We can't choose who supports us: Workers' Party reaffirms secular stance as Malaysian Islamists seek to influence Singapore polls
SINGAPORE, April 26 – Singapore's Workers' Party (WP) has today reiterated its commitment to Singapore's secular principles following reports linking its Malay-Muslim candidates to foreign influence and religious figures.
Responding to a joint statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Elections Department on the takedown of foreign online election advertising, WP said it cannot control if any external parties express support for its candidates.
'In Singapore, the principle of keeping religion and politics separate is well established. The WP's commitment to this principle is a matter of public record,' it said in a statement here.
It highlighted that its MP Faisal Manap had said during a 2019 parliamentary debate on the Maintenance of Religious Harmony (Amendment) Bill that: 'Religion needs to be kept aside, or apart from politics, so that religion will not be used to gain personal benefit or to benefit any political party.'
It added that its secretary-general Pritam Singh had then added: 'Members of Parliament must represent the interests of every community, not just their own, and must be mindful of introducing religion into politics.'
The party also addressed media reports concerning a meeting involving some Malay-Muslim candidates and Singaporean Islamic religious teacher Mohammed Noor Deros.
'In the course of our political work, the Workers' Party meets with various members of our religious communities, regardless of race or religion,' it said.
The WP clarified that at a meeting attended by Noor Deros and other religious leaders, no promises, commitments, or agreements were made in exchange for political support.
This comes as preacher Noor 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.
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.
Officials said the ex-Singaporean man named Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, who was detained in 2016 in the city-state for allegedly promoting terrorism, had accused several Malay-Muslim MPs of failing to represent the interests of the Muslim community.
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