Foreign influence efforts on the rise to make Singaporeans 'take sides', PM Lee Hsien Loong warns
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday warned citizens to "actively guard" against foreign influence efforts including on social media, stressing the importance of the city state's sovereignty.
He offered an example of how there had been text messages on Russia's invasion of Ukraine that were "clearly attempting to stir up strong anti-American sentiments".
"On the other hand, other messages aim to discredit Russia and China, and seek to influence and persuade you to side with the West."
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Some of these texts - sent on messaging platforms including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and WeChat - have an "ulterior aim" of making citizens take sides and could even erode people's trust in the government.
His remarks, delivered during the Mandarin address of his annual policy speech, came amid increasing reports of pro-China messaging being disseminated through channels such as WeChat. These messages mostly echo the narratives of Beijing and other like-minded nations, observers and security officials have said privately.
Lee did not name China and, as was the case when the government passed a law targeting foreign interference, underscored that Singaporeans needed to guard against influence operations regardless of their source.
"We must actively guard against hostile foreign influence operations, regardless of where they originate. Only then can we safeguard the sovereignty and independence of our nation," Lee said in his Mandarin speech.
The prime minister also reiterated the republic's position on the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Singapore is the only Southeast Asian nation to join the US and its allies in the West in imposing sanctions on Russia over the conflict.
That position has been scrutinised in recent months, with some citizens penning social media posts and letters to newspaper pages questioning the rationale behind the move.
"We are not siding with the US, and we are not against Russia," Lee said, noting that some questioned why Singapore was willing to offend Russia. "But we have to be firm in our position and defend fundamental principles robustly. We cannot be ambiguous about where we stand."
The principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity are existential for all nations, especially for a small nation like Singapore, Lee said.
In his English speech, he reiterated his recent concerns regarding the increasingly challenging geopolitical environment grappling Singapore.
Relations between Washington and Beijing were worsening and they remained divided over many issues, he said, including those surrounding the South China Sea, Hong Kong and "most recently and worryingly sharply escalating tensions over Taiwan".
The superpowers' relationship has made cooperation on global issues such as climate change and nuclear proliferation "almost impossible". "This is bad news for the world," he said.
Lee cautioned that more geopolitical contestation in the Asia-Pacific region could be expected, noting that the Ukraine-Russia war had already affected security in the region and further strained ties between Beijing and Washington.
To deal with these external challenges, Singapore needed to stand firm on fundamental principles of international law and work with other countries to uphold a rules-based order, such as by speaking up at the United Nations. "Taking cover and keeping quiet will hurt us in the long term," he said.
Singapore would also need to maintain the strength of its military and keep its people united, Lee added.
Separately, Lee also made a major announcement on Singapore's pandemic measures as the situation stabilised.
The existing indoor mask-wearing mandate would be relaxed, he said, with residents only required to mask up on public transport and in healthcare settings such as hospitals. Currently, residents are only allowed to remove their masks outdoors.
The announcement would make Singapore one of the first countries in Asia to ease indoor mask-wearing.
Lee is expected to address domestic issues later in the speech, including repealing Section 377A of the Penal Code, the controversial law that criminalises sex between men.
In his 16-year tenure as prime minister, Lee, 70, has abided by past practice in the country where prime ministers deliver their National Day Rally speech first in Malay, followed by Mandarin and English. The speech is the most important address in the country's political calendar.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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