SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has reported unauthorised activity on the official Facebook page of Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan after he denied engaging with a controversial post by former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng.
The post, which criticised pro-Palestinian activists in Singapore, drew widespread condemnation and led to police reports being filed against Cheng.
On 2 April 2025, Balakrishnan stated that he had not “liked” Cheng’s Facebook post, published on 13 March, and distanced himself from its contents.
He added that he had since taken measures to improve the security of his account.
“I did not ‘like’ the post by Calvin Cheng on 13 March 2025. I do not share those views,” the minister said.
“I have since taken measures to enhance account security.”
The post has since been removed from public view on his Facebook profile.
In response to media queries, the minister’s press secretary confirmed that a report had been filed with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, regarding the alleged unauthorised activity.
“Meta is investigating,” the spokesperson said.
Calvin Cheng’s remarks and public backlash
Cheng’s original Facebook post sarcastically criticised Singaporean pro-Palestinian activists, offering to sponsor their relocation to Gaza on the condition that they never return.
“Expenses paid by me. But only if they never come back,” Cheng wrote. “I am offering business class to the leaders. And to their 928 followers, can buy them some walking shoes each.”
His comments were met with sharp criticism from advocacy groups and members of the public, who described them as inflammatory and offensive, particularly amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Police reports were subsequently lodged against Cheng over his remarks.
MPS Palestine, a local advocacy group, stated that while Balakrishnan had removed his like from the post, he had not issued a public clarification until 2 April.
Senior Minister of State Tan had also initially engaged with the post but later clarified via Instagram that he had “accidentally” liked it.
He stated that he did not endorse Cheng’s comments and had since removed his like.
However, a comment thread between MPS Palestine and Tan later disappeared from Instagram.
The advocacy group retained a screenshot, insisting that the minister had initially engaged with the post.
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Shanmugam’s response and legal implications
According to state media CNA, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam addressed the controversy on 2 April while speaking to reporters about cases under the Internal Security Act.
When asked about Cheng’s post, he stated that his views on Israel and Palestine were “sharply different” from Cheng’s.
“Calvin Cheng comments on a variety of matters – I don’t see all of them. Those that I come across: I can say some I agree with, and some I clearly disagree with,” Shanmugam said.
“His views on Palestine and Israel, I can say, are quite different from mine. I have a very sharply different view on Israel-Palestine from Calvin Cheng.”
Shanmugam reaffirmed that he had previously described Israel’s actions as “illegal and oppressive to Palestinians” in November 2023, and that his stance remained unchanged.
He declined to comment further, citing the police reports filed against Cheng and ongoing legal proceedings.
Cheng denies Islamophobia allegations, demands retractions and apologies
Cheng, in a Facebook post on 2 April, revealed that former Singapore Democratic Party chairman Jufrie Mahmood had lodged a police report against him, alleging Islamophobia.
Cheng also named Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam, activist Martyn See, The Online Citizen, and Mohamed Khair as individuals and organisations that had echoed similar criticisms.
He denied the allegations and stated that he had sought legal advice. “I have been advised that these statements are highly defamatory of me,” he wrote.
Cheng added that he had instructed his lawyers to demand retractions and public apologies from Jufrie Mahmood, Martyn See, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, The Online Citizen, and Mohamed Khair.
Past incidents resurface as Balakrishnan’s social media activity faces renewed scrutiny
The incident reignited discussions about public officials’ social media activity and its impact on public discourse.
Business owner Ish’haq Rajoo Jay criticised Calvin Cheng’s remarks as “insensitive” and questioned Vivian Balakrishnan’s moral consistency.
Red Dot United’s Ravi Philemon highlighted ambiguities in Balakrishnan’s explanation, raising concerns over account security.
The controversy also revived references to a past incident involving the minister in the 2015 General Election.
On 10 September 2015, a police report was lodged by news editor Terry Xu against Dr Balakrishnan for allegedly breaching Cooling-Off Day regulations.
According to the police report, Dr Balakrishnan posted on his Facebook and Twitter accounts after 1.50am on Cooling-Off Day—an offence under Singapore’s electoral law which prohibits campaigning during that period.
The posts were subsequently removed. A statement from Facebook on 11 September 2015 attributed the breach to a “bug in our technical system” that caused “recurrent auto-posting” on Dr Balakrishnan’s page.
The police report eventually led to no legal action, with the case being closed.
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