Singapore is cracking down on foreign political interference
A new law designed to prevent outside meddling could muzzle civil society
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE in Singapore, which has been governed by the same political party since 1959, usually makes for snoozy viewing. Not on October 4th. The bill under discussion was to give the government sweeping powers to curb foreign influence in local politics. Legislators agreed that the government needed tools to strike back at malign foreign actors. But the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act is “draconian”, one opposition MP thundered. And why, other lawmakers asked, was Parliament given just three weeks to digest a 249-page bill? Nonetheless, the bill was eventually passed into law.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Outside job”
Asia October 23rd 2021
From the October 23rd 2021 edition
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