SINGAPORE: Candidates standing at the next General Election must "play their part" to mitigate the risk of them becoming "vectors or victims" of foreign interference, the Elections Department said on Thursday (Jun 18).
“The outcome of Singapore elections must be for Singaporeans, and Singaporeans alone to decide,” the department said, as it announced a set of preliminary campaigning guidelines should the next General Election fall within Phase 2 of Singapore’s reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
AdvertisementAdvertisementCandidates should enhance their understanding of the threats of foreign interference and be alert to suspicious behavior and “hidden agendas”, to ensure their campaign is free of such interference, said the ELD.
Only Singaporeans can take part in elections and campaigning. Any citizen who wants to conduct any election activity - whether online, offline, or both – for a candidate must have a written authority signed by the candidate or his election agent.
“Individuals who are not citizens of Singapore are prohibited from taking part in any election activity,” the ELD said.
[h=3]READ: No rallies, but more TV broadcasts in preliminary campaigning guidelines for General Election[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementSTEER AWAY FROM "NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING"
Candidates and their representatives should also conduct their campaigns in a “responsible and dignified manner that befits the seriousness” of the election process, the department said.
“They should steer away from negative campaigning based on hate and denigration of opposing candidates,” it added.
“They should not make false statements, for example, unfounded allegations of corruption or commission of criminal offences, or statements that may cause racial or religious tensions or affect social cohesion.”
[h=3]READ: Political parties to get free airtime, subsidised livestreaming venues if GE takes place in Phase 2[/h]The next General Election must be held by Apr 14, 2021. ELD said that the announcement of these campaigning guidelines has “no relation” to the timing of the General Election, which will be decided by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
In April, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the ELD issued advisories to political parties about the threat of foreign interference in elections and possible cybersecurity risks.
Citing examples of foreign interference during elections in other countries - such as the US presidential elections in 2016 and French presidential elections in 2017 - MHA said that "Singapore is not immune".
"We need to guard against such nefarious activity as we head towards our own General Election," the ministry said then.
[h=3]READ: Political parties in Singapore advised about threat of foreign interference in elections, cybersecurity risks[/h]The MHA advisory included information such as the methods used by "foreign actors", which includes countries, agencies or people, to interfere in elections.
"The objective of foreign actors interfering in elections is to shape the voting behaviour of the electorate in a manner consistent with the desired political outcomes of the foreign actor," said the ministry.
Examples of foreign interference it provided included disinformation, the creation of fake online identities, the funding of political parties' campaigns by foreign actors, as well as the cultivation of political entities.
Last Thursday, Facebook's head of public policy Clara Koh said that teams dedicated to Singapore's election have been looking out for "coordinated" or "general", "inauthentic behaviour" on the platform. Those teams were were set up in July last year.
The social media giant has taken action against several accounts for misrepresentation, as part of measures to protect the integrity of the upcoming Singapore General Election, she said.
[h=3]READ: Ahead of Singapore General Election, Facebook says it has dealt with 'several accounts' for misrepresentation[/h]Ms Koh said dedicated teams are also looking out for "foreign government interference" ahead of the election.
"They are foreign-led efforts to manipulate public debate in another country, or it could be operations by a government to target its own citizens," she said, calling such interference "particularly egregious".
To reduce the risk of foreign interference, users who want to run Facebook political ads in Singapore must first upload a legitimate form of Singaporean identification, such as their NRIC.
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