1. The foundation of any democratic and progressive national system, it is argued, is, or should be, an active citizenry. Being a citizen should mean more than casting a vote at General Elections every few years.

2. The concept of an active citizenry is not new. It forms the basis of the massive Remaking Singapore effort, which involved inputs from over 10,000 active Singaporeans from all walks of life in 65 consultation sessions over 17 months. An active citizenry is also one of five key ideas outlined by the S21 Committee.

3. Essential to the concept of an active citizenry is the notion of volunteerism. Volunteerism extends beyond the welfare services sector and includes all areas that could benefit from the work of volunteers, such as community activities and services, the arts, environment and social causes. If these are to flourish, the spirit of volunteerism must be strengthened as it forms a crucial building block of the wider civil society we hope to build, where Singaporeans, young and old, readily come forward to serve in worthwhile efforts.

4. Singapore has a low volunteerism rate of about 14.9 percent in 2002, compared to the United States (44 percent in 2001), United Kingdom (48% in 1997), and Canada (27% in 2000). A random sample survey of 1,054 Singapore residents conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies and National University of Singapore found that 24 percent were willing to serve in town councils and People's Association-related organizations, while 38 percent were willing to serve in non-government bodies. Such latent enthusiasm should be tapped. Sadly, non-government voluntary bodies are often short of volunteers in part due to their lower public profile and lack of awareness, while grassroots activities routinely receive coverage in the local print and broadcast media due to the efficient publicity machinery of the People's Association.

5. In the building of a viable and progressive nation, it is suggested that there must be three key players. These are: an active citizenry, the media and the government -- working in tandem or 'triandem'.

6. The concept of 'triandem' is to introduce the concept of working in synchronicity. While a tandem is a bicycle for two pedalling together, a triandem is a bicycle for three, pulling in the same direction towards an agreed objective. In this context, the three are an active citizenry, the media and the government. Any one of these can spearhead a particular issue or policy while the remaining two are supportive.

7. Who are these three key players?

i. Active citizenry: Voting Singapore citizens, resident in Singapore or abroad; permanent residents committed to the well-being of Singapore. Civil Society, including voluntary organisations, political parties, CDC's, CCC's, RC's, corporate bodies and establishments, professionals, heartlanders, individuals active in voluntary service, good neighbours and care-providers.

ii. The Media: Print, Radio, T.V and Internet.

iii. The Government: Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary, with the Civil Service playing a supporting role in policy- formulation and implementation.

8. This paper addresses the above under three major headings:

i. The Media being a Bridge between Government and the People

ii. The Media Promoting the Character and Profile of Civil Society

iii. The Media, in Partnership, Organising and Managing Impactful Projects for Society.

9. It proposes to draw up recommendations that will be effective and workable, given the goodwill and the political will on the parts of the three key players contributing to a democratic and progressive national system.

II. The Media being a Bridge between Government and the People

10. The government has long recognised the importance of the media as a tool in reaching out to the people and communicating its objectives and policies to them. A greater respect and mutual trust appears to be emerging between the government and the media as perhaps indicated by a wider degree of openness in respect of the release of information, promptness of replies to questions from the media and greater willingness towards granting interviews and holding "live" press conferences over radio and television.

Recommendations:

The following are some key recommendations suggested for action by some of the relevant bodies.

i) 'Live' talk shows on radio and television between key government decision makers and the public, featuring guest panelists and phone- ins, during prime time on a regular basis. Such talk shows would be a good platform for policy-makers to discuss, consult and explain proposed changes and other matters. Selected pre-policy consultation sessions, e.g. Feedback Unit dialogues on topics that have wide impact across communities, should also be conducted 'live' and unedited. The need for suitably skilled and trained moderators or journalists to facilitate such discussions cannot be over-emphasised. Furthermore, 'live' debates should be held between civil society and other activist groups and policy-makers on all issues, including controversial or sensitive ones.

ii) Full live media coverage of Parliamentary sessions should be considered in the form of a 'live' webcast on the Parliament website or other suitable Internet channels. This should be a more cost-effective alternative to 'live' TV coverage and should serve the purpose of interested audiences.

iii) Expand the forum pages in Straits Times, ZaoBao, Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu to allow more ideas to be publicly exchanged and debated via this forum. These pages already attract a high readership and are popular with advertisers, who are willing to pay a premium for such space. In addition, the electronic equivalent of these forum pages should be set up on the websites of these newspapers, containing readers' full, unedited letters, together with the responses from the relevant authorities, as is the case with print currently.

iv) Encourage media practitioners to conduct public opinion polls more often and feature their findings prominently. There should be real attempts to make these findings valid, reliable and credible. Such independently obtained data could also be useful to policy makers and researchers in formulating policies. In the interest of transparency and public disclosure, ministries and statutory boards should also be forthcoming and timely in their release of non-classified data to the media and the public.

III. The Media Promoting the Character and Profile of Civil Society

11. The media also plays an important role in helping to organise and manage projects that can have a positive impact on society. Its role could be usefully extended to promote civil society participation as well. This will give the public a better understanding of how civil society operates and behaves. According high visibility to civil society players will inspire and motivate the public to emulate these role models.

12. Television, for example, has been a powerful tool in raising funds for charity. For instance, MediaCorp works closely with National Kidney Foundation in its annual fund-raising.

13. The power of print should not be under-estimated. The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund has raised millions of dollars for needy students.

Recommendations:

i) The power of television and radio celebrities to successfully appeal to the public to contribute towards charitable causes cannot be disputed. Such artistes unfortunately come with a high price tag. Media organizations should help by reducing or waiving their artiste fees, while the Ministry of Community Development and Sports could assist civil society groups wishing to engage such artistes by defraying the cost and act as an intermediary body to co-ordinate and approve applications from the groups.

ii) The work and profile of various government agencies, such as Civil Defence, Customs, Inland Revenue, and doctors, has substantially enhanced after having been made the subject of local drama serials. Likewise, similar themes promoting the growth of civil society and an active citizenry could be woven into programmes, both fiction and non-fiction, to inspire and motivate viewers to be more pro-active.

IV. The Media, in Partnership, Organising and Managing Impactful Projects for Society

14. The concept of the 'triandem' is a concept of equal partnership. Each partner in turn - the media, active citizenry or government - and being dependent on the project, takes the initiative. The projects that will impact the entire population can be community-based or nationwide.

Recommendations:

i) Community TV Channel

The concept of a community TV channel over cable should be seriously explored. Programming for such a channel is community-based and features activities that are not normally shown on national TV. The service could be produced and run by volunteers and students and draw its funding and resources from the immediate community, e.g. through advertisements from neighbourhood businesses. Civil society groups and charitable organizations would fall within the profiling agenda as they serve the interests of the larger community. Besides raising the profile of local community groups and disseminating useful information to residents, such an effort improves bonding among residents and inculcates a sense of ownership and pride in their neighbourhood. This concept is no different from the print publications community development councils already publish to reach out to residents.

ii) Media Accessibility for All

In the spirit of the media's mission to serve the entire population through its role in education, information provision and entertainment, the media, working together with voluntary welfare organizations, should provide total access through signing and captions for those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing and descriptive television for those who are visually handicapped and the elderly. In the print media, the font size should be appropriate and print clear. Online publications, such as news websites, should embrace the concept of Universal Web Accessibility. This involves producing web content or webpage layouts that are reader-friendly to text-to-speech software used by visually handicapped users. VWOs can take the initiative with the support of the MDA and MCDS.

iii) Consultation and Dialogue

This is essential for a better understanding and coordination among the three key players. Singapore civil society is made up of dozens of diverse groups, some of whom are represented by umbrella bodies, such as the National Youth Council, National Youth Achievement Award Council and the National Council of Social Service. Regular dialogues between civil society groups and regulators such as the MDA will help ensure a higher profile and more accurate portrayal of their interests and use of appropriate terminology and reference in the media. MDA should also ensure that sufficient members of civil society are included on its Programme and Publications Advisory Committees.

V. Conclusion

15. In conclusion, media reflects the society in which it operates, and this is as true in Singapore as anywhere else. The media should therefore continue to show how Singaporeans are faring locally and in the world. The dominant local media should continue to give clear images so that all Singaporeans feel that they know themselves.

16. Media operators should continuously feel the pulse of the nation and adjust accordingly the type of stories they publish and air and the nature of programmes they make, so that the media remains at all times a mirror reflecting back to Singaporeans their own image. This begs the question - is the role of media to reflect the trends and opinions or should it set the trends and opinions or should it do both?

17. Finally it can be stated that a clear image by a few dominant media should remain as a guide for all, a touchstone for Singaporeans.

Sources and Relevant Links:

SingaporeMedia Media and Active Citizenry

Political Development Feedback Group e-consultation paper: Media and Active Citizenry To give your views click the link

Political Development Feedback Group Annual Conference of Feedback Groups to attend the Conference click link