The Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, Chee Hong Tat, has issued a Correction Direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019 (POFMA) to Reform Party Secretary General Kenneth Jeyaretnam for allegedly making false claims about government land and immigration policies in a Facebook post on 3 March 2025.
This marks his ninth Correction Direction.
His website, The Ricebowl Singapore, and his social media accounts remain classified as “Declared Online Locations” under POFMA until 11 December 2025, requiring them to display warnings about past falsehoods.
It is alleged that Jeyaretnam falsely claimed that the government’s monopoly over land supply and control over demand through immigration policies artificially inflates property prices, benefiting government reserves.
The government has refuted the alleged falsehoods, clarifying:
- Land management policies – Land sales are based on Singapore’s planning and development needs, not to increase land or HDB prices. This was also clarified in a POFMA Correction Direction issued to Jeyaretnam on 4 July 2024.
- Immigration policies – These policies are designed to address demographic challenges like an ageing population and low birth rates, not to drive up property prices or reserves.
- Land valuation process – The Chief Valuer determines land value based on market principles and relevant transactions, independently of government influence.
The government stated that these facts had been previously communicated to Jeyaretnam and that his continued claims misrepresent public policies.
Jeyaretnam also raised questions about Minister Shanmugam’s rental of a government-owned property, which has previously been the subject of POFMA directions against him, questioning whether the rent had increased over the lease period and calling for greater transparency.
He suggested that those questioning such matters face legal consequences under POFMA.
While the government did not directly address these remarks in its correction notice, it reaffirmed that “POFMA is not used to silence those who raise their views on the rent for 26 Ridout Road, or any issue for that matter”.
“The Government issues a POFMA Correction Direction (“CD”) when a false statement of fact has been communicated, and if it is in the public interest to do so, ” said the Factually website.
Jeyaretnam, who is currently receiving medical treatment in the UK, must display a Correction Notice on his Facebook page linking to the government’s clarification at Factually (factually.gov.sg).
The government has urged Singaporeans to rely on official sources for accurate policy information.
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