Government looks beyond disinformation in targeting foreign influence in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Speaking in Parliament on Feb 12, Senior Minister of State for Law Edwin Tong opened a second front on Singapore’s war on foreign influence.

With legislation already on the cards for deliberate online falsehoods (DOFs), the Government’s attention has shifted in parallel to specific foreign and state actors, intent on interfering in Singapore’s domestic politics via other means.



Quite apart from dealing with lies and disinformation campaigns, which were well documented via hearings of the Select Committee on DOFs last year, Mr Tong stressed that “in the physical world, foreign actors may also interfere in our domestic politics through the use of proxies, by funding or donating to politically-involved individuals and organisations, or by taking on key leadership roles in their organisations”.

Substantiating his point, Mr Tong used the examples of foreign interference in the politics of Australia and New Zealand, channelled through political donations.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/deliberate-online-falsehoods-legislation-singapore-fake-news-11263036

The obsession to control the media, main and social media, is likely the real reason to start a Singapore version of McCarthyism here.  The social media is so great a threat, main media is not as it is well controlled and regulated, so new laws are needed and the hype of foreign influence through social media must look like a real and present danger.

Now the next phase, threats from foreign actors trying to influence the country's policies. I can only see the USA as a country that continuously hyped on threats to its national interest as it needs to protect its empire and its dominance in the world. Now Singapore is like copying the American hype of threats and threats relentlessly, but for what? Singapore does not have an empire to protect, neither does it have to protect its dominance in the world?

The real threat to Singapore's security is the presence of millions of foreigners from one or two countries that would change the demographic pattern of the population where political power is based. The huge concentration of any particular nationality is a grave concern and this is not even talked about or taken so lightly. The foreigners are so nice, so peaceful, so obedient, would not even commit crimes. When the day the foreigners turn against us, it would be too late as too many are already here and many in high places, even in the govt holding key positions.

We have brought in a Trojan Horse with a few million foreigners inside and waiting to explode.

This is not a threat to our national security? We are afraid of a few individuals trying to influence our policies and not afraid of the millions of foreigners on our soil, inside our country? The quoting of foreign influence in Australia and New Zealand is uncalled for as it is an indirect interference and meddling the affairs of other countries and would only incur the wrath of affected countries.

When you do not want others to interfere in your internal affairs, it is best not to interfere with the affairs of others. Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you. Remember the South China Sea island dispute between China and the Philippines? Now the Philippines are an ally of China, not even bother to mention about the fake and scandalous court rulings.

With so many foreigners with dubious intention in the island, we are waiting for a major crisis of grave proportion to destroy the peace and stability in this island. Does anyone care?

The foreigners are taking over our island with our eyes wide open but not seeing.