Singapore
POFMA Office issues correction direction over TikTok post claiming votes can be traced
Mr Chan Chun Sing, overseeing the Ministry in-charge of Public Service, directed the POFMA Office to issue a Correction Direction to TikTok user “dr.ishhaq.jay”. This follows a TikTok video’s false claim about the government tracing voters’ choices. ELD emphasized the rigorous measures in place ensuring voting secrecy.
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SINGAPORE: The Minister in-charge of the Public Service, Mr. Chan Chun Sing, has directed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue a Correction Direction to TikTok user “dr.ishhaq.jay” and a Targeted Correction Direction to TikTok Pte. Ltd.
A Targeted Correction Direction is issued to an internet intermediary that has been used to communicate a falsehood. This direction mandates the intermediary to display a correction notice to all users in Singapore who encountered the falsehood on its platform.
The instruction from Mr Chan comes as a response to a TikTok video posted by the user on 17 July.
The Elections Department (ELD) has identified a misleading statement in the said TikTok video. The content of the video suggests that the Government has the capacity to trace individual voters’ choices in the polling booth and can subsequently penalize voters based on their vote.
The ELD refutes this claim, highlighting several important points:
- The Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 (PEA), including provisions from its predecessor acts, emphasizes the importance of vote secrecy. It’s paramount to understand that the Government, along with the ELD, has rigorously adhered to the policies and practices ensuring voting secrecy.
- The procedures set to ensure voting secrecy are stringent. All individuals, be it officers, clerks, interpreters, candidates, or agents present at polling stations or during the vote counting, must swear an oath of secrecy prior to their involvement.
- For votes recorded in person, the ballot papers follow a continuous chain of custody. They are transported from the polling stations to counting centers, then to the Supreme Court. After safe custody for six months, these ballot papers are destroyed, ensuring no tampering or misuse. This process is transparent and allows monitoring by election candidates and their representatives.
- The presence of a serial number on the ballot paper is to maintain the sanctity of the electoral procedure. This number aids in accounting for every ballot paper, acts against any fraudulent activity, and verifies voters as per the register.
- While the voter’s serial number is mentioned on the ballot paper counterfoil, this is only for potential vote tracing in situations like fraudulent voting allegations. The sealed votes can only be inspected upon an order from the General Division of the High Court and that too in very restricted circumstances. This ensures the vote remains secret unless there’s substantial evidence pointing towards a fraudulent act.
Therefore, it is said that the Government cannot trace who a voter has voted for, as it wishes.
This comes as Singapore looks forward to the nomination day for its presidential candidates on 22 August, with polling day set for 1 September if there are more than two contesting candidates.
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Either spoil vote or vote TKL
Vote secret? Okok
HC salaries + bonuses secret? Okok .. LoL
Voting is secret? HAHAHAHA…okok
By the serial number if you did not go to the polls and vote, do they know its you? Of course right? Got fine $50 if don’t vote? What do you think? LoL
Put all the paper generals and run their own company like George Goh, and see how many can have $500 million ? HAHAHAHA!!!!!
Why? my total companies add together also cannot? tell that to Donald Duck who is a billionaire not to add up his company worth? What do you think? Best Joke of the Year !!!! LoL
TKL—NTUC, cannot make it on his own
Ko Song—GIC—same
Tharman—PAP song bird.
Goh made $1.51B on his own business projects—ejected, too small. I wonder what is big.
TKL might lose deposit. So vote to help him at least ….
For now at least, the ruling government dare not interfere with the integrity of Singapore’s elections. Only literally everything before and after the actual balloting process, of course.
Yes secret salaries as mentioned is not even 1/10 of the hokkien gang!But it means you strike Toto 2 times a week,8times a month for one whole year!Compare to elderly waking up at 5am and go work to make ends need.The heart bleeds!
Who will benefit from a electorate that is fearful?
Those are the same people that spread these rumours.
If you constantly live in fear, you will never come out from it.
Nobody will know who we voted for.
We are not significant enough for them to wanna find out.
Cmon, … voters should be more concerned, about losing their livelihoods, homes and opportunities to foreign talent !!!
Gifting their hard earned monies to secret salaries, peoples associations, ceremonial positions, white elephant projects and salaries of self serving ministers !!!
Given all of the above and everything else, … you’re more worried about your votes being traced !!!
And if you’re not, … you know what needs to be done, right ?!!!
If my vote will not be spoiled I will write my name on the voting slip. So what if my vote can be traced.
Democracy is what we need to fight for. Voting is democracy!
Traced or not, the only question we need to answer is are we a people kotowing to fear to give up democracy or fight for our rights?
Cow we are China.
Fight we are Freedom.
Sorry, made up my mind …. Change of heart….Unite and vote for Tharman. That’s the only way forward.
I told this to my 79 year old aunt but she insisted I was wrong and that all votes are not secret. It is what people perceive and it is difficult to shift the thought process because they are genuinely afraid of voting against the PAP. So CCS’s POFMA might further enforce the fear on people. Perhaps voting can be done electronically so that all Singaporeans no matter where they are can participate. The IC no. and the year the IC was issued shoud allow them to gain access to vote.
Why are your articles addressing these politicians as Mr ? If he’s a MP, then say MP XYZ or Minister ABC, or DPM 123. Not even mainstream news address them as Mr. XXX