Latest news with #Zaqy
Free Malaysia Today
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
S'pore politics not along racial, religious lines like in M'sia, says minister
Singapore's senior minister of state Zaqy Mohamad said it is dangerous for religion-based parties like PAS to ask Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines. PETALING JAYA : Singapore's politics is not like those in Malaysia, where parties are divided along racial and religious lines, says the republic's senior minister of state Zaqy Mohamad. Zaqy said it was dangerous for religion-based parties like PAS to ask Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines. 'That's the kind of politics you can see in Malaysia, where you have different parties representing different faiths and races, whether they are Umno, PAS, DAP or MIC. 'That's not the case in Singapore, where we've spent the last 60 years trying to build peace, unity, harmony and mutual trust between races,' he said in a video by CNA. Yesterday, the Singapore home ministry and elections department said in a joint statement that several online posts had urged Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines, which in turn sparked more social media content of a similar nature. They called out PAS leaders and a former detainee, now an Australian citizen, for allegedly trying to influence the country's general election on May 3 with posts that could harm racial and religious harmony. The Singapore government ordered Facebook parent Meta to block Singaporeans' access to the posts made by foreigners, ahead of the election, under rules restricting their social media posts. Facebook user 'Zai Nal', identified as Zulfikar Shariff, accused several Malay-Muslim MPs of failing to represent the Muslim community, and said Singapore does not need another Malay MP who does not reflect their views. PAS national treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad also expressed support for a candidate in the Singapore election, while Selangor PAS Youth chief Sukri Omar shared Zulfikar's post in support. Zaqy warned against exploiting racial and religious sentiments, saying its dangers were seen in the early days of Singapore's independence, and riots that had taken place in the republic. He also said while there is scope for discourse, it 'does not suit' Singapore to have foreigners ask Singaporeans to vote a certain way because of beliefs or ways of life held by those overseas. 'We've seen this in many countries, whether they distort algorithms or use bots to influence elections. 'But I think the bigger danger is when you start using religion and racial divides. This is something we have to guard against in Singapore. 'Once you break that trust between races or people of different faiths, I think that's very dangerous here in Singapore,' he said. Zaqy said while many Singaporeans today identify as Singaporeans first, there are segments of the community that feel otherwise. 'They identify more with race and religion. Therefore, there is that balance that has to be managed. 'We are making it clear that foreign interference is not something we will accept. Singapore politics is for Singaporeans alone,' he said.
Daily Express
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Singapore maintains politics based on unity, not race, says senior minister
Published on: Saturday, April 26, 2025 Published on: Sat, Apr 26, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: PETALING JAYA: Singapore's politics are not like those in Malaysia, where parties are divided along racial and religious lines, says the republic's senior minister of state Zaqy Mohamad ( pic ). Zaqy said it was dangerous for religion-based parties like PAS to ask Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines. 'That's the kind of politics you can see in Malaysia, where you have different parties representing different faiths and races, whether they are Umno, PAS, DAP or MIC. 'That's not the case in Singapore, where we've spent the last 60 years trying to build peace, unity, harmony and mutual trust between races,' he said in a video by CNA. Yesterday, the Singapore home ministry and elections department said in a joint statement that several online posts had urged Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines, which in turn sparked more social media content of a similar nature. They called out PAS leaders and a former detainee, now an Australian citizen, for allegedly trying to influence the country's general election on May 3 with posts that could harm racial and religious harmony. The Singapore government ordered Facebook parent Meta to block Singaporeans' access to posts made by foreigners, ahead of the election, under rules restricting their social media posts. Facebook user 'Zai Nal', identified as Zulfikar Shariff, accused several Malay-Muslim MPs of failing to represent the Muslim community, and said Singapore does not need another Malay MP who does not reflect their views. PAS national treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad also expressed support for a candidate in the Singapore election, while Selangor PAS Youth chief Sukri Omar shared Zulfikar's post in support. However, Zaqy warned against exploiting racial and religious sentiments, saying its dangers were seen in the early days of Singapore's independence and riots, ostensibly a reference to the 1969 race riots that spilled over from Malaysia into Singapore. He also said while there is scope for discourse, it 'does not suit' Singapore to have foreigners ask Singaporeans to vote a certain way because of beliefs or ways of life held by those overseas. 'We've seen this in many countries, whether they distort algorithms or use bots to influence elections. 'But I think the bigger danger is when you start using religion and racial divides. This is something we have to guard against in Singapore. 'Once you break that trust between races or people of different faiths, I think that's very dangerous here in Singapore,' he said. Zaqy said while many Singaporeans today identify as Singaporeans first, there are segments of the community that feel otherwise. 'They identify more with race and religion. Therefore, there is that balance that has to be managed. 'We are making it clear that foreign interference is not something we will accept. Singapore politics is for Singaporeans alone,' he said. - FMT * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Malay Mail
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
PAP Malay leader: Islamist PAS' call for Singaporeans to vote along racial, religious lines ‘dangerous and divisive'
SINGAPORE, April 26 – PAP candidate for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, Zaqy Mohamad, has today expressed his concern that foreigners are exploiting race relations and religious elements for political gain during the election period in the republic. CNA cited the outgoing Singapore senior minister of state criticising Malaysia's Islamist party PAS for urging Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines, calling it a dangerous practice. 'So when you have a party like PAS, for example, espousing certain views, asking Singaporeans to vote along religious and racial lines, I think that's very dangerous,' Zaqy reportedly said. 'That's the kind of politics perhaps you can see in Malaysia, where you have different parties representing different faiths or different races, whether it's UMNO, PAS, DAP and MIC, and you can see how the parties are organised.' He compared the situation to Singapore, which he said has spent 60 years building peace, harmony, and mutual respect among its diverse population. He warned that Singapore must guard against the exploitation of race and religion, recalling the racial riots and protests during the country's early years of independence. While acknowledging there is room for discourse on religious issues, Zaqy said urging people to vote along racial and religious lines is akin to 'asking for trouble'. He said the government's directive to Meta sends a strong signal that Singapore is committed to protecting its societal harmony and maintaining the integrity of its elections. Zaqy added that issues like the Gaza conflict can be debated responsibly, but Singaporeans must remember to conduct such discussions with sensitivity in a multiracial, multi-religious society. 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. Islamic preacher Mohammed Noor Deros had also 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.
CNA
26-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: 'Very dangerous' for foreign parties to ask Singaporeans to vote along religious lines, says Zaqy Mohamad
SINGAPORE: It is concerning that foreigners are exploiting race relations and religious elements for political gains during this election period, Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad said on Saturday (Apr 26). 'So when you have a party like PAS, for example, espousing certain views, asking Singaporeans to vote along religious and racial lines, I think that's very dangerous,' the People's Action Party candidate for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC told reporters ahead of a walkabout at Fuchun Market. 'That's the kind of politics perhaps you can see in Malaysia, where you have different parties representing different faiths or different races, whether it's UMNO, PAS, DAP and MIC, and you can see how the parties are organised.' Mr Zaqy was responding to news that the government has directed Meta to block access to posts by two Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) politicians attempting to influence Singapore's election. In his comments on Saturday, he referred to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) as race-based Malaysian parties. Singapore has spent the last 60 years trying to build peace, harmony, mutual trust and a society that understands and respects each other's faith, he said. 'But having said that, we don't want to have a situation where this is being exploited. We've seen the dangers of that,' he added. 'In the early days of our independence, we had racial riots, we have protests, whether it's across different races or along religious lines.' As a small country, Singapore guards against the use of race and religion to divide people, Mr Zaqy said, stressing that it is "very easy" for these elements to be exploited, leading to a breakdown in trust between different segments of the population. "We have foreigners interfering - it's not just about being putting posts, but you're asking Singaporeans to vote a certain way because of their beliefs overseas or the way of life overseas, then I think it doesn't suit us," he said. While Mr Zaqy said there is "certainly" scope for discourse and debate on religious issues, asking people to vote along these lines could be likened to "asking for trouble". This is why he feels the government's directions to Meta send a "strong signal" that Singapore wants to protect its harmony while ensuring foreigners do not have any influence on the election, which he said is for Singaporeans alone to decide. "It's for Singapore and Singaporeans to decide what kind of politics you want, what kind of society you want to build, and you can take on issues," he said, citing the Gaza conflict as one issue that has been debated in parliament. "But bear in mind that raising issues that touch the hearts of those in our community, we have to also bear in mind the way we conduct it, the way we raise it, one where we recognise that we live in a multi-religious, multiracial society," he said. On Saturday, the Workers' Party (WP) said it has no control over foreigners supporting its candidates, while clarifying details about a meeting involving some of its Malay-Muslim candidates and an Islamic religious teacher. The party, which has included the Gaza conflict in its manifesto, said no promises were made to the teacher Noor Deros, or anyone else in exchange for political support for WP candidates. Mr Zaqy said he does not think opposition parties have tried to exploit race or religion for political mileage, urging Singaporeans to push back against other individuals who attempt this. "I think that there are some who veer close, but I don't think opposition parties themselves have done it," he said. "But you see comments online. So, there's a big difference between what opposition parties have espoused, and what you see espoused by third-party advocates. Mr Zaqy pointed to Mr Noor Deros as one example. He said Mr Noor Deros is a Singaporean who has been "influencing" this election, and that the religious teacher had met election candidates to ask them to consider a set of demands for the Malay-Muslim community. "So you see third parties coming out. But I think bear in mind that we want to also keep this political space clear on those lines," Mr Zaqy said, adding that mixing race or religion in politics is a "powerful" tool used in other countries. Despite that, Mr Zaqy said it is sometimes difficult to determine whether these third-party comments were written by locals or supporters of PAS, for example. "That's exactly why foreign interference becomes very key, because some of the comments you get may not have been from Singaporeans either," he said. "So you have to bear in mind how this feeds into your local narratives, especially being in a region where you do have large Muslim populations too." Mr Zaqy encouraged Singaporeans to make their own judgment and political choice, with the values of wanting a harmonious and peaceful Singapore at the heart of it. "Ultimately, you don't want to push the agenda of one ahead of the other, because you will find pushback. Therein lies the danger - the last thing you want is to go the way of some countries, as I said, with political parties pushing the agenda of identity or race," he added. WORRYING TREND OF FOREIGN INTERFERENCE Speaking to the media at another event at Keat Hong Market on Saturday, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng called foreign interference in politics a "worrying trend". "Our election should be entirely a domestic affair, and I hope that all foreign players, regardless of where they are, should take the cue that Singapore's politics is entirely for Singaporeans," said the PAP candidate for Chua Chu Kang GRC. "And for us, it is our existence, it is our survival, it is our ability to come together, to be united, to reject all these foreign influences and interference, because we want to chart our own path ourselves for a better and a more united Singapore." While fellow PAP candidate for Chua Chu Kang Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim said it is "concerning" to hear foreign parties were trying to influence the election, he added he was "heartened" that Singapore has the legislative framework to tackle such issues. "With that, I ask all Singaporeans: We may have different thinking, we may have disagreements about how to make things done, but I think we are all headed in the right direction, the same destination," he said. "And I think all of our Singaporeans, even the Chua Chu Kang residents, they understood the importance of it - that their voice must be their voice alone, and not be altered by foreign interference." INAUTHENTIC ACTIVITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA Back at Fuchun Market, Mr Zaqy also touched on the inauthentic activity detected on social media recently, saying this risks distorting real ground sentiments during the election period. This comes after checks by CNA had found that anonymous Facebook profiles with inauthentic or falsified origins, also known as bots, have been active online, targeting both the PAP and WP. Mr Zaqy said these profiles seem to be locked or have very few posts and followers, and that they are targeting the pages of more mainstream news sites. 'They probably want to target where you find most traction, and where national mainstream news comes out,' he added. 'I think this distorts the perception of what the realities could be, or what the ground sentiments could be.' Ms Hany Soh, another PAP candidate for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, said "a few accounts" had impersonated her even before campaigning started, something she was alerted to by residents and supporters. "We look out for one another. For this campaign, we want to make sure that this is a fair contest throughout," she said. "While social media is one important element, actually, more importantly when it comes to this election, it's about our voters, our residents on the ground. We want to walk the ground, listen to their needs and share with them what are our upcoming plans that we have." The incumbent PAP team, comprising Mr Zaqy, Ms Soh, Mr Alex Yam and Prime Minster Lawrence Wong, will go up against a team from the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) in Marsiling-Yew Tee. The SDP has fielded party organising secretary Jufri Salim, founder of alternative news site Wake Up Singapore Ariffin Sha, theatre director Alec Tok and Dr Gigene Wong. Ms Soh said she has "not seen" her opponents on the ground yet in the past few days of campaigning, be it during house visits or walkabouts at neighbourhood centres. "My residents have also told me they have not seen them yet," she added. Mr Zaqy was also asked about SDP chief Chee Soon Juan's call during a rally on Friday evening for Mr Wong to state an "optimal" population size for Singapore, amid what Dr Chee described as an "unsustainable" influx of foreigners. "I think you should ask the prime minister, because that concerns more MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) and ICA (Immigrations and Checkpoint Authority) policies. So, I'll let the prime minister comment on that," he replied.
CNA
23-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC will see PM Wong's team going head-to-head against familiar challenger SDP
SINGAPORE: The People's Action Party (PAP) team in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is set for a rematch against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) at the May 3 General Election. There were no big surprises for the ward on Nomination Day from both sides, given that they had already introduced their slates previously. The same two parties have been facing off with each other in the constituency since its formation in 2015. Candidates from both parties successfully filed their nomination papers at Jurong-Pioneer Junior College on Wednesday (Apr 23). The PAP slate remains unchanged from the same team of five they put up in the last election: Mr Wong, who is also secretary-general of the PAP, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad, Mr Alex Yam and Ms Hany Soh. Challenging them are SDP's organising secretary Jufri Salim, founder of alternative news site Wake Up Singapore Ariffin Sha, theatre director Alec Tok and Dr Gigene Wong. WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAID After they were introduced, each team of candidates were given three minutes to address their supporters. Speaking first, Mr Tok noted that SDP has contested the GRC thrice in a row and 'we are ready'. 'Ready to run a town council with the expertise that we've gained over the years, ready to carry your voices into parliament, and ready to be a leading advocate for a more humane, more compassionate Singapore, that is more fair,' he said. 'We have grown alongside Singaporeans, becoming better, stronger, wiser. Now is the time to vote for the SDP.' Rounding up his party members' speeches, Mr Jufri began with a Malay pantun (a form of poem) that reminded residents to think wisely before they cast their votes. 'Don't wait for change, be the change. We want to thrive, not just survive,' he said in English. Mr Wong started off the speeches from PAP, and also began the message of familiarity. 'All these years, you know as well, we have walked this journey with you since the GRC was formed,' he said, asking voters to give his team an opportunity to continue serving. 'We are in a changed world with turbulence all around so there is much at stake in this election. Your votes will determine your future and your children's future, please vote for the PAP,' he said. Mr Zaqy spoke next, reiterating Mr Wong's message about geopolitical issues affecting Singapore. 'As Singapore faces turbulence, leadership matters. Who we choose to take us through, matters. Give us your mandate, support us so that we can build a brighter future for you and for Singapore,' he said. THE MARSILING-YEW TEE CANDIDATES Mr Wong and Mr Yam have been with Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC since it was first created in 2015. Mr Zaqy was a Chua Chu Kang GRC MP from 2011, but started helping out in the Marsiling-Yew Tee constituency as a grassroots adviser after Madam Halimah Yacob left in 2017 to contest the presidential election. Mr Zaqy was fielded there in the subsequent 2020 General Election, together with Ms Soh, who was making her election debut. None of the SDP members who contested in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the past two elections are fielded there this year. Mr Jufri, described by SDP chief Chee Soon Juan as a 'one of the stalwarts' of the party, is making his electoral debut. Mr Ariffin, too, is contesting in a General Election for the first time, though he was the assistant secretary-general of the Singapore People's Party (SPP) before he reportedly resigned in 2020. Their remaining two team-mates have had prior experience. Mr Tok ran under the SDP's banner in Bukit Panjang in the 2011 General Election, but was part of Red Dot United's (RDU) team in Jurong in the 2020 election. Dr Wong was the Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) candidate in Hong Kah North Single Member Constituency (SMC) in the 2020. Marsiling-Yew Tee was one of the only five GRCs that did not undergo any boundary change for this election. It has 119,352 voters. In the last general election in 2020, the PAP team retained the GRC with 63.18 per cent of the votes.
