Singapore’s Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has denied supporting a controversial social media post after public criticism emerged over his alleged engagement with remarks by former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng.
In a Facebook post published in the early hours of 1 April 2025, Dr Balakrishnan wrote, “I did not ‘like’ the post by Calvin Cheng on 13 March 2025. I do not share those views. I have since taken measures to enhance account security.”
The post has been removed from public view on his profile.
The statement follows scrutiny sparked by a post from pro-Palestine advocacy group “Monday of Palestine Solidarity” (MPS Palestine). The group alleged that both Dr Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State (SMS) Tan Kiat How had liked Cheng’s inflammatory remarks.
Calvin Cheng had published a Facebook post on 13 March 2025 criticising Singaporean pro-Palestine activists. He sarcastically offered to sponsor their relocation to Gaza, provided they never returned.
Cheng wrote, “Expenses paid by me. But only if they never come back.” He further added, “I am offering business class to the leaders. And to their 928 followers, can buy them some walking shoes each.”
The remarks drew widespread condemnation from members of the public and advocacy circles, who labelled them as inflammatory and offensive, especially in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Police reports have also been filed against Cheng in connection with the post.
MPS Palestine alleged that while Dr Balakrishnan had unliked the post, he had not issued any public clarification at the time. His statement on 1 April was the first time he addressed the matter directly.
SMS Tan responded earlier via an Instagram thread, stating that he had “accidentally” liked the post and did not endorse Cheng’s comments. He confirmed that he had also removed his like.
However, the comment thread with MPS Palestine later disappeared from Tan’s Instagram post. The advocacy group retained a screenshot, maintaining the ministers’ initial engagement with Cheng’s post.
View this post on Instagram
The incident reignited debate over the use of social media by public officials and the implications of their digital activity on public discourse and civil rights advocacy.
Among the public responses was a strong statement by local business owner and sports coach Ish’haq Rajoo Jay. He described Cheng’s comments as “insensitive, disgraceful, and unbecoming of a Singaporean.”
In a Facebook video, Jay expressed disappointment in the ministers’ alleged actions, citing Dr Balakrishnan’s prior statements in Parliament regarding support for the Palestinian people.
“What are you guys implying by liking such a post?” Jay asked, challenging the moral consistency of the Foreign Minister’s public and private actions.
Jay went further by calling on Dr Balakrishnan to contest in a Single Member Constituency (SMC) during the next General Election to directly test his public support.
Red Dot United (RDU) Secretary-General Ravi Philemon also weighed in on the matter.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, he questioned the lack of clarity in Dr Balakrishnan’s explanation, stating, “What he left ambiguous was whether someone else could have accessed his account or if there was a technical or security issue. If so, it is worrying that a minister’s key communication channel with the public can be so easily compromised.”
He added, “If it was his Page Admin who ‘liked’ the post, then it is less serious—but the Minister should just be clear and say so, and explain how he’s improving the engagement protocols on his Facebook page going forward. As it stands, his statement on the 13 March incident is insufficient.”
Philemon emphasised the symbolic weight of such online gestures, saying, “A ‘like’ may seem small—but it signals agreement, or at least alignment. And when that post mocks and dismisses Singaporeans for caring about the suffering in Gaza, it becomes more than just poor taste. It crosses a line—especially for someone in high office.”
The renewed scrutiny also led to references to a prior incident involving Dr Balakrishnan during 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.
The post Vivian Balakrishnan denies liking Calvin Cheng’s inflammatory Facebook post about Gaza appeared first on The Online Citizen.
