Shanmugam urges opposition parties to ‘immediately, clearly’ reject foreign interference and identity politics

Foreign influence is a serious matter, especially in the middle of election campaigning, said the minister.

Given the gravity of the matter, it would have been better if WP had issued its statement immediately “without waiting until after” MHA and ELD issued theirs, he added.

“The WP statement did not clearly reject foreign influence or the foreign endorsement of its candidates. What it said was that the WP had no control over what others said,” said Mr Shanmugam.

Mr Singh made further statements on the matter on the same day. Mr Shanmugam on Tuesday acknowledged that the Leader of the Opposition had “stood behind” the message in the joint statement by MHA and ELD, which made WP’s position clearer.

At a rally speech that night, which took place after Mr Wong’s press conference, Mr Singh “went further” and gave his party’s “clearest statement on the matter”.

During his speech, he stressed that the WP “categorically rejects” the involvement of any foreign element in Singapore’s domestic politics. Mr Singh also said at the time that WP does not need the support of any “foreign element”, said Mr Shanmugam in parliament on Tuesday.

“It would have been better if the WP had said this right from the start – responding directly and promptly to what the PAS leaders had said,” he added.

AGAINST IDENTITY POLITICS

In his speech on Tuesday, the home affairs minister also took aim at Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Damanhuri Abas, who contested Sembawang GRC at GE2025.

He also contested in the 2015 and 2020 elections as part of SDP teams in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a regional educational consultant, having previously been a director at Muhammadiyah Islamic College.

At an SDP event, Mr Damanhuri had “made attempts to get support along racial lines”, said Mr Shanmugam on Tuesday.

The opposition party candidate had accused PAP’s Malay MPs of failing to represent the Malay community and ignoring their issues, Mr Shanmugam added. “He claimed that more opposition Malay MPs were needed to raise Malay issues in parliament.”

In an interview posted online, Mr Damanhuri said that Malay community issues “had not been resolved for 60 years under the PAP government”, said Mr Shanmugam.

“He called for the Malay voters to vote against the PAP, framing it as an issue of upholding Malay dignity,” he added. “In a separate podcast, he said meritocracy is selectively applied. He rehashed these arguments again in rally speeches, this time in Malay.”

Mr Damanhuri’s rhetoric is “deceptive”, said Mr Shanmugam

“What he is effectively doing is trading off the long-term welfare of the Malay community and our country for his immediate political gain,” said Mr Shanmugam.

“This is a slippery and dangerous path that will invite strong reaction from other races in future elections.”

The situation has been “broadly stable” so far because the government has anchored Singapore on the ideal of multiracialism and the governing PAP has “eschewed identity politics”, he said.

Various parties or candidates have tried to stir up the Chinese and Malay communities from time to time, and these efforts have not been successful because of the PAP government’s political dominance, said Mr Shanmugam.

“The PAP has been the dominant political force, so it has been able to bear the political cost of fighting against such sentiments,” he added.

“Making this statement … (it) would actually have been easier to leave all of this unsaid. But this statement has to be made in the country’s interests.”

This situation is dynamic, said Mr Shanmugam, adding that if future generations of political leaders see identity politics gaining traction, they will also be pressured and tempted to engage in it.

“You know what will happen then. It is a one-way street to ruin.”

People like Mr Damanhuri should be “more honest” with their constituents, the minister added.

Their brand of politics will only work as long as the dominant political force in Singapore rejects identity politics, said Mr Shanmugam.

“But if people like Mr Damanhuri succeed, then the serious risk is that more and more politicians on all sides will go for identity politics,” he added.

“And then Singapore will suffer. We will experience the same conflicts and divisions we see unfolding elsewhere in the world.”