KUALA LUMPUR – Two PAS leaders have rejected accusations from the Singaporean government of interfering in its upcoming general election through Facebook posts about Muslim candidates contesting in the city-state’s May 3 polls.
PAS treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad said he had merely written about several Muslim candidates from an opposition party and that his comments were intended for a Malaysian audience.
He emphasised that he had never called on voters to make decisions based on race or religion, although he did express hope that some Muslim candidates would succeed.
Iskandar also noted that he had previously commented on political developments in other countries without facing any repercussions.
“As a politician, I can not be blamed for expressing interest in political developments in other countries,” he said in a Facebook post.
“I have written in-depth about the UK’s political development and hoped that the Labour Party would win in the last general elections. It is ridiculous to accuse me of interfering in that country’s election process.”
Meanwhile, Selangor PAS Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar also denied claims of election interference, saying that his concerns stemmed from his moral responsibility as a Muslim and his deep concern for the plight of the Malay-Muslim community in Singapore, which he claimed is “increasingly marginalised in various aspects, whether in education, economy, or cultural freedom”.
The content was posted by Iskandar, Sukri and Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff — a former Singaporean who is now an Australian citizen and was previously detained under Singapore’s Internal Security Act in 2016 for promoting terrorism.
The Singaporean authorities said some of the posts supported opposition candidates, while others urged Singaporeans to vote along religious lines or criticised the government’s handling of Muslim community issues.
On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Elections Department Singapore (ELD) instructed Meta to restrict access to Facebook posts made by both PAS leaders and others, accusing them of attempting to influence Singapore’s election.
In a joint statement issued late Friday, the authorities said the posts, deemed to be Online Election Advertising (OEA), were part of broader foreign interference efforts targeting Singapore’s domestic politics ahead of the May 3 polls, local media reported.
“Foreigners must not direct, fund or in any way influence Singapore’s elections,” the joint statement read. “Singapore’s politics must be for Singaporeans alone to decide.”
Officials also warned that religious-based appeals have no place in Singapore’s political process.
“We must not mix religion and politics. Singapore is a secular state. Bringing religion into politics will undermine social cohesion and harmony, as we have seen in other countries with race- or religion-based politics,” they added.
Commenting further, Sukri said that Singaporean Malays deserve fair and equitable opportunities in all aspects of life as full citizens, and that defending the Malay-Muslim identity does not threaten peace, but “strengthens genuine social justice”.
“The right to uphold justice, dignity, and the future of a people is not an act of ‘foreign interference’ when it is done with courtesy, principle, and a love for humanity, without coercion or incitement towards any political party abroad,” he added.
Meanwhile, Iskandar said that his Facebook page is not influential in Malaysia and expressed shock when that his messages are blocked in Singapore.
“I am still questioning the actual motive behind this action, however, I just hope that it is not an effort to associate me with (Singapore’s) opposition, as such attempts are ridiculous and could backfire,” he added. – April 26, 2025