Singapore’s (MHA) has issued a strong rebuttal of statements from (PAS), saying that foreign entities should not tell Singaporeans how to vote — especially by appealing to racial or religious identities.
The MHA noted that during the country’s , certain officials from PAS had made public remarks supporting particular opposition candidates. One PAS leader praised a candidate for arguing that religion should not be separated from politics, while another reposted content that questioned the trustworthiness of Malay-Muslim incumbent legislators.
In response to those actions, the (IMDA), acting as assistant returning officer, directed social media platform to disable access in Singapore to those posts. They were treated as “online election advertising” by foreigners under the , which prohibits foreigners from participating in election-related activities or producing such advertising.
According to the MHA, the posts had the clear intent to influence Singaporean voters along religious or racial lines, which they called “divisive and unacceptable.” They also pointed out that PAS has contradicted earlier statements, first saying those remarks were merely the personal views of individuals, and subsequently treating them as the party’s official stance.
The ministry reaffirmed that Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-religious secular state. It emphasized that political decisions should be made by Singaporeans alone, without foreign interference, and that mixing religion into politics can undermine social cohesion.