SINGAPORE: Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been issued his eighth correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).
The latest POFMA order relates to a Jun 15 Facebook post in which he suggested that the government sets artificially high land prices for sale to the Housing and Development Board, among other false claims.
He also alleged in the post that the reason why the government maintains a large land bank of heritage properties is to keep land prices as high as possible, and that this is part of its strategy of boosting the reserves.
These claims are untrue, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a media release on Thursday (Jul 4).
It added that the POFMA Office is investigating Mr Jeyaretnam.
The Singapore Police Force has also started investigations against him for possibly breaching contempt laws under the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.
"Agencies have been in communication with Mr Jeyaretnam since April 2024 and have invited him to assist with the investigations," said the ministry.
"He has thus far remained out of jurisdiction and not made himself available to assist in investigations by attending any interviews."
The ministry noted that this is the eighth correction direction that has been issued to Mr Jeyaretnam for 21 online posts, adding that he has continued to make false and misleading statements about government policies and the operations of public agencies.
He has done so “despite publicly available facts and having the falsehoods and their corresponding facts pointed out to him”, MOF said.
“He has repeatedly made false statements, even when the facts are clear and should be known to him.”
Mr Jeyaretnam was issued his sixth POFMA order in February this year in relation to his comments about the rental of black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road by two ministers.
His seventh POFMA order was given in May, after he alleged that the Prime Minister and Law Minister can influence the sizes of performance bonuses paid to specific High Court judges.
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The latest POFMA order relates to a Jun 15 Facebook post in which he suggested that the government sets artificially high land prices for sale to the Housing and Development Board, among other false claims.
He also alleged in the post that the reason why the government maintains a large land bank of heritage properties is to keep land prices as high as possible, and that this is part of its strategy of boosting the reserves.
These claims are untrue, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a media release on Thursday (Jul 4).
It added that the POFMA Office is investigating Mr Jeyaretnam.
The Singapore Police Force has also started investigations against him for possibly breaching contempt laws under the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.
"Agencies have been in communication with Mr Jeyaretnam since April 2024 and have invited him to assist with the investigations," said the ministry.
"He has thus far remained out of jurisdiction and not made himself available to assist in investigations by attending any interviews."
The ministry noted that this is the eighth correction direction that has been issued to Mr Jeyaretnam for 21 online posts, adding that he has continued to make false and misleading statements about government policies and the operations of public agencies.
He has done so “despite publicly available facts and having the falsehoods and their corresponding facts pointed out to him”, MOF said.
“He has repeatedly made false statements, even when the facts are clear and should be known to him.”
Mr Jeyaretnam was issued his sixth POFMA order in February this year in relation to his comments about the rental of black-and-white bungalows at Ridout Road by two ministers.
His seventh POFMA order was given in May, after he alleged that the Prime Minister and Law Minister can influence the sizes of performance bonuses paid to specific High Court judges.
Continue reading...