Singapore Should Be Careful About Identity Politics: SM Teo

Identity politics over race and religion gained more prominence in the 2025 General Election, and it is something Singapore should be careful about, said Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on May 20.

- Chin Soo Fang

It goes against the nation's multiracial and multi-religious society where everyone has a place, lives together and does better as a country together, he said.

"We live side by side. By and large we go to schools together. We have many, many more opportunities together. So unity is the core of our strength," he said, speaking to reporters during an interview at the Ministry of Home Affairs building on May 20.

Yet in the recent election, identity politics as well as external issues which had been imported into domestic politics had become part of some parties' political agendas. Some candidates even said that this was the motivating factor behind their entry into politics.

"We also saw some attempts of foreign interference into Singapore politics because they noticed that within Singapore, political parties were prepared to make use of this chip," SM Teo said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had called a press conference a week before the May 3 polls to ask all political parties to clarify their stance on two fundamental principles: that identity politics has no place in Singapore, and that religion and politics should not mix.

This came a day after the Government moved to block access to Facebook posts by two Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act detainee for attempting to interfere in the election. They, along with a Singaporean self-styled religious teacher based in Malaysia, Mr Noor Deros, had spotlighted several opposition politicians in social media posts, including WP's Faisal Manap, who contested Tampines GRC.

Fortunately, SM Teo said, during the election, Singaporeans saw the importance of cohesion, harmony and unity, and the issues of identity politics did not become over-emphasised.

"It is very easy to create divisions based on race and religion, and that's why we treat them so sensitively," he stressed.