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The Star
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
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.
CNA
28-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Malaysia's Islamic party distances itself from leaders' comments on Singapore election, but says reaction 'exaggerated'
SINGAPORE: Malaysia's Islamic party said on Monday (Apr 28) that the recent social media posts by two of its members who commented on Singapore's election are "personal views" and do not reflect the party's official stance. However, it added that Singapore's reaction to the posts was "exaggerated". The posts in question can no longer be viewed by Facebook users in Singapore after authorities here directed Meta to block access, saying there had been attempts by foreigners to influence the General Election. The comments were posted by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia's (PAS) national treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad, and PAS Selangor youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar reposted Mr Zulfikar's post. Two articles were also published in the PAS newsletter, one of which named several Malay opposition candidates running in GE2025, highlighting their educational and career backgrounds. The other criticised Singapore's housing policies, linking them to immigration. In a media statement on Monday, PAS secretary general Takiyuddin Hassan said: "It must be emphasised that the posts in question represent their personal views and in no way reflect PAS' official policy or stance as a political party - whether regarding Singapore as a nation ot its ongoing processes. "PAS believes that both individuals were merely expressing their personal opinions without any intention to interfere, let alone influence the outcome of the election scheduled for May 3, as alleged." Mr Takiyuddin said that while PAS respects Singapore's concerns on the matter, it also believes that Singapore's reaction was "somewhat exaggerated and unilateral", given the party's good relations with the Singapore government. PAS noted that the two party leaders have denied the allegations of foreign interference. "PAS' policy of maintaining formal bilateral relations as the legitimate channel for conveying any views of discussing matters of mutual interest - including with the Singapore government - as practised thus far, clearly proved that these allegations were inaccurate or untrue," it added. Besides the posts by the two PAS members, Singapore had also directed Meta to block a post by a user called 'Zai Nal', who has been identified as Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff. Mr Zulfikar is an Australian citizen who renounced his Singapore citizenship in 2020. He had been detained in 2016 under the Internal Security Act for his 'promotion of terrorism' and glorification of the Islamic State group online, Singapore authorities said. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Elections Department (ELD) said in a statement on Apr 25 that Singapore is a secular state, warning against mixing religion and politics. The development, which came in the middle of election campaigning, prompted political parties to speak out against foreign interference in Singapore politics. On Monday, PAS said that in a borderless world marked by rapid access to information worldwide, "it is inevitable that developments in any one country or place may attract interest or reactions from individuals in other countries, especially regarding issues that they personally consider important."
Malaysiakini
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
PSM inches forward, PN hogwash a dud
Good morning. Here's what you should know today. Key Highlights PSM inches forward, PN hogwash a dud PAS 'threatens' S'pore polls Miti plagiarism scandal PSM inches forward, PN hogwash a dud The Madani coalition won the Ayer Kuning by-election on Saturday. However, the coalition's joint vote share declined compared to 2022. PSM - while losing its deposit - doubled its votes, seemingly buoyed by protest votes from disgruntled Harapan supporters. As for PN, its attempt to rile up Malay voters by playing up pig farming did not gain traction. HIGHLIGHTS PAS 'threatens' S'pore polls Singapore has accused two PAS leaders of trying to meddle in the city-state's upcoming election. PAS treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad and Selangor PAS Youth chief Sukri Omar were accused of trying to instigate racial and religious sentiments. The duo have denied doing such a thing, with Iskandar saying that he merely highlighted Muslim candidates contesting in the polls for the knowledge of Malaysians. HIGHLIGHTS Miti plagiarism scandal The Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry is being accused of appropriating a company's design for the Malaysia Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, without any credit or compensation. Businessperson Fey Ilyas claimed his company worked on the project for about two years, just for it to be 'taken' by the ministry. He also claimed to have been advised to stay quiet in order to get future jobs. The ministry said it is investigating the claims. HIGHLIGHTS Views that matter In case you missed it Other news that matter
Malay Mail
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Linking PAS to WP? Accused of meddling in Singapore's polls, Iskandar says he's not even influential at home
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 — PAS treasurer Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad has denied accusations that he was attempting to influence Singapore's ongoing general election through his Facebook postings. In a statement, Iskandar also slammed Singapore government's attempt to link his Islamist party and the opposition Workers' Party (WP) — calling it 'preposterous and counterproductive'. 'I do not believe my Facebook page is influential even in Malaysia and was shocked when it was blocked and cannot be accessed in the republic,' he posted on Facebook. 'Therefore, I am still wondering what the true intention was, but I hope that it was not to link my party to the opposition as such attempt is preposterous and will be counterproductive.' Iskandar explained he was merely sharing information about notable Muslim candidates from WP, as well as a video of a young Muslim candidate from the rulingPAP introducing himself to voters. The former Selangor exco explained that his posts were aimed at his predominantly Malay Muslim audience in Malaysia and were not intended to sway voters in Singapore. 'I had never urged the voters to vote along racial and religious lines,' he said, adding that while he expressed hope that some Muslim candidates would win, he did not know them personally and had never met any of them. Iskandar noted that the only Singaporean politicians he had met were from the PAP, including ministers and MPs, and joked that this could equally be seen as a PAP connection. 'As a politician, I cannot be faulted for having an interest in the political developments of other countries apart from Malaysia,' he said, citing his previous writings on UK politics and his support for the Labour Party during their last general election. 'However, it would be ridiculous to accuse me of interfering with the election process of that country. I have also commented on the politics of other countries as well without any repercussions.' On Friday, 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.
The Star
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Foreign posts fan election tensions
The city-state has ordered Facebook parent Meta to block Singaporeans' access to posts made by foreigners, ahead of a national election under rules restricting their social media posts. The Infocomm Media Development Authority issued the orders after some posts by foreigners were deemed as 'intended to promote or prejudice the electoral success or standing of a political party or candidate', the Elections Department and Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Friday. Singapore's election on May 3, the first under the social media rules put in place by the government in 2023, is almost certain to be dominated by the People's Action Party, which has won the most seats in every vote since independence in 1965. The rules bar foreigners from publishing online election advertising, which it defines as online materials that could help or hurt any political parties or candidates. Friday's statement identified the foreigners as Iskandar Abdul Samad, national treasurer of the party PAS; Mohamed Sukri Omar, the party's youth chief in Selangor; and Facebook user 'Zai Nal', identified as Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, an Australian who renounced his Singapore citizenship in 2020. Iskandar had expressed support for the opposition Workers' Party's Faisal Manap in a social media post. The authorities found that Zulfikar had accused Malay-Muslim members of parliament of failing to represent Muslim interests, saying Singapore did not need another Malay MP who did not represent their views. Sukri had reposted Zulfikar's post. The government said their posts interfered with domestic politics and influenced citizens to vote on racial and religious lines. Zulfikar, responding to the takedown request, posted on Facebook that the action shows the ruling PAP and its supporters were 'scared' and that 'desperation reeks'. He said he was creating a WhatsApp channel and another website to advocate for issues. The opposition Workers' Party said in a statement yesterday that it does not have control over foreign parties who express support for its candidates. It said Faisal has spoken about how 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'. — Reuters
