Politics

Police probing sociopolitical site over election ads


The Elections Department (ELD) has filed a police report against sociopolitical website New Naratif, saying it published unauthorised paid advertisements during the campaign period of the July General Election.

Its statement yesterday said five such ads were published between July 3 and 8.

Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, only election advertising that is done by or on behalf of a candidate is allowed.

New Naratif allegedly was not acting on behalf of any candidate when it published the ads on Facebook.

The police confirmed yesterday that the report was made and they are investigating the matter.

The campaign period for the 2020 General Election was from June 30 to July 8.

The ELD’s statement, which did not specify when the police report was made, said its assistant returning officer issued notices to Facebook on July 3, 7 and 8 to remove the New Naratif ads published on the platform.

The ELD said the ads amounted to election activity, which the Act says is any activity done to promote or procure electoral success at any election for one or more identifiable political parties, candidates or groups of candidates.

It also includes any activity done to prejudice the electoral prospects of other political parties, candidates or groups of candidates at the election.

The advertiser, therefore, has to have a written document from the department to publish the ad on behalf of the candidate. This document has to be signed by the candidate or election agent.

The Act also states that ads can be considered election advertising “even though it can reasonably be regarded as intended to achieve any other purpose as well and even though it does not expressly mention the name of any political party or candidate”.

The ELD said: “Neither New Naratif nor its representatives or agents were authorised by any candidate or election agent in this general election to conduct election activity.”

It said the first takedown notice to Facebook was issued on July 3, when the department also released a media statement saying New Naratif had been deemed to be conducting election activity by placing paid Internet election advertising and that the sociopolitical website had not been authorised to do so.

The public was also reminded of the regulations, the ELD added.

“However, on July 4, New Naratif publicised the takedown decision and continued to publish other paid advertisements,” it said.

On July 4, New Naratif said in a Facebook post that a “boosted post” it had paid for, featuring a satirical video, had been removed after the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) issued Facebook a notice.

The video was a parody of a perfume ad, featuring clips of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Among other things, it accused PM Lee of targeting his critics under the guise of the rule of law.

New Naratif said in its post: “The argument of this satirical video is that Singaporean laws are written so broadly as to effectively make a huge swathe of legitimate political activity illegal without a permit, with the discretion to take action in the hands of senior officials and/or politicians.”

It added: “By declaring this satirical advertisement commenting on the rule of law in Singapore to be election advertising, and ordering the takedown, IMDA has demonstrated exactly the point of the video.”

Any person convicted of conducting unauthorised election activity can be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to a year, or both.

The Straits Times has contacted New Naratif for comment.





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