4th POFMA order issued to Kenneth Jeyaretnam over ‘multiple untrue statements’ online

SINGAPORE: Another POFMA order was issued to Reform Party leader Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam on Wednesday (Aug 30) due to an article he posted on The Ricebowl Singapore (TRS) website, as well as posts on Facebook, X (Twitter) and LinkedIn on Aug 21, a press release from the Law Ministry said.

Previous to this, Mr Jeyaretnam was issued his third POFMA order on Aug 22 concerning social media posts about the arrest of 10 foreign nationals in an islandwide anti-money laundering operation, the corruption probe into Transport Minister S Iswaran and Mr Ong Beng Seng, and the Ridout Road property rentals by Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

His latest Correction Direction, issued under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), is the fourth such order issued to Mr Jeyaretnam in several weeks and originated from Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong

“In the article and the said posts, Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam made multiple untrue statements on multiple subjects,” the Law Ministry said. These statements concern National Day Rally package disbursements, manpower statistics, the Ridout Road rentals, and other issues.

Mr Jeyaretnam is now required to post correction notices on his website and social media sites and a link to the clarifications about his statements on the government website gov.sg

“This will allow readers to read both versions and draw their own conclusions,” the press release said, adding, “For facts of the case, please refer to the Factually article ‘Corrections regarding false statements of fact in article and posts published by Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam on 21 August 2023’ at the following link: https://www.gov.sg/article/factually300823-a.”

The Reform Party leader had written that the government does not expect to fully disburse the moneys set aside for funds to support the Majulah Package, the Pioneer Generation Package, and the Merdeka Generation Package disbursements to the intended beneficiaries, which is untrue, the clarification states.

“The Government projects and has always remained committed to the full disbursement of the moneys in the funds towards the Packages. The moneys for the funds are to meet the important long-term spending commitment towards the Packages, so that the Packages will be funded without burdening future generations,” it added.

It also clarified that not every full-time student is regarded as “employed” in Singapore’s manpower statistics, but only those that are working while studying, and that the Labour Force Participation Rate for Singapore citizens has “consistently stayed well above 50 per cent” and not below 50 per cent, as Mr Jeyaretnam had said.

And on the Ridout Road issue, “Mr Jeyaretnam continues to issue false statements relating to the rental of properties from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). He seeks to mislead the public despite some of his falsehoods having been clarified and debunked after the investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and statements in Parliament.” /TISG

3rd POFMA order issued to Kenneth Jeyaretnam over comments he made on his social media posts