Opinion | Enacting measures to counter foreign interference, Singapore gives a lesson to Hong Kong again

By Edward Hei Leung, DAB Standing Committee Member

Recently, Singapore introduced a new legislation that empowers the government to investigate and stop foreign actors from influencing national politics and inflaming social issues. Considered as a further step two years after the passing of anti-fake news laws, the new bill will enable the government to order network providers or social media tycoons to block content in these accounts from being viewed in Singapore. But, is it truly a new arrangement?

Foreign election interference becomes common, especially when social media platforms grow influence. ICPC researchers studied 97 national elections which took place between 8 November 2016 and 30 April 2019. Of the 97 elections and 31 referendums reviewed, foreign interference was identified in 20 countries, including US, France, Germany, and more importantly Singapore.

Let us first look at US. Whether the so-called Russian interference in 2016 was sufficient enough to influence the outcome of US federal election, the House passed several bills afterwards, so as to boost cybersecurity measures and counter foreign interference. One of the bills deals with foreign disinformation and requires the inclusion of disclaimers on political content on social media platforms in the US, if they are funded by a foreign agent. A senior cyber policy advisor at the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to assist further coordination.

Aside from US, in 2018, the Australian government passed a Bill which added new foreign interference offences into the Criminal Code. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security in the territory believed that the newly introduced offences are broad enough to capture a wide range of conduct, but still advises the government to update the frameworks to ensure that all relevant conducts are captured, given the rapid development in communication technology.

In light of this, it is not uncommon to see western countries to impose legislation similar to the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill. Why can't similar measures be enacted in Singapore or even in HK?

Back to the Lion City, the territory has multi-ethnic population, enjoys widespread internet access and is famous of its status of regional financial hub. Unlike Hong Kong, the governance there has stayed vigilant against foreign influence. In fact, Singapore is not immune, even though it seems to have a friendly relationship with many countries at the globe. For example, in the 1980s, the First Secretary of the United States (US) Embassy in Singapore, Hank Hendrickson, cultivated a group of Singaporean lawyers to join opposition politics and contest the 1988 General Election. Francis Seow, one of lawyers back up by US, was even offered refuge in the US, and eventually conferred US citizenship. Does Francis Seow's story sound familiar among Hong Kong citizens?

There is a myth that Hong Kong senior officials want to learn their counterparts in Singapore. Yet, it seems that our civil servants lack the determination, or even the vision to enact similar laws. We have heard that Hong Kong government is mulling plans to implement laws against fake news, meanwhile Singapore has already passed that kind of bill two years ago. In the Lion City, its Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill requires websites to run government "correction notices" alongside content it deems false. Under the law, the government will also be able to issue so-called "take down" orders that require the removal of content posted by social media companies, news organizations or individuals. In other words, we have a long path ahead in order to enact our own Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill, not to mention laws against fake news. Hopefully, our governance can be more ambitious, and have more provident leaders inside, in order to fully utilize the advantages given by the improvement of electoral system.

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