“S’pore Politics is Reserved Only for S’poreans” MCI Warns The Economist’s S’pore Chief, Dominic Ziegler

Dominic Ziegler & JOM

Local online publication Jom has recently come under fire for interfering in Singapore’s domestic politics.

If you’ve never heard of Jom, no worries—I’ll give you the scoop.

Jom got in trouble earlier for an article they published in July, which raised questions about two Cabinet ministers renting the bungalows along Rideout Road. They were issued with a Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction upon the release of the article.

This time, though, it’s not just POFMA; it’s also about a warning issued to Dominic Ziegler, the chief of The Economist in Singapore.

Well, what did he do, and how is he related to Jom?

MCI Warns the Economist’s S’pore Chief to Not Interfere With Domestic Politics

Dominic Ziegler, senior Asia correspondent and bureau chief for The Economist in Singapore, has been warned by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) for establishing interference in Singapore’s domestic politics.

The MCI has made it clear to Ziegler that they don’t want him meddling with Singapore’s politics again, emphasising that he has crossed the line as he went beyond reporting and got involved in the country’s affairs. 

Ziegler had publicly endorsed Jom on 25 August, as reported by MCI.

“He compared Singapore to an illiberal state and encouraged Singaporeans to embrace an alternative vision, instead of what was being offered by the state and an allegedly captive media,” the ministry said.

Ziegler writes for The Economist’s Banyan column, covering Asian politics and culture.

MCI said Ziegler had exploited his status in Singapore as a journalist in a prestigious international publication to push his views to Singaporeans on domestic politics.

If you haven’t been living in Singapore for long, that’s a no-no according to Singaporean government policy, which doesn’t tolerate foreign interference in their politics. 

The ministry made it clear, saying, “Singapore politics is reserved only for Singaporeans.”

The MCI also clarified that foreign correspondents can still report and comment on Singapore for a global audience like Ziegler has done regularly. 

In a Banyan column in May, Ziegler announced to the readers of The Economist that he had moved to Singapore from Hong Kong. However, given the events of this saga, it remains uncertain whether he will choose to maintain his base here.

MCI added that it continues to welcome foreign correspondents and media outlets operating out of and reporting on Singapore, including The Economist, as long as they follow our laws and stay out of domestic politics.

Local Online Publication, Jom, Also POFMA-ed Over Rideout Road Article

Launched in August 2022, Jom is a weekly online magazine in Singapore whose co-founders are Charmaine Poh, Tsen-Waye Tay and Sudhir Vadaketh.

Its website claims not to be affiliated with any party, corporate interest, or organisation.

They got hit with a POFMA correction, too, for an article that claimed Minister Teo Chee Hean didn’t address specific issues and said the government had a hand in blocking a post by lawyer Charles Yeo on Instagram.

The authorities said that Jom left out essential details from Minister Teo’s statements in Parliament and that the government did not issue any directions or requests to Meta, Instagram’s parent company, that led to the geo-blocking of Yeo’s post.

Jom’s POFMA correction revolved around a “weekly digest” they published on 7 July, which made some inaccurate statements about the rental of the Ridout Road bungalows. 

These claims emerged after it was revealed that Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan rented bungalows at 26 and 31 Ridout Road. Jom claimed over $1 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on renovations, which was a false claim.