Amid elections campaign, Singapore blocks voter-influencing Facebook posts by foreigners

Authorities in Singapore, which goes to the polls next week, have directed Meta to disable user access to several Facebook posts intended to influence voters by foreigners — one a former Singaporean detainee-turned-Australian linked to the Islamic State and two Malaysian politicians.

The posts criticised, among others, the Singapore government’s handling of sensitive religious issues and urged Singaporeans to vote along religious lines.

The city state goes to the polls on May 3.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority, as the assistant returning officer, has issued corrective directions to Meta to disable Singaporean users’ access to several posts published on Facebook, according to a joint statement on Friday from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Elections Department Singapore (ELD).

The posts were by “Zai Nal", identified as Islamic State-linked Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, an Australian citizen who renounced his Singaporean citizenship in 2020 after having been detained for promoting terrorism in the city state, and leading Malaysian politician Iskandar Abdul Samad, national treasurer of the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).

Zulfikar had been detained under the Internal Security Act of Singapore for his “promotion of terrorism" and glorification of the Islamic State online, according to the joint statement.

The MHA-ELD added that his actions “contributed to the radicalisation of at least two other Singaporeans".

In his post, Zulfikar accused several Malay-Muslim members of Parliament of failing to represent the interests of the Singaporean Muslim community and said the local Muslim community did not need another Malay MP who did not represent their views, the MHA-ELD said in the statement.

Zulfikar’s post was reposted by Mohamed Sukri Omar, the PAS youth chief in Selangor state in neighbouring Malaysia.

The posts, which can no longer be viewed by users in Singapore, expressed support for certain opposition candidates and criticised decisions made by the ruling government, according to a Channel News Asia report.

Stressing the importance of not mixing religion and politics, the MHA-ELD said it had identified a “number of foreigners" attempting to influence the elections.

“We must not mix religion and politics. Singapore is a secular state," the MHA-ELD said.

“Bringing religion into politics will undermine social cohesion and harmony, as we have seen in other countries with race- or religion-based politics," it added.

The posts have been targeted at Singaporeans, according to the statement. “They interfere with our domestic politics, which are reserved for our citizens. They also urge Singaporeans to vote on racial and religious lines, and have led to more social media postings of a similar nature." All this has the potential to fracture the multi-racial and multi-religious harmony that is the bedrock of Singapore as a nation, according to the statement.

“We recognise that public policy may sometimes involve matters of religious concern," the MHA-ELD noted but assured the government would continue to engage widely, including with religious groups, to hear their views and ensure they were taken into account.

The MHA-ELD also urged all political parties and their candidates, as well as religious organisations, leaders and members of the public to do “our part to safeguard the precious harmony we have in Singapore today".

Foreigners must not direct, fund or in any way influence Singapore’s elections. It is an offence under the Parliamentary Elections Act for foreigners to participate in elections activity or publish online election advertising, according to the statement.

Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, online election advertising is defined as any material published online that can reasonably be regarded as intended to promote or prejudice the electoral success or standing of a political party or candidate.

Gurmit Singh, president of the Inter-Religious Organisation, said religion had to be kept out of politics “for the common good".

“In Singapore, we have witnessed the dangers of racial and religious conflicts in the past," Singh said in a statement posted on Facebook by the organisation’s honorary secretary Lawrence Chong.

“This can come about when religion is mixed with politics, as witnessed in parts of the world," Channel News Asia quoted Singh as saying.

A total 27,58,846 (27.58 lakh) people are registered to vote in the May 3 elections. Among the voters, 75 per cent are of Chinese origin, 15 per cent Malays who mostly practise Islam, and more than seven per cent people of Indian origin.

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