Securing Singapore/Managing Perceptions: From Shooting the Messenger to Dodging the Question

Abstract

The citizens of Singapore have been in thrall to the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and its senior figure Lee Kuan Yew for almost 45 years. Served by a pliant media brought to heel by a combination of legislative and ownership controls, the PAP has been effective in limiting the space for debate while successfully conveying its own internal messaging aimed at securing the state and its own political longevity. It has done this by creating the image of a Singapore as a fortress Chinese-led stability and prosperity, ever under threat from more restive neighbours. But, in the face of the emerging threats to this control posed by new information technology and the exigencies of the global economy, the government has been forced to become increasingly ophisticated at managing perceptions and minimizing controversy. This paper will examine how the government has successfully met these challenges in a public relations triumph, effectively winning the battle for the hearts and minds of its internal audience, as well as shoring up the image of 'Fortress Singapore' and appeasing external allies in the 'war against terror', thus keeping Singapore critics in check and neutralizing any external political support for domestic political movements.