Singapore’s Home Ministry clarifies stance on death penalty discourse after activist rejects Pofma order

In a statement to CNA today, the ministry said activist Kokila Annamalai was undermining public confidence in the Singapore criminal justice system

SINGAPORE, Oct 31 — The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of Singapore said today that it does not target individuals for voicing opinions against the death penalty.

However, it emphasised the need to correct false statements regarding government policies, especially those affecting public interest.

This response came following queries by media site CNA after activist Kokila Annamalai refused to comply with a correction direction related to her social media posts, which the MHA deemed false regarding the government’s execution scheduling and legal processes.

The MHA has referred Annamalai to the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) Office for her non-compliance.

It explained to CNA that complying with a correction notice does not require the removal of original posts but is intended to clarify the government’s position, allowing readers to discern truth from falsehoods.

“If the government puts out an untenable position, the government’s credibility will suffer,” the MHA stated.

The ministry said Annamalai was undermining public confidence in the criminal justice system, asserting that “her intent is to undermine public confidence in public institutions, in particular the criminal justice system.”

It added that she is entitled to express her views, “based on facts,” but when those views are based on falsehoods, the government is entitled to a right of response.

The MHA also pointed out to CNA that the Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), with which Annamalai collaborates, has previously communicated similar falsehoods but complied with POFMA orders.

“What Ms Annamalai is saying is that she should be able to set out falsehoods, to mislead the public... without the public being alerted to her falsehoods in an effective way,” the MHA was quoted as saying.

The MHA added that Annamalai’s non-compliance prevents readers from being effectively informed about the inaccuracies in her statements and noted that she has not legally challenged the order.

“This promotes transparency, and a debate based on facts,” the ministry said, emphasising the importance of allowing the public to make informed judgments.

Source: malaymail.com, Staff, October 31, 2024

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