PAS denies trying to influence Singapore election
PETALING JAYA: PAS has dismissed claims that its leaders tried to influence Singapore's upcoming general election, calling the allegations "inaccurate and exaggerated".
This comes after the Singapore government blocked access to social media pages of several individuals, including PAS treasurer-general Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad and Selangor PAS Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar, over the alleged attempts.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan stressed Singapore's sovereignty, acknowledging that its Ministry of Home Affairs and Elections Department have the legal right to protect their electoral processes.
"As a sovereign nation, Singapore has every right under the law to take any appropriate and reasonable measures to protect and safeguard its legitimate interests," he said in a statement on Monday (April 28).
Takiyuddin clarified that the social media posts in question were personal opinions of the two leaders and did not reflect the party's official stance.
"It must be emphasised that the posts in question represent their personal views and in no way reflect PAS's official policy or stance as a political party — whether regarding Singapore as a nation or its ongoing processes."
PAS maintains that both leaders were merely expressing personal opinions without intending to interfere with the May 3 election.
Takiyuddin said the party's commitment to formal bilateral relations with Singapore underlines the inaccuracy of the allegations.
"PAS's policy of maintaining formal bilateral relations as the legitimate channel for conveying any views or discussing matters of mutual interest — including with the Singapore government — as practised thus far, clearly proves that these allegations were inaccurate or untrue," he said.
Takiyuddin said that in an era of global connectivity, individuals are bound to express opinions on international matters, but such reactions should not be seen as interference unless they are followed by concrete steps.
"Such reactions should not be construed as attempts to interfere unless they are followed by concrete steps with such intentions," he said.
While PAS respects Singapore's concerns, Takiyuddin believes the reaction towards the two leaders was exaggerated.
"We respect Singapore's concerns, but we also believe the reaction was somewhat exaggerated and unilateral, especially given our ongoing good and mutually respectful relationship with their government," he added.
Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs and Elections Department, in a statement issued on Friday (April 25), said they had identified three foreign nationals, including two PAS leaders, who allegedly attempted to influence the country's general election.
According to the statement, alongside Iskandar and Mohamed Sukri, others named included Australian national Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, who renounced his Singaporean citizenship in 2020.
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