SINGAPORE: A correction order under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) has been issued to US comedian Sammy Obeid after a row over his cancelled Singapore show.
“Mr Obeid’s account of protracted back-and-forth interactions with the government is inaccurate,” said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Monday (Sep 1).
“In his posts, he claims that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) requested edits, told him to ‘completely remove’ portions of his script, and said it ‘didn’t like’ other sections.”
MDDI said that none of these things happened and that IMDA never discussed Mr Obeid's script or its content with him or his representatives.
The ministry added that the IMDA “never requested edits”, nor did it suggest removing any material.
“The cancellation had nothing to do with content,” said MDDI.
The ministry also said it was aware of claims based on the recording of a private conversation.
It said that IMDA was not part of that discussion.
“It never had any discussions — directly or indirectly — with Mr Obeid or his representatives about his script and certainly never asked for any edits or removals,” said the ministry.
Under the POFMA correction direction, Mr Obeid will be required to carry correction notices alongside his Facebook, Instagram, and X posts published on Aug 27.
He will not be required to remove his posts.
“These notices will provide readers with a link to the government’s clarification so they can read both versions and draw their own conclusions,” said MDDI.
MDDI also provided a timeline of events:
Jul 8: Mr Obeid’s assistant contacted IMDA about application timelines and was informed on 9 Jul that applications must be submitted 40 working days in advance via a local representative.
Aug 15: A formal Arts Entertainment Licence (AEL) application was submitted by his local representative (“the applicant”) — just 10 working days before the planned 31 Aug show.
Aug 19: IMDA informed the applicant that the application was too late to process.
Aug 20: The applicant appealed for reconsideration.
Aug 25: IMDA reiterated that the application could not be processed as it had been submitted 30 working days late.
MDDI said that the false claims by Mr Obeid risk causing “serious misunderstanding”, and they “erode public trust in IMDA’s licensing role”.
They also risk inflaming public sentiment on an already sensitive issue, said MDDI.
“We know many Singaporeans care deeply about Gaza. We want to reassure everyone that this case was not about silencing anyone’s voice. Singaporeans will always have channels to express their views reasonably and constructively on Gaza and other important issues,” it added.
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“Mr Obeid’s account of protracted back-and-forth interactions with the government is inaccurate,” said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Monday (Sep 1).
“In his posts, he claims that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) requested edits, told him to ‘completely remove’ portions of his script, and said it ‘didn’t like’ other sections.”
MDDI said that none of these things happened and that IMDA never discussed Mr Obeid's script or its content with him or his representatives.
The ministry added that the IMDA “never requested edits”, nor did it suggest removing any material.
“The cancellation had nothing to do with content,” said MDDI.
The ministry also said it was aware of claims based on the recording of a private conversation.
It said that IMDA was not part of that discussion.
“It never had any discussions — directly or indirectly — with Mr Obeid or his representatives about his script and certainly never asked for any edits or removals,” said the ministry.
Under the POFMA correction direction, Mr Obeid will be required to carry correction notices alongside his Facebook, Instagram, and X posts published on Aug 27.
He will not be required to remove his posts.
“These notices will provide readers with a link to the government’s clarification so they can read both versions and draw their own conclusions,” said MDDI.
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MDDI also provided a timeline of events:
Jul 8: Mr Obeid’s assistant contacted IMDA about application timelines and was informed on 9 Jul that applications must be submitted 40 working days in advance via a local representative.
Aug 15: A formal Arts Entertainment Licence (AEL) application was submitted by his local representative (“the applicant”) — just 10 working days before the planned 31 Aug show.
Aug 19: IMDA informed the applicant that the application was too late to process.
Aug 20: The applicant appealed for reconsideration.
Aug 25: IMDA reiterated that the application could not be processed as it had been submitted 30 working days late.
MDDI said that the false claims by Mr Obeid risk causing “serious misunderstanding”, and they “erode public trust in IMDA’s licensing role”.
They also risk inflaming public sentiment on an already sensitive issue, said MDDI.
“We know many Singaporeans care deeply about Gaza. We want to reassure everyone that this case was not about silencing anyone’s voice. Singaporeans will always have channels to express their views reasonably and constructively on Gaza and other important issues,” it added.
Continue reading...