Shanmugam rejects SDP's appeal to change Pofma directive

An appeal by the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) against a correction order for statements it had made in June 2024 has been rejected by Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on April 11.

- Ng Wei Kai

MHA's statement came after the SDP said on April 8 that it had applied to change a June 29, 2024, correction directive issued by the Government under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma).

The Pofma order was for a statement the SDP had put up on its social media accounts on June 27 and June 28, 2024, about charges brought against three women who were allegedly involved in organising a procession without a permit along the perimeter of the Istana, which is a prohibited area.

In its statement, the SDP had said the three women - Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 25, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 29, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 35 - were prosecuted for organising support for the Palestinian people in the ongoing Gaza war. Their prosecution showed the Government's inability to be tolerant of views and actions it disagreed with, the SDP added.