S’pore should not be used to campaign or raise funds for overseas political purposes
JAKARTA – People visiting, working or living in Singapore should not use the country to campaign or raise funds for political purposes, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The ministry said in a release on Jan 4 that it is aware of recent allegations circulating online that Singapore might be used as a platform for Indonesia’s upcoming presidential elections in February.
This, it added, included claims that there are funds in Singapore meant for supporting certain candidates.
“The Singapore Government takes a clear and strong stand against the importation of politics of other countries into Singapore,” said MHA.
“Persons visiting, working or living in Singapore should not use Singapore to conduct political campaigning or fund raising to further a political agenda overseas.”
The ministry added that it will deal firmly with any individual or group found to be doing so, such as terminating immigration facilities that can include resident, work and visit passes.
Singapore was named as a country involved in supposed schemes to manipulate the 2024 elections, alongside China and the United States, in a YouTube video by the former chair of Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission, Mr Abraham Samad.
The 53-minute video, which premiered on Nov 26, 2023, and has gained more than two million views, shows Mr Abraham talking to businessman and geopolitical analyst Mardigu Wowiek Prasantyo about how various foreign powers are competing for influence in Indonesia’s politics.
The two men discussed, among other things, how a pair of the presidential candidates might have stored large amounts of money in Singapore, which could be used for the elections if necessary. They did not identify who these candidates were.
In December, The Straits Times reported that Indonesia’s anti-money laundering agency PPATK recently detected a significant surge in suspicious fund transfers involving hundreds of millions of dollars, implicating thousands of individuals associated with various political parties.
Among the creative methods of supporting campaigning costs was to use a private equity firm overseas that would pretend to lend money to Jakarta-based companies that use the funds for campaign activities.
More than 204 million people are eligible to vote for Indonesia’s presidential elections on Feb 14.
The three pairs in the upcoming contest are former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, 54, and his running mate, former minister Muhaimin Iskandar, 57; former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, 55, and Chief Security Minister Mahfud MD, 66; and Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, 72, and Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36.
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