Dr Balakrishnan says Internet will change how politics is conducted
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 July 2008 1832 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan has said the Internet will change the way politics is conducted, and the challenge now is how to engage with what he called the "YouTube generation".

Dr Balakrishnan was speaking at the 7th RI Lecture on National Issues organised by Raffles Institution (RI) on Wednesday.

He said politics in the future will be marked by a diversity of views, but a diversity of ideas will not necessarily lead to the discovery of truths. Instead, it can also connect people with wrong, radical or violent ideas.

Responding to questions from the floor, Dr Balakrishnan said political commentary will always be welcomed, so long as it does not spark racial or religious tension.

He added that the Internet age will also affect how Singapore's leaders communicate with the people.

He said, "I think we will get into the 'YouTube' style of politics, which means it's multimedia. It's no longer enough to just talk, you must have moving images, you must have sound, you must have music.

"And if it makes an impact, you will get millions of hits. And if it's true but boring, without multimedia, then no one's going to watch it." - CNA/ms