by Ganesh Sahathevan
Australia wants to introduce Singapore POFMA type laws to combat so-called misinformation and disinformation. The scope of the proposed laws is likely to be broad, for the Premier of the State Of NSW, Chris Minns has indicated that the laws might include "divisive information".
Minns statement, and the current push to introduce the POFMA type laws is being driven by the Australian government's demand that Elon Musk and his X remove not just in Australia but worldwide posts about two stabbing incidents in Sydney, one of which has been declared a terrorist incident, by a Muslim against a Christian bishop. The campaign against "divisive information" , which came after the latter incident , is not different from the campaign against "sensitive matters" seen in Malaysia particularly after May 13 1969.
The attempt to apply the Australian laws worldwide is not different from Singapore Law Minister Shanmugam's application of the POFMA against the Australian National University. The Australian laws will however be enforced by a civil servant, the E Safety Commissioner, the Julie Inman Grant.
To Be Read With
Singapore invokes fake news law for Australia-based academic website article on 'spate of scandals'
A screengrab of the East Asia Forum logo.
Ng Hong Siang
14 Sep 2023 12:22AM(Updated: 16 Sep 2023 12:23PM)
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SINGAPORE: Australia-based academic website East Asia Forum was on Wednesday (Sep 13) issued a correction direction by Singapore's Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office.
The order relates to claims made in an article titled "A spate of scandals strikes Singapore", written by Dr Ying-Kit Chan from the National University of Singapore.
The piece contains false statements in relation to matters including the independence of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's approach in addressing extramarital affairs among parliamentarians, said the Prime Minister's Office.
East Asia Forum will be required to carry a correction notice at the top of the article and the main page of their website, as well as at the top of the corresponding Facebook post and on their Facebook page.
A check by CNA at midnight showed that East Asia Forum had not put up a correction notice at the top of the article and main page of the website as required. It added a link instead to a government statement right at the end of the article's comment section, at the bottom of the website.
The Forum is based out of the Australian National University and content it publishes is peer reviewed and "checked for factual accuracy", according to its About page.
CNA has contacted East Asia Forum for comment.
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The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the East Asia Forum article "makes the statements that (Mr Lee) conflated marital infidelity and corruption".
In July, then-Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui resigned from parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP) after it was revealed the pair had an affair.
That week, senior Workers' Party (WP) members Leon Perera and Nicole Seah also resigned from the opposition party after their extramarital affair went public.
July also saw Transport Minister S Iswaran arrested by CPIB in a probe involving billionaire Ong Beng Seng, the man widely credited with bringing Formula One racing to Singapore.
PMO said the article made statements that Mr Lee "equated" the PAP's issues with the WP's marital infidelity episode.
This is untrue and Mr Lee did not conflate the issues, said PMO.
At a press conference on Jul 17, Mr Lee gave his views in relation to the CPIB investigation and extramarital affairs "pursuant to a question posed to him by the media".
"Any concurrent mention of both the CPIB investigations and extramarital affairs related only to the close proximity of the timing in which the incidents were made public, and not the substance of these incidents," said PMO.
Mr Lee then made clear in a ministerial statement on Aug 2 that the government "took different approaches towards allegations of corruption or other wrongdoing in the discharge of official duties on the one hand, and cases involving misconduct in personal lives on the other hand".
He had also referenced the WP case in the same statement, twice, and none of them which were attempts to equate the PAP's issues with the WP's, said PMO.
The article in question also "conveys that CPIB is not independent in deciding whether to carry out investigations because it reports directly to the Prime Minister alone and (that) the Prime Minister alone has the power to refuse approval for CPIB to investigate", said PMO.
It explained that CPIB reports directly to the Prime Minister "in that it is accountable to the Prime Minister".
"CPIB, like all other agencies, has to be accountable to somebody. A state agency cannot operate without any oversight or governance," said PMO, adding that the East Asia Forum piece did not mention other safeguards put in place to ensure CPIB's independence.
Safeguards to ensure CPIB's independence
CPIB is not legally required to seek the consent of the Prime Minister before conducting its investigations
Investigations can proceed, unless the Prime Minister indicates that he does not consent to any particular investigation or that he would like the investigation to stop
Even if the Prime Minister indicates that he does not consent to a particular investigation or that he would like a particular investigation to stop, Article 22G of the Constitution enables CPIB to continue with the investigation with the concurrence of the President
There are also Constitutional safeguards for the appointment or the revocation of the appointment of the Director of CPIB, which may be refused by the President in his/her own discretion
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PMO said the East Asia Forum article also falsely conveys a cover-up of wrongdoing or corruption when former finance minister Richard Hu spoke with Mr Lee and his father, founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, in relation to their purchase of properties from Hotel Properties, a firm founded by Ong Beng Seng.
"This matter was openly debated in Parliament in 1996," said PMO.
"During the debate, MPs who spoke ... did not state that there was anything wrong with the discounts" that the Lees received.
Investigations were also conducted at the material time, said PMO, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore found no wrongdoing or impropriety, or evidence of corruption.
The East Asia Forum article also conveys a cover-up, said PMO, by allegedly having only Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and not CPIB investigate the matter concerning Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam's rental of two black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road.
PMO noted that CPIB did conduct an investigation and found no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing.
"Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean also reviewed the matter (relying on CPIB’s investigation findings), to establish whether proper processes had been followed, and if there had been any wrongdoing," said PMO.
His report concluded that there was proper conduct on all sides.
"Whilst the author is free to express his views on the above matters, his article makes false and misleading statements while omitting key facts on these matters of public interest," said PMO.
"We advise members of the public not to speculate and/or spread unverified rumours."
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