POFMA issues 8th Correction Direction to Kenneth Jeyaretnam over Ridout Road FB post

The POFMA Office has once again targeted Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Chief of the Reform Party, with its eighth Correction Direction. This latest move, directed by Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Chee Hong Tat, aims to counter what the government claims are false statements made by Jeyaretnam in his Facebook post on 15 June 2024.

Mr Jeyaretnam's online presence has been a thorn in the side of the authorities, who have flagged 21 of his posts for allegedly containing false information.

Since December 2023, his website, The Ricebowl Singapore, and his social media accounts have been labelled "Declared Online Locations" under POFMA, which means he cannot financially benefit from the operation of these locations, nor can anyone contribute financially to support their operations.

In his Facebook post, Mr Jeyaretnam laid out a series of statements against government policies, suggesting that they intentionally keep land prices high to inflate the nation's reserves.

He cited the example of two properties rented by Minister of Home Affairs K Shanmugam and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan on Ridout Road, arguing that the land could be better utilized for public housing rather than being preserved as heritage properties.

According to Mr Jeyaretnam, these plots could yield over 1,700 HDB flats, housing more than 5,000 Singaporeans if developed appropriately.

He also took aim at the transparency of endowment and trust funds, accusing the government of diverting funds into these opaque financial structures rather than using them to improve public services directly. Mr Jeyaretnam suggested that the government’s strategy leaves Singaporeans with rising HDB prices and little benefit from the reserves, which are being hoarded for future generations.

According to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Mr Jeyaretnam's Facebook post contained three falsehoods.

First, the claim that the government intentionally sets artificially high land prices for sale to HDB. Second, the assertion that the endowment and trust funds are not transparent. Lastly, the allegation that the government maintains a large land bank of heritage properties to keep land prices high and boost reserves.

The Ministry of Finance, in its POFMA statement, argued that the prices for state land sold to HDB are determined by the Chief Valuer, an independent office, as if this would allay any suspicions about manipulation. This office, they assured, operates without government influence.

The MOF defended the transparency of endowment and trust funds, directing the public to the Revenue and Expenditure Estimates and various Financial Statements.

They also dismissed Jeyaretnam’s accusations regarding the land bank strategy, claiming that properties are conserved for heritage and historical value rather than to keep land prices artificially high and referred to Second Minister of Law Edwin Tong’s statement on state property rentals, made in Parliament on 3 July 2023.

Mr Jeyaretnam is now required to append a correction notice to his post, informing readers of the government's stance and providing a link to their clarifications.

In the MOF's statement, they also referenced that Mr Jeyaretnam has continued to make false and misleading statements about government policies and the operations of public agencies, despite publicly available facts and having the falsehoods and their corresponding facts pointed out to him.

"He has repeatedly made false statements, even when the facts are clear and should be known to him," said the MOF.

According to the statement, the POFMA Office and the Singapore Police Force commenced investigations against Mr Jeyaretnam for possible offences under POFMA and the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016.

It is said that agencies have been in communication with Mr Jeyaretnam since April 2024 and have invited him to assist with the investigations.

" He has thus far remained out of jurisdiction and not made himself available to assist in investigations by attending any interviews. "