Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng has said that he remains on friendly terms with Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, despite recent public attention on their differing views regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, 2 April, Cheng shared a quote he gave to Berita Harian, in which he addressed their relationship directly.
“Although Mr Shanmugam and I disagreed on the issue, we remain friends,” said Cheng in comments to Malay daily.
“It is good for a mature democracy to have a variety of opinions. We can agree to disagree even on controversial topics. But we cannot spread falsehoods. That is dangerous. That is why I am taking legal action against those who have spread falsehoods against me.”
The public reaffirmation of his relationship with Shanmugam came after the minister stated during a 2 April media interview that he had “very different views from Mr Cheng on Israel-Palestine”.
Shanmugam reiterated his previous position that “Israel’s actions are illegal and oppressive to Palestinians”.
The divergence was in reference to Cheng’s 13 March Facebook post, in which he made comments about activists involved in the Mondays for Palestine Solidarity group.
Cheng sarcastically suggested sending them to Gaza, prompting strong backlash and a police report by former opposition politician Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood.
Cheng has consistently maintained that his remarks were sarcastic, not Islamophobic, and targeted at disruptive activist behaviour rather than any religion or race. He has since taken legal action, sending letters of demand to several individuals and entities over what he says are defamatory allegations.
In a separate comment on the same Facebook thread, Cheng responded to a user who speculated that the People’s Action Party (PAP) might politically distance itself from him ahead of the next General Election.
The commenter, referencing public anger and possible vote loss, suggested:
“We concluded CC will be abandoned by PAP to save votes.”
To this, Cheng replied:
“Hopefully not! Shan only said he disagrees with me on the Israel-Palestine issue.”
The General Election is widely expected to be held by early May 2025, with political sensitivity around foreign policy issues — particularly those affecting Singapore’s multiracial harmony — becoming a visible flashpoint.
While Cheng is no longer an NMP or officeholder, his statements have drawn significant attention due to his past public roles and current visibility online.
His public statements and legal actions continue to shape discussion on free speech, activism, and political accountability in Singapore.
As of publication, Minister Shanmugam has not responded publicly to Cheng’s remarks about their friendship, nor has he commented on Cheng’s Facebook post.
The post Calvin Cheng says he remains friends with Shanmugam despite Israel-Palestine disagreement appeared first on The Online Citizen.
