Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong has issued a stern warning against attempts to stir racial and religious sentiments in the lead-up to the country’s general election, scheduled for May 3.
This comes after foreign individuals, including leaders from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), were accused of urging Singaporeans to vote for certain candidates due to their race and religion —a move Lee said violates two of the nation’s most fundamental political principles.
‘Foreigners have no place in our politics’
In a speech, Lee emphasised that Singapore’s politics are strictly for Singaporeans and that external voices only worsen matters.
“Foreigners have no right to interfere in our affairs.”
Singapore’s politics are the business of Singaporeans; foreign interference is unnecessary, as it would only make things worse under the guise of helping,” he said.
Lee also made it clear that Singapore firmly separates race and religion from politics, warning that identity-based politics could severely damage the country’s unity.
SG Government agencies monitoring foreign posts
On April 25, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Elections Department confirmed that three foreign nationals, including two PAS leaders, had been identified for allegedly trying to influence the election.
These posts were aimed at Singaporeans and encourage voting along racial and religious lines.
This is unacceptable and goes against the foundations of our political system,” said the joint statement.
CNA also reported that Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) had directed Facebook parent Meta to block Singapore users’ access to several posts by foreigners.
Authorities have since urged all parties, candidates, religious bodies, and the public to uphold Singapore’s multiracial harmony.
PAS denies interference allegations
PAS National Treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad, one of the individuals named, denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement reported by Sinar Harian, he clarified that he only expressed hope for some Muslim candidates to perform well, but had no personal ties with them.
It’s not logical to accuse me of interfering in another country’s election,” he said in a Facebook post on April 26.
He added that commenting on foreign politics is something he has done before without issue.
In a separate post, the national treasurer also questioned why Malaysians are not allowed to make remarks about the vote—even when doing so from abroad.
He said even mentioning election candidates on social media could be labelled as foreign interference and lead to content being restricted in Singapore.
He cited the example of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)-Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based research body that published a book in 2019 titled “The Defeat of Barisan Nasional.”
The publication featured contributions from various writers, including Malaysians.
I was also invited to contribute an article titled ‘Chempaka, Selangor: Keeping the Faith’,” he noted, adding that such acts could similarly be viewed as influencing political thinking in another country.
