Published by rhtlaw at November 28, 2016 RHTLaw Taylor Wessing’s Managing Partner Tan Chong Huat shared his views in this week’s topic in the Business Times’ weekly column, Views from the Top.
This article was first published in The Business Times on 28 November 2016.
'Truth' in the eyes of the beholder
NOV 28, 2016 5:50 AM
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: How should government and society respond to the seeming rise of a post-truth public?
Tan Chong Huat
Managing Partner
RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP
Singapore will not be spared the post-truth politics that Donald Trump and Brexit exploited. As the globalisation wave strikes nearly every corner of the world and as disruptive technology makes today's jobs irrelevant tomorrow, politicians will find ways to feed off the hunger and the anger of voters.
In fact, Singapore saw shades of post-truth politics in the last presidential elections when two candidates promised a pie-in-the-sky dream. There was an immediate government and media pushback and the two were humiliated at the polls. There is a third weapon: society. It has to be inoculated against possible scheming charlatans as an engaged, educated and enlightened citizenry is the only antidote to poisoned politics. Another observation relates to any false news in the media which requires strict enforcement without fear or favour.