Singapore Muslim affairs minister: Race and religion must never be used for political gain
SINGAPORE, April 27 — Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said Singapore must not allow race or religion to be exploited for political gain.
He warned that foreign interference in the general election, particularly through divisive language, could erode the trust Singapore has built, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported yesterday.
'Disagreement must never become division. If we are not careful, those cracks can deepen,' he added.
Masagos, also the People's Action Party's (PAP) anchor candidate for Tampines GRC, made these comments after the government took action against foreign attempts to influence the election, directing Meta to block such efforts.
The Singapore government announced Friday that it had directed Meta to block access to Facebook posts made by two Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act detainee who is now an Australian citizen.
The posts had criticised Singapore's handling of religious issues and called on voters to make their choices based on religious grounds.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also raised concerns about social media posts, including one by a local activist urging Muslims to support candidates advancing a religious agenda. While he did not name anyone, Islamic teacher Noor Deros recently drew attention with posts listing political demands and claiming meetings with Workers' Party Malay candidates.
According to CNA, Noor Deros is not an accredited ustaz in Singapore and is now based in Malaysia.
He had reportedly posted criticisms of Masagos in the past, particularly on issues concerning Malay-Muslim affairs.
Singapore's Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) issued a statement yesterday, clarifying that recent claims identifying Noor Deros as a Singapore Islamic teacher were 'inaccurate and misleading'.
The board explained that Noor Deros had never been recognised under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) and was therefore not permitted to preach in Singapore.
Although he had applied for recognition in 2017, his application was rejected due to his refusal to comply with the ARS code of ethics, despite counselling from the board, the ARB added, without providing further details.
Masagos, also the Minister for Social and Family Development, stated that foreign interference in Singapore's elections, especially attempts to influence voters based on race or religion, undermines the trust the nation has worked hard to establish.
He emphasised that Singapore's harmony 'did not come easy' and was cultivated over decades through mutual respect and a collective commitment to progress together.
'Harmony is precious and rare. We must never take it for granted. It takes constant effort to protect our unity and keep at it at the heart of our identity,' he said.
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