Corrections and clarifications regarding falsehoods posted by the States Times Review
1. The Facebook post by the States Times Review ("STR"), published on 23 Nov 2019, contains false statements of fact.
Falsehoods
No one has been arrested or charged arising from the NSU post
2. The STR refers to a Facebook post by "NUSSU – NUS Students United" ("NSU") which had misleadingly quoted Minister K Shanmugam as saying that a political candidate running for elections must resign from all executive positions that they hold in organisations with religious leanings.
3. The STR falsely asserts that:
- 'The whistleblower who exposed the PAP candidate’s Christian affiliations has since been arrested, and fac[es] Police charges for 'fabricating fake news''; and
- The [NSU] page has since been taken down and the owner of the page is now under Police investigation after Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam ordered the arrest."
4. These claims are false and baseless. No one has been arrested or charged arising from the NSU post. The Government did not request that Facebook take down the NSU post or disable the page. It was Facebook which removed the page on its own accord. As reported by the Singapore media on 23 Nov 2019, Facebook did so as the NSU page violated authenticity policies, and the fake accounts linked to the page failed Facebook's community and authenticity guidelines.
Additional Clarifications
5. The STR also has made scurrilous accusations against the Elections Department, the Prime Minister, and the election process in Singapore.
6. Parliamentary elections in Singapore are governed by the Parliamentary Elections Act. The law provides for a clear and transparent framework which ensures the integrity of the elections. By way of example, there are equal opportunities for all political participants, regardless of party affiliation, to observe and monitor the election process. After the close of polls, the presiding officer is required to secure the ballot boxes and the Candidates or their agents may affix their own seals. Before vote counting even begins, Candidates and their counting agents are allowed to witness the opening of each ballot box and the taking out of the papers therein. Candidates and their counting agents can also be present during the counting of the votes and raise objections on the validity of any vote.
Relevant links
Statement on Misleading Facebook Post by “NUSSU-NUS Students United”
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