STATEMENT BY MR YEO SHO HOR, DELEGATE TO THE 67th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY GENERAL DEBATE ON QUESTIONS RELATING TO INFORMATION, FOURTH COMMITTEE, 24 OCTOBER 2012

Thank you Mr Chairman,

            On behalf of my delegation, please allow me to congratulate you on your election as Chair of the Special Political Decolonization Committee in the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly. We also extend our congratulations through you to the members of the Bureau upon their election. We would like to congratulate Mr. Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal on his recent appointment as Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information and would like to thank Mr. Kiyotaka Akasaka and members of the Department of Public Information (DPI) for their dedicated work over the past few years. My delegation associates itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished representative of Thailand, on behalf of ASEAN.

Mr Chairman,

2.         Accessibility to information is one of the key elements for growth and development, economically and socially. The development of new media and communication technologies in these few years had been fast and furious and contributed greatly to the progress and advancement in terms of information accessibility for many countries. It has significantly changed the way we interact and communicate with one another. More time is spent online on emails, work as well as mobile applications and social networking. In fact, with the proliferation of smart phones that facilitate higher levels of interactivity, traditional mobile technology like SMS for example, may be overtaken by newer messaging platforms. In addition, such new technologies have helped to propel citizen journalism to the forefront through blogs, twitter and social networking sites as they are able to provide breaking news much faster than traditional media. 

Mr Chairman,

3.         While we embrace the benefits that new media and technology can bring about in terms of progress and development, we must not forget about the importance of discernment in interpreting the vast pool of information that has become available. As Stephen Hawking once said “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge”. Therefore, besides making information accessible, we need to focus on educating people to discern facts from fiction, to increase information transparency so as to minimise the possibility of an information Trojan Horse. We have witnessed recent global events that highlighted how information spread through the new media can lead to unexpected consequences, some of which led to exacerbated conflicts or even devastating humanitarian crises. The lightning speed at which news and information get disseminated through the new media that can twist a remark into a national or even international outrage cannot be overlooked. There is therefore an important need to also emphasize responsible use of information.

Mr Chairman,

4.         We are mindful that despite the rapid advancement in new media technology and infrastructure that greatly improved the accessibility of information globally, disparity still exists in the availability of information in different parts of the world. Such a disparity continues to perpetuate different communities even within the same country. The less privileged are usually caught in a vicious cycle where the lack of financial resources and other environmental factors, deprived them of opportunities to be as well informed. Opportunities must be created to narrow this gap.

Mr Chairman

5.         While new information and communications technologies and social media enabled us to carry out communication and other interactive activities in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner, the experience by United Nations showed that it also paved the way to connect with new audiences, such as young people. Plato once said ‘Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion has no hold on the mind”, therefore, we must continue to explore new ways to engage the people, especially youths, using modes of communication that is most natural to them as they are the ones who will ultimately shape the future we want.

Mr Chairman,

6.         In this regard, let me share Singapore's experience in engaging the population. Ministers and representatives of government agencies are turning to social media like Facebook or Twitter to engage the population directly in serious discussions. Such a personal approach has made them more accessible to the population. These channels also provided a direct line for the population to communicate their concerns and clarify any miscommunication. Most recently, we have started the Singapore Conversation to emphasize that Singaporeans are at the heart of the country’s concerns. This conversation is designed to be a conversation among the people together with the government. It is about forging mutual understanding about our challenges and opportunities, hopes and aspirations and fostering greater understanding and ownership of our future among Singaporeans. In order to reach out to the entire population, including the less privileged, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and face-to-face dialogue sessions are conducted at various times all over the island to reach out directly to the people. Through these conversations, it is hoped that every Singaporean will know what they want Singapore to be and how we can get there.

7.         In addition, as part of our Intelligent Nation iN2015 Masterplan to build an infocomm-savvy nation, Singapore has embarked on a five year masterplan called eGov2015 that leverages on infocomm to co-create and connect with Singaporeans. Some of the key e-Government initiatives that have benefitted citizens and businesses include CitizenConnect that aims to help the public who do not have computer or internet access, M-Government that aims to increase the reach and richness of government e-services and the Singapore OnLine Portal which is a unified customer-centric gateway to all government information and services.

Mr Chairman

8.         The United Nations has a very important role to play in promoting and ensuring the accessibility of information between the information-rich and the information-poor. It is hoped that more focus can also be placed on ensuring the people are equipped to make discerning use of the information as it become accessible.

9.         Thank you.