The Prime Minister’s Office has instructed the POFMA office to issue a correction direction to the blog Political Sophistry, following their article “Upfront and transparent? A timeline of the CPIB investigation into Transport Minister Iswaran” where they conveyed that PM Lee and DPM Wong didn’t want to reveal Iswaran’s arrest as it was politically embarrassing.
The PMO clarified that they didn’t reveal Iswaran’s arrest because it was related to the operational matters of the CPIB, and Political Sophistry will be required to required to carry a correction notice at the top of the article and at the top of the main page of their website.
POFMA Office’s press release
ISSUANCE OF CORRECTION DIRECTION UNDER THE PROTECTION FROM ONLINE FALSEHOODS AND MANIPULATION ACT (POFMA) TO POLITICAL SOPHISTRY
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ms Indranee Rajah, has instructed the POFMA Office to issue a Correction Direction to Political Sophistry for their article “Upfront and transparent? A timeline of the CPIB investigation into Transport Minister Iswaran” published on 16 July 2023 (“Article”). The Article falsely conveyed that:
a. On 12 July 2023, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (“PM”) and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (“DPM Wong”) did not want to disclose the fact of Mr Iswaran’s arrest because it was politically embarrassing.
b. In his doorstop interview on 12 July 2023, DPM Wong deliberately withheld information that two arrests had been made in connection with the case because he wanted to conceal the truth.
2 These statements are false.
a. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (“CPIB”) issued a press release on 12 July 2023 stating that Minister Iswaran was assisting CPIB with an investigation.
b. PM’s statement of 12 July 2023 and DPM Wong at his doorstop interview on the same day kept to what CPIB had announced. PM and DPM did not want to deviate from what CPIB had announced in its statement since this is related to operational matters. It is CPIB’s call to make, on the operational information it was comfortable to provide in the CPIB’s press releases.
c. On 14 July 2023, CPIB provided an update in response to media queries, stating that Minister Iswaran and Mr Ong Beng Seng were arrested on 11 July 2023, and subsequently released on bail.
3 For the facts of this case, please refer to the Factually article “Corrections regarding false statements of fact in Political Sophistry article “Upfront and transparent? A timeline of the CPIB investigation into Transport Minister Iswaran” (https://www.gov.sg/article/factually200723-a).
4 Political Sophistry will be required to carry a correction notice at the top of the article and at the top of the main page of their website, so that readers can read both versions and draw their own conclusions.
Govt’s Factually Article
The facts are as follows:
- On 12 July 2023,
- The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (“CPIB”) issued a press release that Minister Iswaran was assisting CPIB with the investigation into a case uncovered by CPIB. CPIB also acknowledged the interest by members of the public in this case because a Minister was being interviewed by CPIB.
- PM separately issued a statement that the formal investigation began on 11 July 2023 and Minister Iswaran was assisting CPIB with the ongoing investigations.
- DPM Wong said that CPIB needed to interview Minister Iswaran as part of further investigations. DPM stated “We will be upfront and transparent, and we will not sweep anything under the carpet, even if they are potentially embarrassing or damaging to the PAP and to the government”. He also stated that he was unable to provide more information because the CPIB investigations were ongoing.
- On 13 July 2023, the Prime Minister’s Office said that Minister lswaran would remain in Singapore during his leave of absence; and that he would have no access to any official resources and government buildings.
- On 14 July 2023, in response to media queries, CPIB stated that Minister Iswaran and Mr Ong Beng Seng were arrested on 11 July 2023, and subsequently released on bail.
Whether to arrest a person under investigation is an operational judgement by CPIB. In addition, whether and when to make public that a person has been arrested in connection with their investigations is a decision for the CPIB. In the usual course, it is the CPIB (and not Ministers) which releases such information.
CPIB’s press release on 12 July 2023 stated that Minister Iswaran was assisting CPIB with the investigation into a case uncovered by CPIB. CPIB did not then state that Minister Iswaran had been arrested on 11 July 2023.
As it is CPIB’s operational judgement when and whether to make public that a person has been arrested in connection with their investigations, PM’s statement of 12 July 2023 and DPM Wong at his doorstop interview on the same day were consistent with CPIB’s 12 July 2023 press release. It is therefore untrue that PM or DPM Wong did not want to disclose the fact of Minister Iswaran’s arrest because it was politically embarrassing, or that DPM had deliberately withheld information on the arrests because he wanted to conceal the truth. It is also not a case of PM and DPM Wong abdicating their responsibility to disclose such information. Instead, PM and DPM did not want to deviate from what CPIB had announced in its statement since this is related to operational matters.
Ministers have to let CPIB independently decide on the release of operational information. CPIB must be afforded the necessary time and space it needs to conduct a proper, thorough, and independent investigation.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ms Indranee Rajah has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue a Correction Direction to Political Sophistry. The Correction Direction requires the recipient to insert a notice against the original post, with a link to the Government’s clarification. We advise members of the public not to speculate and/or spread unverified rumours.
Source: POFMA Office and Gov.sg