By Andrew Loh
Just over 3 weeks after it conducted what looked like an illegal election poll, the Straits Times has again made another blunder – but this one perhaps more significant and alarming.
On 28 January, just a day after the Workers' Party held its victory parade in Punggol East SMC, the Straits Times’ Forum page published a letter by one Paul Anthony Fernandez. In his letter, titled "Workers' Party lacks minority representation?", Mr Fernandez said that “during 10 days of campaigning, I did not see a Malay, Indian or anyone from a minority race among the WP members.” It is unclear what exactly he means by that – did he mean to say no minority race member knocked on his door or visited his home? Or that he did not see any minority race WP member walking the ground during the campaign? Or that he did not see any minority race member accompany WP’s candidate, Lee Li Lian?
Mr Fernandez then goes on to say:
“I had thought that perhaps such members could not be around due to their work commitments, but at the WP's victory parade yesterday, there was still no one from a minority race among their number.”
Mr Fernandez apparently must have missed the parade itself, or the truck which WP MPs – including Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Mohd Faisal – were on.
One therefore wonders if Mr Fernandez had taken the effort to ascertain what he believed before he wrote that letter.
Be that as it may, what is more unforgivable is the Straits Times publishing such a letter which clearly contains untrue assertions, and which – with a few click of the mouse – the Forum editor (Jack Hee) could have conducted his due diligence.
In the Straits Times’ own Through The Lens Facebook page, there was this picture which clearly showed Mr Faisal on the truck during the victory parade through Punggol East:
And on the Straits Times’ own Youtube channel, there was this video – “Workers' Party "thank you" parade at Rivervale Crescent” – which clearly again showed Mr Singh on the truck with the other WP MPs as well.
Here is a screenshot of it:
It is utterly appalling that the Straits Times would not only not ascertain facts – which it easily could have with its own reporters who were on the ground – but that it did not take special care before publishing an article which touched on what the Government has always viewed as a sensitive issue – the issue of race.
This is particularly unforgivable, given how the Straits Times itself has, over the past year or so, decried – in its editorials – the emerging ugly head of racism in Singapore. And this latest episode also comes not too long after the other incident involving the Straits Times online portal, STOMP, which deliberately reported a fake story about MRT doors not closing. Following that incident, Straits Times editor-in-chief, Mr Warren Fernandez, said:
“This is a very regrettable breach of our journalistic ethics. The credibility of our content is critical to our readers, and all of us in the newsroom. Upholding this is a duty of each and every member of the team. We will have to work to improve our print and online processes, to do right by our readers.”
[See here: STOMP - a cesspool of disgrace to citizen journalism.]
Singaporeans who value our cultural and ethnic diversity should condemn such unprofessional conduct by a national newspaper, and indeed some harsh words from the powers-that-be should be directed at the chief editor and the forum page editor.
The Straits Times owes the Workers’ Party a public and prominent apology for the publication of the letter by Mr Paul Anthony Fernandez.
That is the least it could do.
In the meantime, Singaporeans await the outcome of the police’s investigation into the Straits Times’ alledged illegal election poll published in its papers on 10 January.