SINGAPORE: Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai has stepped down as Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chief, after he was handed a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) order earlier this month.
Revealing that Mr Leong is taking responsibility for the claims, the PSP said on Friday (23 February) that vice-chair Hazel Poa has taken over as secretary-general after Mr Leong stepped down on Tuesday.
The party said, “(Leong) will remain a Central Executive Committee (CEC) member. PSP’s CEC accepted Mr Leong’s decision and is proud that he has demonstrated accountability through his actions.”
This is not the first time the Government has wielded the anti-fake news law against an opposition politician but it is the first time a party has cited a correction order as the reason behind a resignation.
The PSP itself appeared to take a different stance when POFMA was invoked against party member Brad Bowyer, leading observers to speculate on whether potential internal conflicts may have added to Mr Leong’s decision.
Less than 10 days ago, on 15 Feb, Mr Leong received a correction direction for spreading false information regarding the financial aid provided to a couple residing on the West Coast.
The POFMA order has to do with a post Mr Leong made on 12 Feb, in which he claimed that the couple only received a Home Caregiving Grant and no other financial assistance.
Debunking this, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) revealed that the couple receives financial assistance each month from the People’s Association in the form of NTUC vouchers and Community Development Council Utilities Vouchers.
Since 2021, the couple has received approximately $39,000 in cash and vouchers from various public sector agencies and community partners. According to MSF, this included $21,000 in ComCare assistance from May 2021 to April 2023.
The Ministry added that Mr Leong falsely claimed that the 55-year-old woman had used up most of the funds in her MediSave account to pay for a leg operation when a large part of the cost was covered by government subsidies.
Revealing that the woman incurred a medical bill of $8,580 but only had to pay $240 after Government subsidies of about $6,300, MediShield Life and MediSave, MSF said that she continues to maintain a balance of more than $60,000 in her MediSave account.
Mr Leong also claimed that the woman stopped attending physiotherapy sessions at a hospital because she had to pay $100 to the hospital for each session.
MSF, however, clarified that the woman did not have to pay any cash out-of-pocket for her outpatient physiotherapy sessions, which cost around $25 per session after Government subsidies, as they were fully covered by MediFund.
The Ministry also took issue with Mr Leong’s claim that the couple’s application to a public sector agency for assistance with transport costs was rejected.
Revealing that their application for the Public Transport Voucher has been granted since 2021, MSF said that the 60-year-old man has also been receiving subsidised medical escort and transport services from community care providers since 2021.
MSF added that the couple currently has more than $100,000 in total in both their CPF Retirement Accounts and that the woman withdrew $5,000 from her CPF account in April last year.
The Ministry added that government agencies have been extending financial aid and non-monetary support to the couple, such as regular visits, rides to and from the hospital, help with errands, and meals.