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Online Citizen
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Online Citizen
Man charged with damaging PAP posters and harassing volunteers on GE2025 polling day
SINGAPORE: A 57-year-old man was charged in court on 4 July 2025 for damaging election materials belonging to the People's Action Party (PAP) and harassing volunteers during polling night of the 2025 General Election. Seng Guan Heng faces five charges, including mischief, intentional harassment, causing annoyance while drunk, and two counts of using criminal force. According to charge sheets, the alleged incident took place at about 11.20pm on 3 May at an open-air carpark near Block 328, Hougang Avenue 5. Seng is accused of breaking the poles of two PAP flags and damaging five party posters, valued at around S$205. He allegedly directed Hokkien vulgarities at a group of PAP volunteers, pointed his middle finger at them, and pushed two men on their chests during the altercation. Seng also reportedly shouted loudly while intoxicated, causing annoyance to those present at the scene. According to state media CNA, he appeared in court alone on Friday and informed the judge, via a Mandarin interpreter, that he intended to plead guilty. He stated that he needed to travel frequently for work, with scheduled trips to Vietnam and Indonesia. The judge responded that once a person is charged in court, they cannot travel freely without court permission. Such requests require applications and may involve higher bail amounts. The case has been adjourned to August for a further mention. The alleged offences took place in Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC), where PAP candidate Marshall Lim contested against Workers' Party candidate Dennis Tan. Tan, a lawyer, retained his seat in Parliament by winning more than 60 per cent of the vote. Lim secured 37.85 per cent of the vote share. On the night of the election, Lim was delayed in arriving at Bedok Stadium, where PAP supporters were gathered to await results. He cited incidents of vandalism at the PAP's Hougang branch as the reason for his delay. Lim told CNA that he remained at the branch to ensure the safety and well-being of his volunteers. No injuries were reported. 'As the matter is now before the courts, we should let the legal process take its course,' Lim stated. He added, 'Politics can and should involve passionate debate and advocacy, but there is no place for violence in our discourse.' 'Regardless of our political views, we are all fellow Singaporeans. Our differences should inspire meaningful dialogue and a search for common ground.' If convicted of mischief, Seng could face up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. For intentional harassment, the penalty could be up to six months' jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both. Each count of criminal force carries a maximum penalty of three months' jail, a fine of up to S$1,500, or both. Causing annoyance while drunk can result in up to six months' jail, a fine of up to S$1,000, or both, for first-time offenders.
New Paper
27-06-2025
- Politics
- New Paper
PAP leads GE2025 campaign spending with $9.4m, more than double opposition's combined $3.6m
Candidates spent slightly over $13 million at 2025's general election in a bid to garner votes from Singaporeans, with almost half of this going to non-online advertising such as posters and banners. Online advertising made up about 16 per cent of total costs, while political parties spent a combined $1.7 million - or about 13 per cent - on physical rallies, which made a return after being ruled out at the last general election due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The remaining spending went to other costs such as office rental, equipment, supplies and transport. Overall, spending by parties increased by about 42 per cent from the 2020 General Election, where total expenditure was $9.2 million. A total of 211 individuals contested the May 3 polls, and the full list of election expenses was posted on the Elections Department (ELD) website on June 27 for public inspection. The ruling People's Action Party spent the most - $9.4 million in its contests for all 97 seats in the House - against a combined $3.6 million from the 10 opposition parties and two independent candidates. The Workers' Party spent the most out of opposition parties, forking out a total of $1.6 million for its 26 candidates. Next up was the Singapore Democratic Party, which spent $583,440 for its 11 candidates, followed by the Progress Singapore Party, which spent $441,548 for 13 candidates. ELD had earlier released two tranches of election expenses for public inspection online. All parties spent below the limit of $5 per voter, which was raised from $4 at the last election to account for inflation.
Nikkei Asia
24-06-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Singapore seeks stronger China ties amid uncertainty over Trump tariffs
Left, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Chinese Premier Li Qiang commended the "significant progress" made in bilateral projects during a meeting on June 23. (Lawrence Wong's Facebook) DYLAN LOH SINGAPORE -- Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, as part of the city-state's efforts to broaden collaboration with the world's second-largest economy amid ongoing uncertainly over trade talks with the U.S. Wong's five-day tour began on Sunday and marks his first official trip to China since the ruling People's Action Party secured victory in Singapore's general election in May. The visit also comes about a year after Wong was sworn in as the country's new leader, succeeding Lee Hsien Loong, the son of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Business Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Singapore needs to embrace Bitcoin to maintain status as financial hub: Jeremy Tan
[SINGAPORE] Singapore needs to welcome Bitcoin-related businesses to maintain its status as a global financial hub, said retired businessman Jeremy Tan at an event on Wednesday (Jun 11). The 34-year-old rose to prominence last month during the general election as one of just two independent candidates, pulling in 36.16 per cent of the votes in Mountbatten SMC. He lost to the People's Action Party's Gho Sze Kee. During the nine-day campaign and on his election website, Tan promoted Bitcoin as an inflation-proof asset that Singaporeans should have. He also proposed several policies, including the creation of a Singapore dollar-denominated Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). At a fireside chat hosted by cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, Tan said that he believes Singapore will have an advantage in the global economy if the government creates Bitcoin-related laws. 'We need to recognise Bitcoin as a separate entity from other forms of cryptocurrencies,' he told an audience of some 200 people, mostly males in their late teens and early 20s. 'The difference between the previous Bitcoin cycle and the current Bitcoin cycle is that the bad actors are no longer in the market.' BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up He referred to former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried as one of the se 'bad actors'. The American's crypto exchange, FTX, collapsed in 2022, and he is now serving a 25-year sentence for committing fraud; he stole US$8 billion from customers. Saad Ahmed, Asia-Pacific head at Gemini and the host of the fireside chat, pointed out the increasing institutionalisation of cryptocurrency. He said one of the key catalysts of this is the approval of Bitcoin ETFs. As at Thursday, the largest such ETF by market cap, iShares Bitcoin Trust, had a 16.57 per cent year-to-date return. Its market cap stands at US$72.6 billion. Tan said that companies trading Bitcoin earn from the cryptocurrency's volatility, adding that that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should consider investing their reserves in Bitcoin. 'If we can change the way SMEs think about Bitcoin as a treasury, then we can change the way SMEs become more productive going forward.' He also said that there is a growing market for advisory services for SMEs which wish to invest in the cryptocurrency. 'There are many companies here that want to store (their treasury) in Bitcoin, but they do not know how to structure their business to do so,' he said. He added that unless the Singapore government starts to reform its Bitcoin laws, the advisory services industry will not be able to grow.
The Star
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Anti-Trump tide turns tables
THE Trump factor is shaping global politics, one election at a time – just not necessarily to the president's liking. In recent votes in Canada and Australia, centrists revived their fortunes while parties that borrowed from the Maga playbook faltered. Although Donald Trump has been back in power only four months, his policies – from tariffs to upending alliances – have rippled into domestic political battles worldwide. Voters seem to have Trump somewhere on their minds as they head to the polls. Canada and Australia share much in common: a political system, a major mining industry and a sovereign in King Charles III. Now they also share a remarkable political story. Before Trump's inauguration, the centre-left ruling parties in both countries seemed poised to lose power. The front-runners were conservative parties whose leaders flirted with Trumpian politics in style and substance. Yet, within weeks of Trump's return, both political landscapes flipped. The centre-left incumbents surged ahead and went on to win. In both cases, the conservative leaders lost not just the elections but even their own parliamentary seats. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigned on an explicitly anti-Trump message, placing the US president's threats to Canada at the heart of his campaign. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not do so explicitly, but both men benefitted from an anti-Trump bump. Pierre Poilievre, head of Canada's Conservatives, and Peter Dutton, leader of Australia's opposition, struggled to shake off damaging associations with Trump. Dutton backtracked on unpopular Trump-style proposals, such as radically cutting public sector jobs. Poilievre never pivoted away, even after Trump threatened Canada's sovereignty. Charles Edel, Australia chair at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, called Australia's election a 'blowout' partly driven by Trump's implicit intrusion. 'There were enough similarities to the Canadian election to suggest the conservatives' fortunes fell as Trump's tariffs and attacks on America's allies ramped up,' he said. In Canada, some viewed the Australian result as trans-Pacific solidarity. 'Albo Up!' an online meme proclaimed, swapping Albanese's nickname into Carney's anti-Trump slogan: 'Elbows Up!' Carney capitalised on a perception that he would be a steady hand to manage Trump's unpredictable impact on Canada's economy, already hurting from tariffs and uncertainty. His background as an economic policymaker bolstered his image. Across the globe in Singapore, a similar argument for stability also helped the ruling People's Action Party. Last month, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong told his parliament that Singapore would suffer a heavier blow from US tariffs due to its reliance on global trade. Much like Carney, who declared the old Canada-US relationship 'over', Wong issued a stark warning. 'The global conditions that enabled Singapore's success over the past decades may no longer hold,' he said. On May 3, voters returned Wong's party to power – an expected outcome but one seen as strengthened by the party's 'flight to safety' strategy. 'This is another case of the Trump effect,' said Cherian George, an academic who has written on Singaporean politics. 'Deep concern about Trump's trade wars is driving many voters to strongly back the incumbent.' In Germany, the first Western ally to hold a national election after Trump's return, the effect has been less direct but still present. Friedrich Merz, sworn in as Germany's new chancellor on May 6, did not politically benefit from Trump's election the way leaders in Canada and Australia did. However, Trump's confrontations with European allies on defence and trade have helped him since. Merz successfully pushed for suspending spending limits in fiscally conservative Germany, arguing that old certainties about US commitment to mutual defence were gone. 'Do you seriously believe that an American government will agree to continue Nato as before?' he asked lawmakers in March. Meanwhile, the far-right AfD party, embraced by Maga figures and endorsed by Elon Musk, failed to capitalise. Polls suggest its ties to Trump did it no favours. An unpredictable US president can yield unpredictable outcomes abroad, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is learning. Starmer, a centre-left leader who won office before Trump's return, initially won praise for his businesslike dealings with Washington. Unlike Carney, Starmer avoided direct criticism of Trump, seeking common ground and preventing rupture. After a seemingly successful White House visit, even Starmer's political opponents acknowledged his deft handling. At the same time, Nigel Farage – leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party and a close Trump ally – struggled with accusations of sympathising with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yet Starmer soon ran out of steam. He failed to parlay his pleasant US visit into exemptions from tariffs on British goods. Early last month, his Labour Party suffered a significant setback in local and regional elections. It lost 187 council seats and a parliamentary by-election in one of its strongholds. By contrast, Farage's party surged. Reform UK won that by-election, took two mayoralties and made sweeping gains across England. For the first time, it seized control of the lowest tiers of government in several areas. — ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times
