Most Discussed Singaporean Social Media Topics in 2011

2011 has been an eventful year in Singapore. While it’s probably a great year for some, it certainly has been not the case for most. Many shocking and mind-throttling events have rocked our tiny nation, with social media being the expression medium of choice for young Singaporeans.

Here are 5 hotly discussed stories in the year of 2011. Call some of them controversies if you will.

MRT NS Line Breakdown

A complete breakdown of the North-South line, commuters stuck on trains and evacuated only hours later, windows broken for lack of ventilation, bus system unable to cope and thousands of commuters stranded for want of taxis and shuttle buses.

Literary critic Gwee Li Sui noted the unfortunate irony of our Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew being off in Cambodia sharing about progress in travel while our MRT lines were plunged into chaos.

This was just after a breakdown of the Circle Line during morning rush hour in Wednesday, too. It’s not just the birds who are angry now.

The Great Taxi Fare Hike

Are we donkeys? the graffiti asks. The vandal hit Bishan MRT’s taxi signboard shortly after Comfort announced price hikes in its taxi fares. While several fare items were discounted, many more were raised, leading many Singaporeans to question if price fixing had occurred.

Disgruntled citizens protested not just with vandalism, but with a boycott of taxi. Cabbies are reported to have experienced lower numbers of passengers since the fares were raised.

Will this trend continue? Or will most Singaporeans, as some would predict, “adapt to it” and continue to help our local taxi business flourish?

Bedok Reservoir Deaths

Six deaths in less than a year? That’s a record that’ll be hard to break, unless you are talking about 6 deaths in 6 months, which is exactly what happened in Bedok Reservoir. Bedok Reservoir was the ill-fated choice for many suicides this year, and residents in the area are spooked.

It used to the MRT tracks a few years ago, and now it’s the reservoirs (just one, actually). What’s next? We’re definitely not looking forward to knowing that answer.

YPAP Member’s Racist Comments

One might expect better behaviour from a member of the ruling party’s youth wing. One Jason Yap carelessly posted the photo above on his personal Facebook, replete with racially offensive caption. The uproar he caused was tremendous, with many calling for him to serve hours of community work for the offended community.

Jason Yap later apologised and resigned.

The Edited Forum Letter

What happens when a letter you send in to the newspaper forum gets edited so that it means something entirely different?

The furore raised in cyberspace over the heavy editing of letter-writer Samuel Wee’s forum contribution was divided. Some were of the opinion he should have kept his tone neutral instead of sarcastic to avoid misconception. Others felt that the forum had simply stuck to its agenda of being politically correct.

Which side were you on?

Tell us how you felt about these incidents in the comments!