SINGAPORE: Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam has criticised former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng for his remarks on pro-Palestine activists in Singapore and has called for an investigation into two People’s Action Party (PAP) ministers who allegedly ‘liked’ Cheng’s controversial post on social media.
The controversy stems from a Facebook post made by Cheng on 13 March 2025, in which he mocked local activists who attend Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) to press lawmakers on Singapore’s stance towards Israel and Palestine.
He sarcastically suggested funding their relocation to Gaza, writing, “Expenses paid by me. But only if they never come back.”
He added that he was willing to provide business class tickets for the leaders and walking shoes for their followers.
His comments were met with criticism for being inflammatory, with accusations that they incited racial and religious discord.
Ministers accused of ‘liked’ Cheng’s post
Further controversy arose when the pro-Palestine advocacy group “Monday of Palestine Solidarity (MPS Palestine)” alleged that Singapore’s Foreign Minister Dr Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How had ‘liked’ Cheng’s post.
View this post on Instagram
MPS Palestine highlighted this in an Instagram post on 27 March, stating that Balakrishnan has since unliked the post but has not responded to the allegation of liking Cheng’s post initially.
The group also confronted Tan in an Instagram comment thread, where he claimed that he had liked the post “accidentally” and did not support Cheng’s remarks. He subsequently removed his like as well.
However, scrutiny increased when users noticed that Tan had apparently deleted the comment thread with MPS Palestin, despite the group retaining a screenshot of their exchange.
Jeyaretnam calls for accountability
On 27 March, Jeyaretnam criticised Cheng for making remark that posed a serious threat to Singapore’s racial and religious harmony.
“Cheng may follow a different religion himself and he may enjoy majority race privilege, but this does not extend to allowing him to instigate religious enmity or hatred,” he said in a Facebook post.
He emphasised that equating Singaporeans of a particular religious or ethnic background with foreign governments or terrorist groups should be considered a crime. He further argued that suggesting the deportation of citizens based on their religious identity was also a criminal act.
Jeyaretnam contended that Cheng’s “offer” could be interpreted as a veiled threat, given that Gaza is an active war zone.
He also claimed that since the majority of the activists Cheng referenced are Malay Singaporeans, the post could be seen as an incitement to racial hatred, as well as a violation of Singapore’s new Racial Harmony Act.
Jeyaretnam further pointed out that the PAP should not claim to uphold democracy and the rule of law if its ministers were allowed to engage with such remarks without accountability.
He stressed that even though the ministers had withdrawn their likes, they should still be held to scrutiny.
“The idea that our ministers could, even if they changed their support later, endorse this level of race and religious hate and the deporting of our citizens to a foreign country is horrific,” he stated.
Call for government action
Jeyaretnam urged authorities to take immediate action under the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act 2019 (MRHA), stating that a Restraining Order (RO) should be issued against Cheng.
The MRHA allows for legal action to be taken against individuals who make statements that threaten racial or religious harmony in Singapore.
He also called on the PAP leadership to clarify the actions of Balakrishnan and Tan, stating that public officials should be held accountable for their engagement with controversial content.
The post Kenneth Jeyaretnam calls for probe over PAP ministers who ‘liked’ Calvin Cheng’s controversial post appeared first on The Online Citizen.
