Opinion | Former PAP MP urges Singapore government to take world lead in anti-fake news law by getting it right and not losing people’s trust
- Former lawmaker Inderjit Singh says if new laws to curb deliberate online falsehoods are done right, Singapore could be a world leader in fighting fake news
- But if concerns are not addressed, people could lose trust in government despite its best intentions, the former politician said
Public reaction however has been mixed, with concerns centred largely on the powers vested in ministers, the speed of appeal, the legal recourse that those deemed guilty of spreading online falsehoods have, as well the how harsh the punishment meted out to them should be.
Let’s consider each of these in turn.
The proposed law gives Singapore ministers (any minister, actually) the right to decide what is true and what is fake, and issue a variety of orders, such as directing online news sites to publish corrections to falsehoods or even take down an article.
Given that falsehoods can spread quickly to undermine social fabric, it is practical for the ministers to make the first judgment of what is fake news to quickly nip such instances in the bud.
