Singapore opposition party ordered to remove social media post before polls

The government ordered Peoples Voice to correct a video and the opposition party complied, putting up banners saying it contains inaccurate information

Since the misinformation law came into force, several opposition figures and activists have been ordered to correct posts while Facebook has had to block pages

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A man walks past Singapore national flags in a residential area ahead of the general election in Singapore. photo: EPA

Published: 2:54pm, 3 Jul 2020Updated: 3:07pm, 3 Jul 2020

Singapore’s government has used a controversial online misinformation law to order an opposition party to correct a social media post, days after campaigning got under way for an election next week.

Under the law, ministers can order social media sites to put warnings next to posts the government considers false and order pages be blocked, but critics fear it is being used to suppress dissent.

On Thursday the government ordered Peoples Voice to correct a video posted on Facebook and YouTube and the opposition party complied, putting up banners saying it contains inaccurate information.

In the video, party chief Lim Tean said the government spends a quarter of a billion Singapore dollars (US$180 million) “providing free education for foreigners every year”.

People walk outside a food centre during a campaign event ahead of Singapore’s election. Photo: EPA

A government website aimed at debunking untrue information said the video contained “a false and misleading statement”, as a significant majority of such students have to pay fees higher than local students.

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