Lim Tean, leader of the People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR), issued a strong public condemnation of Calvin Cheng’s controversial Facebook post and criticised the government’s response during a press statement delivered on Sunday morning, 6 April, outside Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam.
The mosque is located within Jalan Besar GRC, where his political alliance intends to contest in the upcoming General Election.
His remarks were made in response to Cheng’s 13 March Facebook post, in which the former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) sarcastically suggested that activists from the Mondays for Palestine Solidarity group be sponsored on a one-way trip to Gaza.
The post sparked significant backlash from the Malay-Muslim community, who viewed it as inflammatory and Islamophobic.
“These statements have caused great outrage and anger in the Muslim community,” Lim said.
“So many Muslim residents have come up to us to express their indignation and bewilderment that, in today’s Singapore—where so much emphasis is placed on racial and religious harmony—an individual can be given the liberty to offend a minority community with apparent impunity.”
He criticised the People’s Action Party (PAP) ministers for their response, stating that merely distancing themselves from Cheng’s views was inadequate.
“They cannot understand why, when such offensive statements have been made, all these people have done is to distance themselves from the views expressed by the individual, when a more forceful condemnation of those statements is in order,” Lim said.
“The Muslim community is looking for accountability and they are not getting it—from the ministers, nor from the police.”
Lim also addressed the issue of political accountability, referencing the delay in pice response following a formal report filed by former opposition politician Jufrie Mahmood on 28 March.
“We will await to see what further steps are taken by the police and the government in relation to this very serious incident. And needless to say, we urge that the requisite steps be taken with all due haste and speed.”
In a follow-up Facebook post on Monday, 7 April, Lim further criticised what he described as censorship by the mainstream media.
He alleged that although Channel NewsAsia (CNA) had attended his Sunday statement with a full crew, they chose not to air or publish any part of it.
“My statement condemned the recent provocative and inflammatory statements made by Calvin Cheng which were directed at members of the Muslim community in Singapore, and the inaction of the PAP Ministers and the SPF. PAR demanded accountability,” Lim wrote.
“Guess what? CNA did not publish PAR’s statement! It was obviously too hot for the MSM, who are the lapdogs of the PAP, to handle!” he added, accusing mainstream outlets of lacking independence and credibility.
Lim said that fortunately, PAR volunteers had filmed the statement independently and posted it on his social media. “Since yesterday, it has had 1,000 likes and over 100 shares,” he noted.
He also expressed gratitude for the support from religious institutions, stating, “I am gratified that later in the day, PERGAS—the highly respected Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association—also issued a long statement condemning the statements made by Calvin Cheng.”
PERGAS’ statement, published on the evening of 6 April, described Cheng’s remarks as “grossly insensitive,” “dehumanising,” and a threat to Singapore’s multiracial social fabric. The organisation called on the authorities to act and affirmed that such statements risk “planting seeds of mistrust and division.”
Cheng has denied that his remarks were Islamophobic, stating that they were aimed solely at disruptive activism. He has since initiated legal action against several individuals and media platforms for what he claims are defamatory allegations.
In a post published on Monday morning, 7 April, Cheng also directly addressed PERGAS’ statement. He wrote:
“I reiterate: I neither mentioned race nor religion in my post of 13 March 2025. I directed my remarks at a group of people which included non-Muslims. The remarks were not directed at any group defined by race or religion.
The post is still up and the facts are clear.
SDP’s Ex Chairman Mahmood Jufrie, RP’s Kenneth Jeyaretnam, and other individuals fabricated outright lies and twisted my words. I have commenced legal action.
I understand Pergas’ sentiments; I hope they will re-read my post in this context.”
In response to the growing controversy, several People’s Action Party (PAP) ministers have issued statements distancing themselves from Cheng’s views.
It was revealed that Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How had “liked” Cheng’s original post.
Tan later clarified that the engagement was unintentional, while Balakrishnan stated that he does not share Cheng’s views and implied that the post had been liked by someone unauthorised.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak’s Facebook page also liked the post, but the PAP MP has not issued any statement on the matter.
Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam, speaking on 2 April, said he had “very different views” from Cheng, reiterating his position that “Israel’s actions are illegal and oppressive to Palestinians.”
On 3 April, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli also stated that he disagreed with Cheng’s views.
While appreciating Cheng’s earlier efforts to raise funds for Tampines residents, Masagos said it was “better” that Cheng redirected the donations elsewhere, and reaffirmed the importance of mutual respect in public discourse.
The ongoing public and institutional responses suggest that the controversy remains far from settled, as community leaders, political figures, and Cheng himself continue to respond to the fallout ahead of a general election widely expected by May 2025.
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