Reject identity politics, says PM Wong as he calls on political parties to make clear their position

Straits Times

26-04-2025

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, speaking at a press conference, said that this is a matter of national importance. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Reject identity politics, says PM Wong as he calls on political parties to make clear their position
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SINGAPORE – Singapore should firmly reject identity politics, and keep race and religion out of the political space, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
A week before the nation heads to the polls on May 3, he called on all political parties to make clear their position on the matter.
He explained that identity politics refers to candidates appealing for support on the basis of race and religion, and championing the interests of particular groups over everything else.
Speaking at a press conference on April 26, he said: 'This is not a partisan or party matter. This is a matter of national importance.'
He called on the leaders of all political parties to clarify their stance on two fundamental principles: that identity politics has no place in Singapore, and that religion and politics should not mix.
He said: 'My call to all political parties is as I said: let's do our best not to push the boundaries and push the frontiers of race and religion, and bring in race and religion into politics.'
He added that if all parties agree and exercise their campaign with an element of restraint, Singapore will be better off as a whole.
He said: 'In the end, Singaporeans can choose whichever party they wish to support for their constituency and for their government, but we will not allow this to become an issue that divides us especially in the middle of an election campaign.'
PM Wong was speaking a day after the government moved to block access to Facebook posts by two Malaysian politicians and an ex-ISA detainee for attempting to interfere in the ongoing election.
The posts belong to Mr Iskandar Abdul Samad, the national treasurer of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), and the Islamist party's Selangor Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar. A third person, Facebook user 'Zai Nal', identified as Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff – an Australian citizen who renounced his Singapore citizenship in 2020 – was also named.
They, along with a Singaporean religious teacher based in Malaysia known as Mr Noor Deros, had spotlighted several opposition politicians in social media posts, including incumbent Aljunied MP Faisal Manap, who is contesting Tampines GRC this year under the WP banner.
Earlier that day, party chief Pritam Singh had said in response to the recent developments that the WP cannot be a successful political party 'if we play the race and religion card'.
Asked to comment on the statements by the WP and other opposition parties, PM Wong said he had seen across the board a clear consensus to reject foreign interference in the election.
PM Wong, who is Secretary-General of the PAP, added: 'I think that's good. I welcome that.'
He added that while one cannot control what foreign actors say – be it support or endorsements – he called on parties to 'categorically reject these endorsements'.
The fundamental principle is that foreigners should not decide the outcome of Singapore's elections, he said.
He said: 'This is our country, our elections. Singaporeans alone decide the outcome of our elections.'
He added that on issues that have the potential to undermine national interest, such as foreign policy, there should be a 'sense of unity in presenting to the world.'
Adopting identity politics will result in more division, and Singaporeans will all pay the price, PM Wong said.
He added: 'That's dangerous, because when one group jostles aggressively to assert its identity, others will organise and start to jostle back.
'You can see how this plays out in countries everywhere. You end up fueling our worst tendencies, hostilities and vengefulness across the side.'
No one wins when this happens, PM Wong said.
He said: 'The minority groups will fail to get what they want, because the majority group will push back strongly, and the minorities will find their space constricted.
'At the same time, the majority group will also live in the most unhappy society, where every issue comes down to race and religion. So no one is happy.'
Social media posts 'crossed the line'
The social media accounts that were blocked had targeted Singaporeans, and their posts were widely shared within the Singaporean community.
This crossed the line, said PM Wong.
He said: 'Singaporeans may have different views about issues, but we cannot allow external actors to exploit whatever differences we may have, to weaken us, or to advance their own interests.'
Foreign influence is one side of the coin, but there are also other posts circulating online attempting to bring race and religion into politics, he said.
He cited those by Singaporean activists proposing that Muslims should vote for candidates that are willing to advance a religious agenda.
He said: 'These messages may be by Singaporeans, but we should also reject them, and were it a Christian, a Hindu or Buddhist group making the same demand, our response would be the same.'
Mixing politics with religion is unacceptable in Singapore, he said, adding that the Government has always taken a firm stance against this.
Doing so fractures the common space Singaporeans share, he warned.
If elections become contests of faith, all communities will end up worse off, he added.
Also, external powers will seek to explore these fault lines to advance their own agendas, he said.
When asked if he was worried that the actions by authorities will cause backlash in terms of vote swings for GE2025, PM Wong said that the Government was not acting out of concern about the electoral outcome, but instead, focusing on the impact on Singapore's social harmony.
This was the reason why authorities intervened during the campaign period and why he called for the press conference on April 26, said PM Wong, stressing how the matter went beyond politics.
'I'm not here to talk about my concerns about the party. I'm here to talk about my concern for Singapore, and our country,' said PM Wong.
'And this goes beyond one election, because once the faultlines deepen, once trust is eroded, it is so hard to recover again.'
PM Wong was asked if there are other entities that are a cause for concern when it comes to foreign influence on GE2025, such as Critical Spectator, the Facebook page and website run by Polish national Michael Petraeus.
Singapore's rules are clear and the outcome of its elections is for its citizens to decide, he stressed.
Foreigners are allowed to write about elections, but they cross the line if they take a position on an issue or a candidate, or push for one over the other. This is especially so when it is about race and religion, he said.
'You start mixing race and religion into politics, that crosses the line. So the agencies and authorities will continue to monitor…but if anything crosses the line we will certainly take action,' he said.
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