SDP says MOM decision a 'cop-out', will contest POFMA orders in court
SINGAPORE – In the latest salvo in the escalating row between the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) over alleged falsehoods, the opposition party has declared its intention to challenge the ministry in court.
“In rejecting the SDP’s application for the cancellation of the Correction Directions, the MOM has failed to provide any grounds for its decision,” said the opposition party in a Facebook post on Monday (6 January).
“MOM’s reply simply insisted that ‘your Application does not provide sufficient grounds for the cancellation of the CDs’. This is not a rational answer as the SDP had submitted a detailed account – including analysing MOM’s own statistics – of the reasons for the statements in our posts.
Replying that the ‘minister has therefore decided to refuse your application’ is not an answer, it is a cop-out.”
On the same day, Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo rejected an application by the party to cancel three correction directions (CD) issued to it under the Protection Against Online Falsehoods and Manipulations Act (POFMA), a controversial anti-fake news law.
The directives were issued by MOM to the SDP on 14 December, regarding two Facebook posts and an online article by the party titled, “SDP Population Policy: Hire S’poreans First, Retrench S’poreans last”, under the Protection against Online Falsehoods and Manipulations (POFMA) law.
The posts on SDP’s Facebook page, dated 30 November and 2 December last year, had contained links to the article, published on 8 June, which “contains a false statement of fact”, said MOM, pertaining to the party’s allegation of a rising trend of local PMET (professionals, managers, executives, and technicians) retrenchments.
A “misleading graphic” depicting plunging local PMET employment was also attached to the 2 December sponsored post, it added.
The SDP had complied with the request to add a correction note to each of the Facebook posts and the article, but last Thursday called for Teo to retract the directives and issue an “immediate, unambiguous and public apology” over the matter.
It also rebutted the MOM’s claims and called the directives “an abuse of POFMA”.
‘POFMA should be held to higher standards’
In its latest statement, SDP said, “POFMA should be held to higher standards, this Government should be too. The PAP hurls accusations against its opponents but refuses to substantiate its arguments when rebutted with official data. This is hardly the kind of leadership Singaporeans should expect or deserve. It is an unfortunate but very real comment about the calibre of the PAP’s 4G leaders.”
“The MOM’s non-answer leaves the SDP no choice but to pursue the matter in court.”
If the SDP successfully brings its case to court, it will mark the first time a POFMA directive is legally challenged. POFMA was enacted in October last year.
On Monday in Parliament, Minister of Communications and Information S Iswaran had called it “a coincidence” that the first few cases brought under the law were against political figures and parties.
“I would say that that is a convergence, some might say an unfortunate convergence or coincidence," he said.
“But whatever the case may be, that is the situation today but it does not mean that is going to be the situation going forward.”
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