SINGAPORE: While expressing appreciation for Members of Parliament (MPs) who have raised questions on Gaza in Parliament, advocacy group Monday of Palestine Solidarity (MPS) has urged them to do more.
“To what extent does raising parliamentary questions help in stopping Singapore’s complicity in genocide?” the group asked.
On 24 February, two Chua Chu Kang GRC residents, identified as K and J, met MP Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim at a Meet-the-People Session to raise concerns about Gaza.
According to the residents, he presented them with a seven-page document outlining his actions for Palestine since 2021, as well as a calendar featuring endangered Palestinian birds.
During the session, the residents alleged that they were met with hostility from a staff member after revealing they were there to discuss Gaza.
They claimed she stared at them and appeared to try taking photos with her phone — an accusation the staff member denied, stating she was merely sending a text message.
They also described their meeting with the MP as rushed. Instead of being ushered into a meeting room, Zhulkarnain reportedly appeared at their table, remaining standing throughout the discussion.
Halfway through, he allegedly told them he had other residents to attend to, which they felt cut the conversation short.
Concerns Over Local Media Coverage
During the discussion, the residents raised concerns about what they perceived as bias in local news reporting on the conflict.
They cited extensive coverage of Israeli “hostages” returning in malnourished states, but little coverage of Palestinian prisoners released in worse conditions.
They argued that local media often quotes Israeli leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Isaac Herzog while glossing over what they described as the disproportionate brutality inflicted by Israel.
“The choice of words can shape how Singaporeans view this issue,” they said, adding that referring to it as the “Israel-Hamas conflict/war” — instead of a genocide as described by a UN special committee, Amnesty International, and human rights experts — risked echoing a dangerous Western media narrative.
Zhulkarnain reportedly responded that he could not act directly as he was “not the government body”, but said he could write to the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) about ensuring fairer reporting, especially towards Palestinians.
Questions on US Plans for Gaza
Following US president Donald Trump’s statement suggesting the US would take over the Gaza Strip, the residents also sought Singapore’s stance.
Zhulkarnain again reiterated that he was not the “government body”, but offered to bring the matter up in Parliament and write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
MPS noted that, as of 24 July 2025, they had not received any updates on whether he had followed through on these actions.
Parliamentary Record and Advocacy Work
Zhulkarnain then allegedly presented the residents with a seven-page document outlining the actions he had taken for Palestine over the years.
According to MPS, it detailed parliamentary questions (PQs) he had raised since 2021 regarding Palestine, as well as references to Gaza fundraising events he had participated in.
MPS acknowledged his consistency in speaking about Palestine — which they said was rare among Singapore’s leaders — but expressed concern that some PQs avoided naming the party responsible for the humanitarian crisis.
They also questioned his calls to support the Palestinian Authority, which MPS accused of acting against its own people.
MPS appreciated that he had highlighted South Africa’s case against Israel and the contractual obligations of states, though they found the MFA’s reply “predictably avoidant and underwhelming”.
The group also welcomed his decision to raise in Parliament the issue of a social media post by the Israeli embassy in Singapore that had distressed many citizens.
Humanitarian aid was a recurring theme in his PQs, but MPS questioned whether such aid was reaching civilians, given that Israel had broken the last ceasefire and continued to block aid convoys.
Commendable Efforts, But Questions Remain
MPS described Zhulkarnain’s efforts — including charity auctions, concerts for Gaza, and official visits to Jerusalem and Ramallah — as commendable.
However, they stressed that raising funds and asking polite parliamentary questions might not be enough.
“Palestinians are still being massacred. The West Bank is almost fully annexed. Borders are blocked. US soldiers are deployed to Gaza and shooting at aid seekers. Children are dying of hunger at an alarming rate,” the group said.
They pointed out that Singapore still maintains large-scale trade with Israel, questioning whether current efforts address the root causes or merely skirt the issue.
According to the UN Comtrade Database, Singapore ranks 17th out of 117 countries in imports from Israel and 33rd out of 192 in exports to Israel.
Call for Stronger Action from Leaders
“It is not unreasonable for residents to expect more of their MP, rather than to just be told they are ‘not the government body’,” MPS stated.
They added that one MP’s efforts were not enough and urged more leaders to speak up.
“How can we hope for any real change if only a small handful are willing to do the bare minimum? We call on all our leaders to start acting with the moral clarity this situation so desperately requires.”
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