Anonymous_X: Wayang Party alleged SPH & MediaCorp journalists, TV crew gatecrashed their petition party

I just don't get it. Why can't they work hand in hand & complement each other? There are just too much contradicting reporting raised by both Wayang Party (a local blog) & that by the mainstream media.

[NOTE: The CNA report that there were less than 20 signatures collected is INACCURATE. There were 56 signatures collected for the petition to remove Lee Bee Wah as STTA President and 37 signatures for the petition to DPM Teo Chee Hean to give the special award to Liu Guodong. The turnout will definitely be greater had not for the huge media presence at the booth.]

It was supposed to be a low key event with an expected turnout of less than 100. Even so, it did not stop SPH and Mediacorp journalists, complete with a TV crew to turn up in force at the first outreach event organized by this blog and its axillaries.

Our three freelancers were absolutely stunned by the presence of the media which kept hounding them from the very moment they were spotted - they were descended upon and literally ‘devoured’ by a pack of ‘hungry wolves’.

In spite telling them that they were only paid to do a job, they were bombarded repeatedly with questions about the identities of the organizers, pestered to reveal their particulars and stopped from manning the booth.

With the journalists filming their every single movement and taking photos of them without permission, they had to walk away from the booth instead of stationing themselves there as was planned.

When one of our freelancers told them straight off to stop it, a lady journalist rebuked that “Hong Lim Park is a public place and they have no right to stop her from following them.”

Harrassed, flustered and traumatized by the relentless stalking of these journalists, two of them left after 15 minutes. Another was recalled elsewhere to keep watch on the booth at a distance.

Though our petition booth was unmanned subsequently, members of the public and Singaporeans who heard about it from the internet still turned up to sign on it. A few of them were interviewed by the journalists who were unwittingly manning the booth on our behalfs.

The event ended at 6.30pm sharp with the journalists still hanging around the booth. It was really an eye-opener for the two of us who were dancing with the Pinoy rock band nearby. We would have thought that Singapore journalists are better behaved compared to their Western counterparts. It turned out that they are no different from the paparrazi.

Our freelancers are not some super stars. They are simply students being paid to do a job. We had made an announcement here earlier that no Wayang Party columnists will be present and our temporary staff are not obliged to answer any questions other than those pertaining to the petition.

What special scoop will these journalists gain by snapping at them non-stop with their cameras? Can’t they just do what was required of them without causing disruption to the event?

Despite the low turnout, our petition has achieved its primary objective of heaping continued pressure on Lee Bee Wah to resign as STTA President and keeping the issue alive in public consciousness through the mainstream media.

Till now, Lee Bee Wah has not come out to clarify her statements on Liu Guodong. She must be praying hard that Singaporeans will soon forget about her mistake. Unfortunately, she will be stirring MORE public FURORE and OUTRAGE in the weeks ahead………

From Wayang Party, "BREAKING: Petition drive HIJACKED by SPH and Mediacorp journalists!!!".

There are a number of inaccuracies in the CNA report:

1. “When Channel NewsAsia arrived at the Speakers’ Corner on Saturday the people manning the petition booth were clearly uncomfortable with the media attention.”

FACT: Our freelancers were told beforehand that the media may be present and they were not obliged to entertain them. They would NOT have left the booth had not the CNA journalists kept harrassing them by filming and taking photographs of their faces.

2. “They left the petition forms unattended…..”

FACT: The petition forms were NEVER left unattended. Though the three freelancers had left, we still have an event manager and two field reporters nearby keeping an eye on the petition ALL THE TIME. Why do you think we were able to take so many photos of the event?

3. ”Less than 20 signatures were collected during the petition drive.”

FACT: There were 56 signatures collected for the petition to remove Lee Bee Wah as STTA President and 37 signatures for the petition to DPM Teo Chee Hean to give the special award to Liu Guodong. The turnout will definitely be greater had not for the huge media presence at the booth. We are expecting at least 100 people.

4. “The petition drive ended abruptly after more than an hour.”

FACT: The petition drive ended on the DOT at 6.30pm when our agent ran to collect the petition forms. It was never ended abruptly. It started at 5pm and ended at 6.30pm as announced on our blog.

As expected, CNA took the opportunity to take a swipe at our petition drive. However, in view that the event is now publicized to a wider audience, we are prepared to turn a blind eye to their unscrupulous smearing.

Perhaps without the presence of the media, we may well have more than 100 petitioners. Though the turnout is less than expected, news of the event is now broadcast to more than 100,000 Singaporeans.

The two Singaporeans interviewed by CNA had expressed the thoughts of what many of us had on our minds. Instead of mere words in cyberspace, our voices are heard for the first time in real life.

Wayang Party does not care much about our readership, image or visibility. It doesn’t bother us a bit that CNA did not mention the name of the organizers. Our bottomline is to create a real IMPACT. The end justify the means.

From Wayang Party, "VIDEO of Petition Drive at Hong Lim Park: Debunking inaccuracies in CNA report".

A petition drive calling for the President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) to step down and for a special award to be given to former national coach Liu Guodong has moved from cyberspace to the Speakers' Corner.

When Channel NewsAsia arrived at the Speakers' Corner on Saturday, the people manning the petition booth were clearly uncomfortable with the media attention.

They left the petition forms unattended, but members of the public who had heard about the petition drive through the media and internet still decided to sign the petition to register their views on STTA president Lee Bee Wah.

Angela Mah, a petitioner, said: "I would like to see a very responsible accountability of what had happened, including why she said what she said, and put some timeline to this, and close this because this has been going long enough."

Another petitioner, Lee Ng Yong, said: "She is very unfair to the coach. As a Singaporean, I support foreign talent, especially those people who've achieved something. If we don't support them, then who wants to come?"

Another petitioner, Michael Ozaki, said: "The award should be given to him because he has done good work!"

Less than 20 signatures were collected during the petition drive.

The people behind Saturday's petition is the same group that started an online petition in early May. But the government's position on this matter is clear. They would like both parties, the STTA and the coach, to settle the matter amicably and in a dignified manner.

The petition drive ended abruptly after more than an hour.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Petition drive at Speakers' Corner asking for resignation of STTA head".

Some 15 people showed up at Hong Lim Park on Saturday to sign a petition for Ms Lee Bee Wah to step down as the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA).

This, amid an ongoing dispute between her and former national coach Liu Guodong, who led the women's team to a historic Olympic silver medal last year.

'I don't respect or approve of someone who can say something and not account for it,' said Ms Angela Mah, 40, a HR manager who travelled from her Bukit Timah home to Speakers' Corner to sign the petition.

She was referring to comments made by Ms Lee about a month ago on Mr Liu's omission from this year's Singapore Sports Awards.

Ms Lee had said that results were not the only criterion for the award, and a Coach Of The Year had to be 'professional, have integrity, be able to gel the team, and be well-respected by all his players'. Mr Liu later told the media he felt those comments had questioned his character.

Most of those who turned up also signed another petition - for Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean to give a special award to Mr Liu. 'The coach still won us an Olympic medal,' said Mr Lee Ng Yong, 49, a retiree.

Saturday's 90-minute petition drive was the first physical call for public support by wayangparty.com, a local blog site.

It had launched both petitions online last month, which garnered greater response. The petition for Ms Lee has collected more than 5,600 signatures, while that for Mr Teo has more than 150.

But none of the blog owners were present at the drive on Saturday. Instead, three people were paid to facilitate the event, but they left hurriedly - after the media arrived - and left the petition forms on a park bench.

More than an hour later, one of them, who had been hiding at a Clarke Quay MRT station exit, ran out and picked up the forms before disappearing into the station again.