wow! appearances of 3 ERIC HOW, so how?

January 23, 2010 by admin
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By Rachel Chang from Straits Times

IT IS a tale of three Eric Hows ¨C and a Facebook post.

The first ¡®Eric How¡¯, real identity unknown, first made waves on the social networking website on Jan 1 with an inflammatory diatribe posted on the Facebook page of the Young PAP (YP), the People¡¯s Action Party¡¯s youth wing.

Claiming to be a member of the YP, he said critics of the ruling party should blame their woes not on the party, but on their own misfortune not to be born into a rich family, like him.

In the ensuing cyber uproar which continues until today, two real-life Eric Hows were dragged into the fray. Both have lodged separate police reports on the incident.

The YP issued a statement yesterday condemning the posts by ¡®Eric How¡¯, saying they lacked empathy and did not represent ¡®what YP stands for¡¯.

The first inflammatory post by ¡®Eric How¡¯, made on New Year¡¯s Day, said: ¡®My folks did the right thing¡­ and we will never need to nag the Government about giving jobs to foreigners instead of locals. In fact, we create jobs for others.¡¯

¡®Our folks even make sure we guys do not need to squeeze into public transport by getting each of us a personal car,¡¯ continued ¡®Eric How¡¯.

In a second missive on Jan 19, he taunted: ¡®BTW I am changing my car again and so what?¡¯

The reaction from other Facebook users was swift. Forum posters were infuriated by the elitism his comments displayed. Said a poster named Clement: ¡®I was until very, very recently a staunch PAP supporter. Now, with young people like Eric¡­ If senior PAP members are reading this, please tidy up your home.¡¯

Meanwhile, two flesh-and-blood Eric Hows with Facebook accounts were caught in the crossfire.

One of them is the nephew of a grassroots leader in Kampong Kembangan.

Netizens, assuming he was behind the ¡®Eric How¡¯ posts on the YP network, delved into his background and posted his pictures and personal information online.

They also said his father was Mr How Jong Wan, vice-chairman of the Kampong Kembangan Community Club Management Committee and the managing director of a marine supply business. Mr How is actually Eric¡¯s uncle.

One netizen, ¡®Kojak Bt¡¯, sent an e-mail to the elder Mr How, asking him to ¡®discipline¡¯ his son.

Mr How Jong Wan told The Straits Times yesterday that this e-mail was how his family came to know about the ¡®Eric How¡¯ posts.

¡®This concerns me and my reputation,¡¯ said the incensed Mr How. He lodged a police report with his nephew on Jan 6.

His nephew Eric, 33, told The Straits Times he is not a YP member. Still, he became a target of netizens¡¯ wrath because of his prominent uncle. Pictures of him engaged in ¡®elitist¡¯ activities, like one of him leading a horse at the Bukit Timah Saddle Club, added to netizens¡¯ ire.

The second Eric How, a 33-year-old salesman, is a YP member, but an ¡®inactive one¡¯, he said.

Although he has not received much attention from netizens, YP members themselves thought the comments were his at first.

He said he first came to know of the incident when a friend told him that a screenshot of his Facebook profile was being used on the Temasek Review political commentary website in a report about the ¡®Eric How¡¯ posts. That screenshot has since been taken down.

He lodged a police report on Wednesday after receiving a phone call from YP chairman and Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Teo Ser Luck, who wanted to speak to him about the ¡®Eric How¡¯ posts.

That was when he realised the seriousness of the situation, he said.

¡®I come from a very humble background,¡¯ he said yesterday, displaying bewilderment about the situation.

Hong Kah GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad, who is vice-chairman of the YP, told The Straits Times the incident was ¡®unfortunate¡¯. ¡®But this is the reality of the Internet, who can you trust?¡¯

The Eric How fracas is the latest in a string of publicity snafus for the youth wing of the ruling party. A vitriolic online feud has been raging between YP members and anti-PAP netizens ever since the YP banned an outspoken 22-year-old, Mr Alex Tan, from its Facebook page in November last year.

Mr Zaqy said the YP would attempt to ¡®better prepare¡¯ its activists for engagement online.

¡®We have to prepare them for politics, online or in the real world.¡¯ ¨C Straits Times

EDITORS¡¯ NOTE:

We have never posted the screenshot of Mr Eric How¡¯s Facebook and linked him to the comments. The only screenshot we ever posted from then till yesterday is a screenshot of the YPAP Facebook of ¡°Eric How¡± making the comments. Hope that clarifies.

the martial arts in local politics has never gotten so excitingly interesting and intruging until the appearances of 3 ERIC HOWS. now how huh? how leh?

in the martial arts world of local politics, the silent are the strong; the boisterous are the coward and probably the losers. those who rant the loudest in public are the biggest losers in the making.: