Latest news with #MinistryofHomeAffairsandElectionsDepartment
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.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Greater effort must be made to engage minority groups, says PM Wong
This does not mean that citizens cannot talk about race and religion, but that they must be careful, sensible and reasonable in doing so, stressed PM Wong. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE - Greater effort must be made to engage different communities, including those of different races and causes, and MPs should continue to highlight their concerns in Parliament where necessary, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. Such concerns are legitimate and MPs should make them known, but this is very different from identity politics, which means championing one group's interests at the expense of shrinking the common space, he said at a press conference on April 26. If Singapore allows identity politics to happen, there could be pushback from the majority. Such examples of divided societies have already been seen elsewhere, said PM Wong. 'Yes, we are in an election contest. Yes, every party would like to win and gain more seats, but victory should not come at the price of our unity. That's too high a cost,' he said. He was speaking to reporters at the National Press Centre, a day after Singapore authorities announced they had found several foreigners attempting to influence the upcoming general election, and had moved to block Singapore users' access to the Facebook posts that sought to do so . A joint statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Elections Department on April 25 said the posts were targeted at Singaporeans, and urged them to vote along racial and religious lines. Asked where the line should be drawn when it comes to minority MPs raising concerns of the community in Parliament, versus mixing race and religion with politics, PM Wong acknowledged that in a multiracial and multi-religious community like Singapore, it is harder to be in the minority. Thus greater effort needs to be made to engage minority groups, he said. MPs engage ethnic communities and others who advocate for specific causes, and it is legitimate for such elected representatives to listen to such concerns and where necessary, raise them in Parliament, said PM Wong. But that is different from identity politics, which means championing the interests of one specific group over everything else, even at the expense of shrinking the common space, harming social harmony and even the national interest, he said. 'Let's not harm Singapore's cohesion. Let's have a care, let's have a good and fair contest, and then beyond the elections, we will continue with the engagements. 'We will continue listening, hearing all the different groups, and seeing how best to address the concerns of each community while making sure we strengthen our society and our shared Singaporean identity at the same time.' The foreigners on the authorities' radar, flagged on April 25, include Mr Iskandar Abdul Samad, the national treasurer of Parti Islam SeMalaysia, and the Islamist party's Selangor Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar. Mr Iskandar had expressed support for a candidate in GE2025, said the authorities. Online checks found that he had posted about his support for several WP members such as Mr Faisal Manap, and other opposition candidates. Asked if minority groups might be deterred from speaking up during the election period about their concerns for fear of crossing the line, PM Wong said that while there might be such concerns, the issue he has raised is not a new one. 'And whenever individuals do cross the line, sometimes it doesn't even require the government to act because online there will be moderating voices telling them, please have a care. And then because of that, individuals will say, 'I understand, I will exercise some restraint'.' He noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, issues of race and religion had also come up. 'So these issues are always there - it can be stirred up in the midst of an election, it can come up during a crisis or a challenge, and then somebody fingers or blames a particular ethnic group for something wrong, and then emotions get riled up.' This does not mean that citizens cannot talk about race and religion, but that they must be careful, sensible and reasonable in doing so, stressed PM Wong. 'And this is something that is ongoing, it cannot be, you cannot do this by implementing laws or rules only; it's a mindset.' PM Wong was asked about the case of Mr Noor Deros, a Singaporean religious teacher based in Malaysia. Mr Noor had claimed that he had spoken to all the Malay candidates from the WP. He also claimed the WP had agreed to take up the concerns raised by the asatizah, or religious teachers, regarding the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore. PM Wong noted that Mr Noor had taken some very extreme positions on foreign policy in his online posts, such as saying that the United States and Israel were masterminds of terrorism. 'He calls for the expansion of Islamic principles at the expense of shrinking the common space that other faiths and other communities share in our multiracial society. These are positions that will go against our national interests.' If the PAP's leaders were to interact with people like him, they would make it clear that they do not agree with, or support his positions. 'We would state that position clearly with people like that privately and also publicly. And likewise I would encourage and call on all political parties to do the same,' said PM Wong. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
