the Opposition party.

On Thursday, Mr Chia - a member of WP's Central Executive Council (CEC) - quit in apparent protest of a party ban on members speaking freely on the Internet. His resignation was the second in three days; WP member Goh Meng Seng had quit after his harsh postings on online forums.

But according to a source close to the party, Mr Chia's unhappiness had begun festering after the General Election (GE), apparently over how the party was not "active" in engaging the Government on issues.

"There were frustrations. There was a process and it wasn't a last-minute thing," Mr Chia told TODAY but declined to elaborate.

On Tuesday night, 13 CEC members - including party chief Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim - had, in a meeting, agreed to stop WP members posting messages online using their real names.

Two days later, Mr Chia, who was not at the meeting, quit. Ms Lim told TODAY, "While we are always sad to lose people, we respect their decision. They have made important contributions to the party.

"However, I believe that it is healthy for organisations to go through norming processes. The WP will remain focused and continue to work to earn the people's support."

The resignations surprised many, including political watcher Dr Ho Khai Leong, who said: "You don't join a political party without deep thought, nor do you quit so easily. The WP is imposing a party whip, in a sense, on members."

Calling the CEC's decision "disappointing", Mr Chia said: "I do not try to force them to go my way, but if I cannot accept a certain restriction, it's time for me to leave rather than stay and break (the rules)."

During the GE, Mr Chia had led his East Coast GRC team to win 36.15 per cent of the votes against a People's Action Party team helmed by Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar.

Over the months, Mr Chia and Mr Goh had engaged in online forum discussions on social and political issues. But two weeks ago, Netizens complained to the WP about Mr Goh. WP member Perry Tong also made a police report when someone posted a message in his name.

Mr Chia said his aim had been to get talk going and "not to attack people".

"It's not: 'I have my way, you cannot have yours'. It's more like: 'I have this view, what's yours?' Once you have more minds speaking on a problem, who knows, you might have a very creative solution," he added.

Straits Times: Workers' Party hit by another resignation

Rising star opposed to new party curbs on Internet postings

BY KEN KWEK & PEH SHING HUEI

A RISING star in the Workers' Party quit the party yesterday in protest over members' right to speak freely on the Internet.

Lawyer and central executive council (CEC) member Chia Ti Lik, who led the WP's East Coast GRC team at the May General Election, said that he was opposed to a new resolution on Internet conduct passed by the party leadership.

The new ruling prevents CEC members from posting comments or statements on the Internet in their own name.

"This is about freedom of expression. Opposition members must be allowed to voice their criticism of the Government's policies and engage in any issue or debate that is of public interest," said Mr Chia.

One of the WP's youngest leaders, Mr Chia, 32, is the second member in as many weeks to resign from the party.

On Tuesday, another CEC member, Mr Goh Meng Seng, said he quit the WP two weeks ago after creating what he called "a bad image" for the party with his harsh online postings.

Party leaders met on Tuesday night at WP's Jalan Besar headquarters and passed the Internet resolution.

Mr Chia, who was not at the meeting, was dismayed by the move, saying it further limited the WP's "scope and pace" of communication with the public.

"Since we often face problems getting our views across in the mainstream press, our only fallback is the Internet. This is a step backwards in public engagement," he said.

He added that CEC members were now subject to a "slow and tedious process of clearance" if they wanted to respond to any public issue.

Mr Chia joined the WP in 2004, becoming its assistant organising secretary a year later.

He revealed yesterday that the Internet restrictions were among other frustrations he had with the party leadership over the last six months, including during the polls.

One other issue was manpower. He said: "During the General Election, we were very short-handed. Many supporters who helped out in East Coast GRC were not even party members. They were our friends and family."

He added that he did not intend to join another political party any time soon.

Mr Perry Tong, a CEC member and the WP's youth wing president, told The Straits Times he was surprised by Mr Chia's resignation.

As for the WP's new Internet regulation, Mr Tong said he was "comfortable" with it as the party needed to be cautious about participating in discussions that were "not always responsible".

Both the party's secretary-general Low Thia Khiang and chairman Sylvia Lim could not be reached for comment last night.

kenkwek@sph.com.sg
shpeh@sph.com.sg

Straits Times: Senior WP member quits over Net fracas

BY PEH SHING HUEI & KEN KWEK


HIS DECISION: Mr Goh stressed that he was not pushed out of the party.

SENIOR Workers' Party member Goh Meng Seng has quit the party, taking responsibility for Internet postings he said had tarnished the WP's reputation.

"I need to be accountable for it," said the 36-year-old, who was part of the WP's Aljunied team in the last polls.

However, sources say he was also unhappy with impending party guidelines to curtail members' postings on the Internet, a claim he denied.

Mr Goh, an active netizen, had attracted brickbats recently on online forums for harsh language, calling a forum participant "scheming" and "lacking in integrity".

A netizen even fired a letter to party chairman Sylvia Lim, complaining about WP members' online behaviour.

Mr Goh told The Straits Times yesterday: "It has created a bad image for the party and the party must come first. Someone must be accountable."

He stressed that he was not pushed out of the party and that his comrades had asked him to stay.

His resignation two weeks ago came as a shock to party members. He was a central executive committee (CEC) member and part of the WP's "A team" led by Ms Lim, which claimed 43.9 per cent of the valid votes in Aljunied GRC during May's General Election.

Mr Goh, who joined the WP in 2001, said it was not an easy decision to quit. "I may not be a veteran who has been with the party for over 40 years. But there is still an emotional attachment," he said.

"I have no regrets," he said repeatedly, adding in Mandarin: "Tian xia mei you bu san zhi yan xi." The Chinese proverb he quoted states that there is no banquet in this world that lasts forever.

He said he has not thought of joining another opposition party and will still help out with WP activities.

Ms Lim told The Straits Times last night the party is "always sad to lose people".

Added WP secretary-general Low Thia Khiang: "I have to respect his choice. I respect the individual's choice, and he has made his contributions to the party in the past." He did not want to elaborate on the reasons behind Mr Goh's departure.

On the party's Internet guidelines, he said: "There was some feedback from younger members of the party who are active on the Internet, that perhaps we should have certain 'netiquette'.

"Since it's something from the ground that younger members would like to see, the CEC will take it up and see what is the best we can come up with."

Straits Times: Net user apologises for taking WP youth chief's ID

THE Internet user who used the name of opposition politician Perry Tong two weeks ago in a popular online forum, has apologised to the Workers' Party (WP) Youth Wing president for doing so.

Mr Bernard Soh sent an e-mail to the media on Thursday, identifying himself as the person who had used the nickname "Perry Tong" on the popular Sammyboy website.

He also attached his letter of apology to Mr Tong, which Mr Soh said he had sent to the politician and posted online on the Sammyboy website as well.

Mr Soh said he was "very traumatised" that a police report had been filed earlier this week by Mr Tong for the fraudulent use of his name on the Internet.

He wrote to Mr Tong: "I would like to offer my sincere apologies to you if my action has caused you any distress or unhappiness in any way."

Calling himself a fervent supporter of the WP for the past 10 years, he told the youth leader he used his name because he was disappointed at the "mudslinging" between WP members on the Sammyboy website.

He wanted to use the "authority" of someone like Mr Tong to get them to stop, he said.

Mr Tong had earlier posted a statement on the party's Youth Wing website saying someone had used his e-mail address as a sign-on to the forum.

But Mr Soh denied he had hacked into Mr Tong's account. He said he had used a fictitious e-mail address to register with the website.

"I registered the nickname 'Perry Tong' using a fictitious e-mail that doesn't exist and not your e-mail," he wrote to Mr Tong.

In his e-mail to the media, Mr Soh said: "It is most unfortunate that Mr Tong chose to report this incident to the police, and the irony of it is I am a WP supporter."

No personal details of Mr Soh are available because he did not reply to The Straits Times' e-mail message.

When contacted yesterday, the police said they have been informed of Mr Soh's letter but the investigation is still ongoing.

Mr Tong was in the Philippines yesterday and could not be reached for comment.

KEN KWEK

TODAY: Workers' Party netiquette comes under fire

TOR CHING LI
chingli@mediacorp.com.sg

SOME Workers' Party members have recently become entangled in an Internet forum "brawl", with mudslinging and namecalling aplenty - to the extent of sparking a thread on the Young People's Action Party online forum entitled "WP members being complained (sic) on internet forums". This has garnered more than 80 postings since Oct 14.

One netizen, Mohammad Razari - who claims to be a third-year Singapore Polytechnic electrical engineering student residing in Hougang Ave 1 and says he is a former participant in WP's outreach programmes - sent a complaint letter to WP chairman Sylvia Lim and secretary-general Low Thia Khiang, citing what he thought to be unacceptable online conduct by WP members such as party webmaster Goh Meng Seng.

He said Mr Goh, a computer retail businessman, was narrow-minded to have called a forum participant "scheming" and "lacking in integrity" after "losing an argument". He also thought Mr Goh had threatened to sue another forum participant for implying that Mr Goh visited the www.sggirls.com forum.

In general, WP members were accused of being "argumentative", attempting to "sow discord" between various party supporters and even of taking the guise of online "clones" - or posting replies under alternative usernames - to "influence perception".

These online rumblings are reflected on Sammyboy threads called "Complaint letter to WP Central Executive Committee" and "Any respond (sic), follow up from Sylvia and WP?" with more than 40 and nearly 200 postings respectively.

When approached by TODAY for a response, Mr Goh clarified he had "categorically said (he) will not sue" the forum participant for his misinformed statement. He explained the SG Girls forum shared the same database as www.sgforums.com, and that he does not frequent the former site.

As for his harsh words used on the forum participant, Mr Goh said: "What I said could have been harsh but you have to look at it in context. People who argue with me will find me argumentative. But since his agenda is questionable, I am not going to engage him in discussions any more."

Mr Goh, who has been active in the forum scene since 2003, said he still thinks Internet forums are a good venue to answer critics and eventually win them over. Nevertheless, he added that postings on such freewheeling forums "have to be taken with a pinch of salt".

As with all things online, not every posting can be taken at face value. WP Youth Wing president Perry Tong recently filed a police report after someone impersonated his identity on the Sammyboy online forums - also on Oct 14, coincidentally.

In the impersonated posting, "Perry Tong" sent WP member "Melvin Tan" a message that read: "We must keep 'forumers' here constantly updated about WP activities. Keep clear of mudslinging and personal attacks. I have already instructed Meng Seng and Andrew to stop."

In an email response to TODAY, WP chairman Ms Lim said: "We are aware that there is activity in the Sammyboy forums involving WP members. Such communications are engaged in the personal capacity of the members concerned as we have not appointed any official spokesman for Internet communications. The official position of the party is to be found on our website and official statements issued."

Ms Lim added the party is reviewing some existing "general guidelines" for office bearers regarding Internet communications, "with a view to issuing some guidelines to all members".

In view of the online backlash to WP's presence, Internet observer Siew Kum Hong said: "One really has to be very disciplined and restrained when participating in such forums. If one engages long enough in such a medium, it is inevitable there will be a backlash from the community. It's then a question of how one deals with it. This is probably why you don't see the PAP MPs engaging in such Internet forums."

In channels such as blogs or websites - which are employed by PAP MPs, such as the www.p65.sg site - one can control one's message and how one chooses to engage the public, he said.

Nanyang Technological University Associate Professor in Political Science, Prof Ho Khai Leong believes both extremes - that of the MPs' aim to "reach, teach and preach" and the netizens' mission to "analyse, scrutinise and criticise" - will help mould cyberspace.

He said: "Both these approaches, in their extreme forms, will no doubt invite criticisms, which I think is healthy. As political blogs and bloggers and forumers mature and become more mundane - as we are seeing in many blogs - the more serious and thoughtful blogs and forums will make the more absurd and outlandish ones irrelevant in our everyday discourse of politics in cyberspace."

Straits Times: Fake Net posting: WP youth chief files police report

WORKERS' Party (WP) Youth Wing chief Perry Tong has filed a police report over a fraudulent posting made in his name on a popular Internet forum.

He said in a statement on the Youth Wing's website that someone used his e-mail address as a sign-on to the Sammyboy forum and created an account in the name of "Perry Tong". His statement included a screenshot of the post, made on the forum two weeks ago.

The post said that the WP should keep the forum posted of its activities. "Keep clear of mudslinging and personal attacks," it added.

In his statement, Mr Tong, 35, said he could not have created the post on Oct 14 as he was in Pulau Tioman, Malaysia, teaching HSBC staff about scuba diving. Staff at the dive shop would be able to verify that, he added.

"My sincerest apologies to any members of the public who may have been misled," he said.

Mr Tong, a management consultant and part of the WP team that contested unsuccessfully in East Coast GRC in the May General Election, is in the Philippines. He told The Straits Times: "I'm a political figure, ran in the recent election and have some public recognition. I don't think it is a good idea to have someone running around impersonating me."

A police spokesman confirmed yesterday that a report had been received, and said the matter was being looked into.

PEH SHING HUEI

Straits Times: WP: S'pore Govt must act more urgently and firmly

By Peh Shing Huei

THE Workers' Party (WP) says that the Singapore Government owes it to its citizens to "adopt a greater sense of urgency and firmness" in solving the haze problem.

In a statement signed by party chairman Sylvia Lim, the opposition party yesterday questioned the progress made since the early 1990s when the smoke from forest fires in Indonesia first hit Singapore.

"Singaporeans have been more than patient. Fourteen years on, what progress has been made?" asked Ms Lim, who is also a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament.

She added: "The PSI levels in Singapore continue to reach unhealthy levels, reducing visibility and creating health problems such as respiratory difficulties and eye irritation. Singaporeans have been suffering physical damage, inconvenience and expense for years."

The problem requires regional commitment to solve, the party said, adding that it hopes that the meeting of Asean environment ministers this weekend in Pekanbaru will not be a futile one.

"While respecting the sovereignty of our neighbour Indonesia, the Singapore Government owes it to Singaporeans to adopt a greater sense of urgency and firmness in working out effective solutions to the haze problem," said the WP.

It has proposed setting some milestones. These include a timeline for Indonesia to ratify the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and a schedule and implementation plan from the Indonesian government on prevention, detection and putting-out of fires.

The WP also said there should be a commitment from the Indonesian government to improve its laws and prosecute those who start forest fires. There should also be contributions from Asean countries, including Singapore, to help Indonesia.

Asked what she thought the Singapore Government should do if the Indonesians could not be persuaded to act, Ms Lim told The Straits Times: "The Asean countries have to discuss and find ways to get Indonesia to comply."

But she added: "The problem is hard to solve."