Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, has publicly distanced himself from former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng’s remarks on the Israel-Palestine conflict, describing their views as “sharply different”.
Shanmugam made the statement on 2 April 2025 during a media engagement at Maarof Mosque in Jurong West. He was speaking on currentno no cases under the Internal Security Act when he was asked to respond to a Facebook post by Cheng, dated 13 March.
Shanmugam said that while he did not follow the exchanges between Cheng and opposition politician Jufrie Mahmood, his own stance on the Middle East remains unchanged.
“I have very different views from Mr Cheng on Israel-Palestine. I have previously said in November 2023 that Israel’s actions are illegal and oppressive to Palestinians, and that remains my view,” said Shanmugam.
In the post that sparked the controversy, Cheng had commented on a group referred to as the Mondays for Palestine Solidarity, alleging they disrupted Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) of several People’s Action Party MPs, including Shanmugam.
Cheng went on to mock the activists with inflammatory suggestions, stating, “I would like to sponsor them to relocate to Gaza, expenses paid by me. But only if they never come back.”
He added, “I am offering business class to the leaders. And to their 928 followers, can buy them some walking shoes each. Take a slow hike.”
The incident at the centre of the controversy involves two activists who visited Shanmugam’s MPS on 12 March.
According to their account, they had sought a discussion on the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), and not Palestine.
They claimed they informed volunteers about their intention beforehand and expressed willingness to wait until all residents had been assisted. The meeting eventually took place later that evening, lasting approximately 30 minutes.
During the session, the activists alleged that Shanmugam dismissed their concerns and dominated the conversation. They also rejected any association with Mondays for Palestine Solidarity during the MPS visit, insisting they were there in their personal capacity.
“We want to make it clear that we were not at Shanmugam’s MPS on behalf of any group, nor did we go there to discuss Palestine,” they said.
Following Cheng’s online remarks, former opposition politician Mohamed Jufrie Bin Mahmood lodged a police report against him on 28 March at Bedok Police Division.
In a public Facebook post, Jufrie described Cheng’s comments as “Islamophobic” and extremist, warning that such views threaten Singapore’s multi-religious harmony.
Jufrie characterised Cheng’s suggestion of sending activists to Gaza with “no return” as a veiled threat implying “likely death,” especially within the context of ongoing violence in the region.
Cheng has since issued a public statement responding to the accusations.
In a Facebook post titled “Defamatory statements made against me”, reposted on 2 April, he stated that he had sought legal advice from a Senior Counsel and had been advised that the allegations made against him are highly defamatory.
Cheng asserted that the accusations — including claims that he is Islamophobic or had made derogatory remarks about madrasah students — are false, and said they are based on “factual inaccuracies and outright lies”.
He added that he has instructed his lawyers to write to Mohamed Khair, Jufrie Mahmood, Martyn See, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, and The Online Citizen, requiring them to retract their statements and issue an apology.
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