Under The Angsana Tree: PM Lee: “POFMA would catch you!”

We're not making any changes to CPF withdrawal policies or CPF withdrawal ages

Don't confuse people because that would be fake news.” “POFMA would catch you!”

PM Lee "POFMA would catch you if you spread fake news about CPF withdrawal ages on social media"

At the National Day Rally 2019 yesterday (18 Aug), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took the opportunity to lash out at fake news circulating on social media, saying that government would be changing withdrawal policies of the Central Provident Funds or CPF withdrawal ages

In the script published on PMO’s website, PM Lee said, “Let me add one last point here, to be absolutely clear: we are not making any changes to CPF withdrawal policies or CPF withdrawal ages. You can still take out some money at age 55. And you can still start your CPF payouts from age 65.”

“All that remains exactly the same. So please ignore any rumours you may hear about this, or messages on WhatsApp, because they are fake news!”

On national TV yesterday, however, he added the following warning, “Please delete it and tell your friends. Don’t share it with more friends and confuse people because that would be fake news.” “POFMA would catch you!” he added.

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National Day Rally 2019

PM Lee Hsien Loong delivered his National Day Rally speech on 18 August 2019 at the Institute of Technical Education College Central. PM spoke in Malay and Chinese, followed by English:

As a major employer ourselves, the Government will take the lead for public officers. The Public Service will raise its Retirement and Re-employment Ages one year earlier, in 2021 instead of 2022. I encourage private sector companies which can do the same, also to do so.
All these changes – to the Retirement Age, the Re-employment Age, and the CPF rates – will support older workers to continue working longer and to be more financially independent.
Let me add one last point here, to be absolutely clear: we are not making any changes to CPF withdrawal policies or CPF withdrawal ages. You can still take out some money at age 55. And you can still start your CPF payouts from age 65. All that remains exactly the same. So please ignore any rumours you may hear about this, or messages on WhatsApp, because they are fake news!

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Netizens point out the irony of PM Lee telling world leaders to ‘resolve differences calmly and peacefully’

We should try our best to resolve our differences calmly and peacefully, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the United Nations (UN) event on Tuesday (24 September). The event, Leadership Matters – Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the Contemporary World, was hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth.

In his speech, PM Lee said that mutual understanding, tolerance and respect can be built only when people start to appreciate the views of others, especially in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. He said, “Differences are more easily amplified, and people more readily take offence. Tensions and conflicts are prevalent not just between countries, races and religions, but also within them.”

The premier called on other countries to contribute to global efforts, as Singapore has, in promoting respect and mutual understanding.

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Singapore Fake News Laws: Guide to POFMA

Amidst much debate and controversy, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) was passed in Parliament on 8 May 2019 with a majority of 72 votes. While POFMA has not come into operation and will commence on a date appointed by the Minister by notification in the Gazette, this article provides an overview of POFMA as well as some of its key provisions.

What is POFMA? POFMA seeks to prevent the electronic communication of falsehoods (i.e. false statements of fact or misleading information), as well as to safeguard against the use of online platforms for the communication of such falsehoods.

It also puts in place various measures to counteract the effects of such communication and to prevent the misuse of online accounts and bots (i.e. computer programmes that run automated tasks).

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Ex-pilot found guilty under OSA for sharing photo of dead maid

A former Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilot was found guilty of two offences under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) yesterday after he shared a photograph of a dead maid in a WhatsApp group.

Fazli Hisham Mohd Fairuz Shah, 29, had received the photo from his girlfriend, who was a paramedic with Unistrong Technology, a private ambulance operator.

On Feb 1, 2017, his girlfriend, Nurizzah Afiqah Hussain, 27, who was a paramedic from 2012 to 2017, was at the scene of an incident at a condominium when ambulance driver Shaik Haziq Fahmi Shaik Nasair Johar took a photo of the maid who had hanged herself from a ceiling fan and shared it in a WhatsApp group.

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Factually cases on POFMA: