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Singapore’s parliament is debating controversial legislation. The government believes that these legislations are necessary to counter so-called foreign interference, but opposition parties, rights groups, social media platforms and others worry that the scope is too broad.
The so-called “Foreign Intervention and Countermeasures Act” (FICA) was first proposed last month, because the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has 93 seats in parliament.
Interior Minister K Shanmugam started the proceedings on Monday and addressed the members to explain the government’s position.
The law will give the authorities broad powers, including forcing Internet, social media platform and website operators to provide user information, block content and delete applications.
If the work of an organization or individual is deemed to be for political purposes in Singapore, the government will also have the right to designate them as “political important figures” and not allow them the opportunity to challenge this designation.
The country has been led by the People’s Action Party since its independence in 1965. It has enacted extensive laws to control freedom of assembly, speech, and association, and introduced comprehensive “False news” The law of 2019.
Freedom House rated the country as “partially free” in its “Freedom of the World 2021” report, with a score of 48 points (out of 100), and pointed out actions taken against online media that provide more insights than urban countries. The mainstream media is more diverse.
Daniel Bastard said, “The FICA Act’s definition is extremely vague, universally arbitrary, and lacks independent legal recourse against those who issue orders from the government. From a purely legal perspective, it is an order. People hate it,” the head of Reporters Without Borders Asia Pacific said in a statement.
“The most important thing is that the bill uses the pretext of preventing the possible influence of foreign countries on the country. It will begin with independent media organizations and institutionalize the persecution of any domestic entities that do not comply with the regulations of the government and the ruling party. For now, this A completely Kafka-style project contains the seeds of the worst totalitarian tendencies.”
The Foreign Intervention (Countermeasures) Act is aimed at foreign interference through hostile information campaigns and local agents. The bill does not apply to Singaporeans discussing issues unless they act as foreign agents.#MHAExplanation #WhatTheFICA #SGUnited pic.twitter.com/TxqqYbrA5l
— Singapore Ministry of Interior (@mhasingapore) October 2, 2021
Legal experts also questioned all aspects of legislation.
Eugene Tan, a professor of law at Singapore Management University, told Reuters: “The power of preemptive strike…and the wide range of terms may provide the government with a lot of funds to curb legitimate civil society activities.”
He said: “FICA has the conditions to become the most intrusive law in the regulations.”
‘Vague language’
The bill allows the Minister of the Interior to order investigations in the public interest based on suspicion of foreign interference, in order to “disclose hostile information activities.”
An independent panel chaired by a judge will hear appeals to the minister’s decision, rather than an open court. The government said this is necessary because the matter may involve sensitive information that has an impact on national security.
As of Monday morning, an online petition urged the government to reconsider the law because of its “serious consequences.” It has received nearly 7,500 signatures.
In response to Reuters’ inquiries, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the bill does not apply to discussions or advocacy by Singapore citizens, or their extensive cooperation with foreigners.
But it added that citizens can issue orders if they act on behalf of foreign clients in a way that violates the public interest.
The main opposition Workers Party called for amendments to the draft law, such as reducing the scope of administrative power to reduce the risk of abuse of power.
Academia SG is a group of Singaporean scholars gathered for the first time due to concerns about fake news laws. They stated in an editorial on Friday that the “excessiveness” of the new legislation will undermine international exchanges and cooperation, enable research to flourish, and deepen themselves. -The review system of higher education institutions in the country.
The organization wrote: “Its vague language will exacerbate the tendency to dislike controversy and avoid troubles that has stifled Singaporean academic circles.”
Social media platforms have also raised concerns about Facebook and pointed out that its language is broad.
“Foreign interference as a concept is actually a very broad concept,” The Straits Times quoted Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, as saying. “You can imagine that it covers both secret operations that mislead people about what’s happening, but also the secretive actions behind the scenes; public efforts to persuade that it is operated by a real NGO (NGO) or a user community.
“Putting these two things together is tricky and can lead to some real challenges. One thing we are looking for is how these departments are broken down.”
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