SDA rolls out Singapore’s first "online rally"

SINGAPORE — In an elections first, the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) has conducted Singapore’s first "online rally", in a series of videos uploaded onto video—sharing site YouTube.

"The SDA has always been a leader in innovation. In the 2011 General Election, we were the first to have a live SMS Q&A segment in our rallies. Today, we are the first in the history of Singapore to do an online rally to reach you in the comfort of your homes and offices," said Harminder Pal Singh, before introducing Punggol East by—election candidate Desmond Lim.

Speaking for about two—and—half minutes, Mr Lim urged voters to vote for the individual candidate and not someone with the backing of a dominant party. He said such backing cannot guarantee loyalty and performance of the candidate.

He said that at the end of the day, it all boils down to the character of a candidate to get things done.

Mr Lim added that history has shown that being backed by a dominant party will not prevent the candidate from making mistakes.

"At the end of the day when the fanfare is over, what counts is the individual. The individual and his values is what you should be voting for, for history has shown that big backing has not prevented major falls from surfacing. It is the person’s commitment, his values, his strengths and his persistence that will keep your dreams alive."

The SDA said that it will be posting at least 10 video clips throughout its campaign to reach out to voters online.

The videos, which will be in English, Malay and Chinese, will address national and local issues.

— CNA/TODAY/ir