19/05/2014

Video Gone Viral For All The Wrong Reasons



PAP leaders defend party video


THE People's Action Party (PAP) is standing by its youth wing, which has produced a video that has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

It acknowledged the video's "raw and unpolished" quality, but thanked its activists for "their tireless work on the ground" in a Facebook post yesterday.

The five-minute video features Young PAP members, aged 17 to 40, from various constituencies narrating their hopes for the party and Singapore.

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Young PAP video: Good message, bad delivery

In politics this week, a kerfuffle erupted over a video produced by cadres of the People's Action Party's youth wing, Young PAP (YP), who were lampooned for their bad acting.

The four-minute clip about the youth wing's hopes for the PAP and Singapore went viral for all the wrong reasons, and got some quarters drawing conclusions that it was yet another sign that the party was out of touch with voters.

This forced a response from the party, which said in a Facebook post that the "humble, in-house production" in no way detracts from the genuine and sincere work that the youth wing had done on the ground. Environment and Water Resources Minister


PAP responds to criticisms of viral video by its youth wing

The People's Action Party (PAP) has defended a viral video released by its youth wing, thanking its activists for their "tireless work on the ground over the years".

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the party said it "did not expect that our humble (raw and unpolished) in-house production would go viral like this." The video was meant to be viewed internally at a party convention, but after it was uploaded to Youtube late April, it garnered unwanted traction on social and alternative media sites.

The video, which features Young PAP activists from the various constituencies, has been lambasted for its poor editing and its subjects' stiff narration of a prepared script.

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PAP defends Young PAP over ‘robotic’ video

“The video may be raw, but so is your passion. Keep up the good work!!!”

In a Facebook post on the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) page on Wednesday, these words defended members of its youth wing for producing a video that was recently slammed online for sounding “robotic”.

The video, screened during a party convention last year, went viral after it was posted on Facebook page Must Be Singapore. It was originally uploaded onto PAP’s YouTube channel on 23 April.

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Ruling party defends promo clip

Singapore’s ruling party has defended a promotional video produced by its youth wing that went viral after being lambasted online for its amateurish quality and for sounding “robotic”.

The five-minute YouTube video clip, titled “Re-ignite the Passion of Servant Leadership”, featured youth leaders of the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) espousing a series of motivational messages for other party members. Some appeared to be reading from a script placed on either side of the camera.

One segment featured a woman and a man clad in the all-white party uniform and holding miniature toy guitars, as others around them took turns to complete a sentence: “We must empower our members... to make a positive impact... to those around us”.

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Young PAP’s LOL video makes international headlines



A video produced by Young PAP (YP) which Singaporeans have slammed as amateurish, boring, lame, stiff, unimaginative and robotic (‘Atrocious Young PAP video has S’poreans ROFL‘) has made international headlines.

Essentially, the video features members from YP branches across Singapore:
The Media Development Authority (MDA) subsequently clarified that the video does not infringe the Films Act and gave it a ‘PG’ rating (‘MDA: Young PAP video is ‘PG’ rated‘).

International newswire Agence France-Presse (AFP) yesterday (15 May) wrote [Link]:

related:

Atrocious Young PAP video has S’poreans ROFL
Did Young PAP video infringe Films Act?
Young PAP's LOL video makes international headlines
MDA: Young PAP video is 'PG' rated

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THAT VIDEO: Raw and scary

This is my humble and raw take on the Young PAP video which has gone viral.

I have absolutely nothing against and, in fact, have the best wishes for all the YPAP participants in the in-house production video. These youngsters have taken a stand, joined the ruling party and become its activists. They do all this openly and for all that they have my respect. Bravo to each and every one of them.

I may not agree with their party on everything though it is my elected government. I may not even believe these are the best youngsters that the PAP has to offer. The video does not seem to suggest any creative chaos or diversity, only parrot-like chirpings.

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Follies Of Youth



The more the establishment tries to come out in support of the atrocious Young PAP (YP) video, the worse it gets.

The first lame line of defence deployed was that it was meant for "internal consumption". Then writer Tham ("Young PAP video: Good message, bad delivery", ST May 17) let the cat out of the bag, leaking that it was first broadcast at the party's convention in December, before being uploaded to YouTube 3 weeks ago. Meaning, for the excruciating period of about 4 months, not a soul within the ranks of the elitist youth wing realised it was a lemon, or bothered to inform the young people behind the ersatz production it was "raw and unpolished". Including the minister who used those descriptives. With friends like those, who needs enemies.

We now know the Media Development Authority (MDA) actually cleared the YP video earlier this year, giving it a “PG” rating. Meaning, MDA sat through the horrific 4 minutes 43 seconds, and deigned to provide constructive feedback to the youngsters. Quite obviously, MDA was more focused on the potential infringement of Section 33 of the Films Act. They must have desperately wanted to save the youngsters from conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, without having to call in the minister for a hall pass.

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PAP youth wing's video was cleared by MDA


The People's Action Party's youth wing video which went viral over the weekend had been cleared by the Media Development Authority (MDA) earlier in the year.

It does not fall under the category of political films which are banned in Singapore, an MDA spokesman told The Straits Times on Wednesday.

This is because it does not have animation or dramatic elements. The video is also made by a political party and comprises its manifesto and ideology, on the basis of which the party's candidates will seek to be elected.

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Did PAP film screening contravene Section 14 of Films Act?
“MDA received this Young PAP film for classification earlier this year,” the Straits Times reported a Media Development Authority (MDA) spokesperson as having said. The MDA had also decided that the video was not a “party political film”, which is illegal in Singapore.

The spokesperson was referring to the Young PAP video – “Re-ignite the Passion of Servant Leadership” - which has been in the news the last few days.

The video featured youth wing members of the PAP from various branches speaking about servant leadership, and sharing their views on what they hope the party would champion or do.

related: Young PAP video “cleared by MDA”

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PAP Video Receives MDA Clearance

The People's Action Party's youth wing video which received great youth attention over the last weekend has been cleared by the Media Development Authority (MDA) earlier in the year informed a local news channel. It does not fall under the category of political films which are banned in Singapore, an MDA spokesman informed The Straits Times this Wednesday.

The MDA spokesman further added that this is because the video does not have any animation or dramatic elements. The video is also made by a political party and comprises its manifesto and ideology, on the basis of which the party's candidates will seek to be elected. Films fulfilling these criteria can be excluded from the ban on political films.

The viral video was titled "Re-ignite the Passion of Servant Leadership" and the video featured members from Young PAP branches all over the island. It was uploaded to the PeopleActionPartyHQ's YouTube page this April 23rd and subsequently drew flak from netizens, who criticized the participants' diction and the editing of the video. In response, the ruling party put out a post on its Facebook page this Wednesday in which it said: "We did not expect that our humble (raw and unpolished) in-house production would go viral like this. We are proud of our (Young PAP) folks, and what they have been doing on the ground; working hard to serve the people. Their effort was genuine and sincere."

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Singapore’s PAP defends ‘robotic’ youth wing video
The video is not the first involving the PAP and the government to be mocked by the city-state’s increasingly vocal online community in recent years

In 2007, a video featuring senior officials from media regulator the Media Development Authority rapping attracted tens of thousands of viewers on YouTube, many bemused by their attempt to look hip.

Off-the-cuff gaffes by politicians including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have also been turned into Internet memes by bloggers.

With Singapore’s mainstream media perceived as pro-government, citizens are increasingly venting their anger on social media and independent websites.

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Singapore's party defends 'robotic' video

Online, the video continued to draw a steady stream of derision on Thursday. It was first uploaded on the PAP YouTube channel on April 23 and has since logged more than 66,000 hits.

"And here kids, you find yourself a bunch of brainwashed young adults. They even sound like robots. Amazing," wrote local celebrity comedian Hirzi Zulkiflie on the Must Be Singapore Facebook page, which had shared the video.

"Sad to see youth talking like parrots, reading script and with bad diction/pronunciation," wrote another Facebook user.

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PAP responds to online furore over young activists’ viral clip

The People’s Action Party (PAP) has responded to the online furore over a video clip by its youth wing, saying the effort was “genuine and sincere”.

In a Facebook post today (May 14), the party said it is “proud” of its young members and thanked them for their work on the ground to “serve the people”.

“Their effort was genuine and sincere. It reflects their spirit of activism – to serve our nation and to care for our fellow Singaporeans,” said the PAP. “We did not expect that our humble (raw and unpolished) in-house production would go viral like this.”

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The YPAP made a video. They want to ‘re-ignite the passion’
Do you have what it takes to be part of this party?

The youth wing of the People’s Action Party (PAP) has put out a video on YouTube that features its young party members. Young PAP members are aged from 17 – 40 years old.

The video is titled “Re-ignite the Passion of Servant Leadership”.

As you can tell, they are all very passionate, standing still, with some reading from a script (on their right).

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PAP backs video made by youth wing

The Media Development Authority told The Straits Times yesterday the video was exempted from the rules regulating political films. It was subsequently given a PG rating.

Several PAP politicians defended their young comrades.

Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said yesterday on the PAP's Facebook page that "though the video may be raw and unpolished (which it is), our activists' service and efforts are anything but that".

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Thank you Young PAP

The video kicked off with Yishun YP requesting citizens to “have faith in our activists..”. You should honestly ask yourself who are you to ask citizens for complete trust? While I was enjoying your video with friends, I heard a friend laughed and said “wait long long” in response to Yishun YP’s request.

14 seconds into the video, the second group was really “wooden” and I am not really surprised because they were from Marine Parade. Some of my friends couldn’t stop laughing after seeing the oversized ‘guitarist’ standing on the right.

As for West Coast YP, the members appear to love mass reading. From Ang Mo Kio YP onwards, all the members seem naive to think that they can simply call on the party leadership to change. If this could be done, citizens would not have substituted ST for TOC, TRS, TRE, The Singapore Daily, etc. The video ended with the question “if not us, then who?”. I have contacted “Just For Laughs” and after watching the video, they said they will be contacting Young PAP soon.


Young PAP member in viral video defends 'good intention' behind it
He didn't know the video he was in had gone viral

Youth counsellor Isaac Lee only suspected something had gone awry on Vesak Day, after friends bombarded him with messages.

When the Young People's Action Party (YP) member checked online, he discovered - to his surprise - that the clip had received a lot of negative feedback on public sites like YouTube.

"I realised how strong the backlash was when I scrolled through the comments," he told The New Paper. "People were saying we're robotic, that we had no emotions and lacked passion."

related:
PAP leaders defend party video
Young PAP member in viral video defends 'good intention' behind it
Party's film not banned under Act, says MDA
PAP backs video made by youth wing
Debate over Young PAP video

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THAT VIDEO: What an embarrassment

A few years ago, a Straits Times columnist wrote that one piece of news a Singapore parent did not want to hear was that his child had joined an Opposition party. If you were a parent of one of the Young PAP members featured in this video you would probably feel the same.

The video, generally described as puke-making, showed just how clone-like the PAP had become — from too much “in-breeding”, as some of the harshest remarks put it.

Said another: “To describe it as ‘robotic’ is an insult to robots!” Indeed. Any group of Secondary One students from a neighbourhood school would have been able to produce a better video, if the objective was to draw people to the party, not be repelled by it.

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International Coverage:
Oye Times: PAP Video Receives MDA Clearance
MalayMail: Singapore’s PAP defends ‘robotic’ youth wing video
AgenceFrancePresse: Spore's ruling party defends 'robotic' youth wing video
SCMP:Spore’s ruling party defends youth wing video after mockery online
World News:Spore’s ruling party defend ‘robotic’ video after it is mocked online
News Hour 24:Singapore’s ruling party defends ‘robotic’ youth wing video
Taipei Times: PAP hits back over video fail
Shillong Times:Singapore’s ruling party defends ‘robotic’ youth wing video
The Star: Ruling party defends promo clip
Yahoo Australia: Singapore’s ruling party defends ‘robotic’ youth wing video
Bangkok Post:: Singapore’s party defends ‘robotic’ video
Global Post: Singapore’s ruling party defends ‘robotic’ youth wing video