PAP Malay leader: Islamist PAS' call for Singaporeans to vote along racial, religious lines ‘dangerous and divisive'
SINGAPORE, April 26 – PAP candidate for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Zaqy Mohamad, has today expressed his concern that foreigners are exploiting race relations and religious elements for political gain during the election period in the republic.
CNA cited the outgoing Singapore senior minister of state criticising Malaysia's Islamist party PAS for urging Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines, calling it a dangerous practice.
'So when you have a party like PAS, for example, espousing certain views, asking Singaporeans to vote along religious and racial lines, I think that's very dangerous,' Zaqy reportedly said.
'That's the kind of politics perhaps you can see in Malaysia, where you have different parties representing different faiths or different races, whether it's UMNO, PAS, DAP and MIC, and you can see how the parties are organised.'
He compared the situation to Singapore, which he said has spent 60 years building peace, harmony, and mutual respect among its diverse population.
He warned that Singapore must guard against the exploitation of race and religion, recalling the racial riots and protests during the country's early years of independence.
While acknowledging there is room for discourse on religious issues, Zaqy said urging people to vote along racial and religious lines is akin to 'asking for trouble'.
He said the government's directive to Meta sends a strong signal that Singapore is committed to protecting its societal harmony and maintaining the integrity of its elections.
Zaqy added that issues like the Gaza conflict can be debated responsibly, but Singaporeans must remember to conduct such discussions with sensitivity in a multiracial, multi-religious society.
Yesterday, Singapore told Meta to block local access to several Facebook posts by foreigners allegedly attempting to influence the city-state's upcoming election.
The posts were made by two leaders from the Malaysian Islamist party PAS, and an ex-Singaporean who is now an Australian citizen.
Islamic preacher Mohammed Noor Deros had also listed several of his demands for Singaporean political parties, allegedly on behalf of some in the Malay-Muslim community, which also included the rejection of support for the LGBT community.
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