SINGAPORE: A blogger was fined S$6,000 after he posted a TikTok video falsely claiming that Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo had made offensive remarks against Malays.
Manmeet Singh Bahadar Singh, 57, pleaded guilty on June 6 to knowingly committing an act that promoted disharmony between different racial groups.
Manmeet had uploaded a video on TikTok on Aug 12, 2024, after receiving a link to a WordPress blog post via WhatsApp from an unknown person.
The blog post claimed that Teo made an offensive remark against Malays when asked about racial progress during an interview with the Chinese media about Singapore’s development since 1965.
Manmeet repeated the blog post’s allegations in his video and told his viewers to “go look it up”.
Manmeet added: “I have been voicing out for, you know, against racial discrimination in Singapore. And look what happened now? My prediction’s right!”
At the end of the video, he also uttered the phrase “bring them down”.
His TikTok account had over 9,000 followers when he uploaded the video, which was online long enough for Teo’s colleagues and a reporter to ask the minister about it.
About four hours after the video was uploaded, Teo informed her press secretary, who downloaded a copy of the video and made a police report.
Suspecting that his claims were false, Manmeet removed the TikTok video later that day. He subsequently posted another video apologising to Teo, admitting that his claims were false.
Teo took to various social media platforms to clarify that the allegations were false.
Manmeet was arrested on Feb 4 and released on bail the next day.
For promoting racial disharmony, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.
In a statement to The Straits Times, Teo said: “Growing up in the 1970s, I have seen for myself how precious – and fragile – racial and religious harmony is in our diverse society. It is why I do not take for granted the many friendships with schoolmates, colleagues and community leaders of different faiths or races.”
She added that the accusation made by Manmeet against her was serious and cast a shadow on these friendships.
“Besides feeling personally hurt, I was concerned about the hurt to my friends if things were not put right,” she said, adding that this was why her press secretary had made a police report.
“With the sentencing passed, I hope to put this episode behind me. Our world threatens to fall apart because of all kinds of hatred and conflicts. I hope this episode reminds us all to be careful not to sow discord but instead to spread peace,” said Teo. - The Straits Times/ANN
