"New communication technologies – especially the Internet – are sometimes seen as technically defying effective control by authoritarian regimes. Commentators base this argument on the observation that in many countries in the region various online forums, websites, newsgroups and other Internet applications have flourished as tools for use by political activists and that governments seemed unable to control these instantaneous forums." ...

"What it has done is to offer people the ability to organize themselves and communicate in groups. The advent of new communication technologies, particularly the Internet, has provided civil society with a new and powerful tool for linking people. Gone are the days of communications that were mainly hierarchical chains of command and used by centralized states to hold onto power. The use of the Internet, e-mail, mobile phones and satellite broadcasting is key to this revolution of introducing lateral communication and thereby breaking down the hierarchical control by the power elites." ...

"In Singapore, political activity on the Internet is fledgling and civil society is weak. At the heart of the problem are the actions of the ruling PAP that continuously legislates and creates cyber taskforces to regulate and control free speech on the Internet. Its aim is to prevent civil society groups from harnessing the Internet for democratic gains. Towards this end, the ruling regime has been attempting to translate its long and successful history of control over information and freedom of expression in the traditional arena by using a combination of legal, technical and social measures to shape the use of new technologies for political communication. Part of the strategy also lies in harnessing the Internet for official propaganda and ideological exercises, and e-government initiatives, as a counter-offensive against attempts to use new technologies to establish more independent political space." ...

"The Internet offered greater autonomy for people to people communication, the PAP regimes response was to define some of that communication as “political” and introduce measures to control to it. The author’s response to the government’s attempt to control the use of technology for communication and mobilisation of two kinds. First, to personalize Internet usage by setting up an individual mail list and website. Second, to also regionalize the expertise gathered through the Singapore experience and bounce it onto a global platform." ...

"I, however, will argue that as long as there is resistance and counter strategies to politicize Singapore, the fight is far from over."

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR CHAPTER ONE - "WIRING UP THE CITY-STATE"