Asia Sentinel, 27 Apr 2011In anticipation of its toughest election for decades, the ruling PAP put forward Tin Pei Ling, a 27-year-old election candidate whose campaign used YouTube and Facebook, alongside her youth, to appeal to younger audiences who, many as first time voters, are seen as the most unpredictable demographic.
As Matt Crooks points out however Miss Ling suffers from a real lack of substance and meaning: "The plan has backfired somewhat because, let's face it, Tin Pei Ling is not a politician. She doesn't deserve to be in the position she is. Good intentions and being nice aren't the kind of qualities that would usually win seats in a country's parliament, but Singapore is clearly no ordinary country. Perhaps slightly disturbed by the criticism being leveled at her, Tin Pei Ling has come out and said she takes her criticism "seriously and humbly". Yawn. She has also reiterated that she can empathize with all Singaporeans. Double yawn." Full story
