Singaporean authorities have instructed Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to prevent residents from viewing posts made by individuals in Malaysia and Australia who are accused of attempting to sway a national election based on racial and religious issues.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority issued these directives after identifying certain posts as “aimed at promoting or undermining the electoral success or standing of a political party or candidate,” as stated by the Elections Department and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The upcoming election in the Southeast Asian city-state, scheduled for May 3 and the first governed by new social media regulations introduced by the government in 2023, is expected to be heavily influenced by the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has secured the most seats in each election since Singapore’s independence in 1965.
The new rules prohibit foreigners from engaging in online election advertising, defined as any online content that could positively or negatively affect political parties or candidates.
In the announcement made on Friday, authorities identified the foreigners involved as Iskandar Abdul Samad, the national treasurer of the Islamist group Parti Islam Se-Malaysia; Mohamed Sukri Omar, the youth leader of the party in Selangor, Malaysia; and “Zai Nal,” a Facebook user identified as Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, an Australian who gave up his Singaporean citizenship in 2020.
Iskandar had shown support for the Workers’ Party’s Faisal Manap through a social media post.
Zulfikar was said to have claimed that Malay-Muslim parliament members were not adequately representing Muslim interests, asserting that Singapore didn’t need another Malay MP who was out of touch with their views. Sukri had shared Zulfikar’s message.
The government stated that these posts interfered with local politics and encouraged citizens to vote along racial and religious lines.
In a subsequent Facebook post on Saturday regarding the removal of the posts, Sukri claimed he never intended to meddle in Singapore’s elections.
Responding to the takedown request, Zulfikar remarked on Facebook that the ruling PAP and its allies seemed “fearful” and that “desperation is apparent.” He mentioned plans to establish a WhatsApp channel and another website to advocate for various issues.
The opposition Workers’ Party released a statement on Saturday stating that it cannot control foreign entities that show support for its candidates.
The PAP has not yet provided a comment. There was also no response from Meta, Iskandar, or the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia to requests for feedback.
