GE2020 is an exciting drama that Singaporeans (probably) wouldn’t forget for the next five years.
After all, many hard-hitting issues were raised up, from the 10-million population issue to a non-Chinese Prime Minister.
But one thing that had everyone worrying was, did other countries try to interfere in our elections?
Was giving the opposition more ground our own choice, or manipulation from a foreign country?
Whelp, if you’re a responsible individual who worries about this, you’ll be glad to know that it’s a choice made by Singaporeans for Singapore.
MHA Said There Wasn’t Any Foreign Interference in Recent GE
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA):
No instances of foreign interference were observed in the recent general election.
But, they warned, moving forward, there’s an increased risk of foreign interference in future elections.
They asked for the public to “exercise vigilance”, and get information from trusted news sources.
Also, avoid “spreading unverified information” (read: Fake News).
It’s not just Facebook, Instagram or Twitter that can be used to spread malicious information, a spokesperson for MHA said; online games are also suitable platforms.
Online Games For Social Activists
Social activists in Singapore are always on the lookout for new platforms to spread the message they want other Singaporeans to hear.
And the latest platform found by Singapore’s Kristen Han is Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch.
She used the game to call for the abolishment of the Internal Security Act and supported climate change protesters there.
Hong Kong activities also embedded protest messages within the game.
Conflicting Views On Using Games As Places Of Influence
So if I were to ask you, do you think online games are good places to spread your influence?
Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan says “it cannot be discounted”, especially for the younger generation.
He also calls the activity of influencing people in games as “insidious” since they are engaging the gamers through a mode they enjoy.
Also, with Twitch and live-streaming, some gamers have a huge following. I mean, just look at how Pewdiepie managed to buy a mansion just by playing games.
A professional e-sports gamer, Wong Jeng Yih (or Nutz from Dota 2), however, felt it’s not possible.
Gamers are just influential in gaming-topics, like how to score a Legendary in Mobile Legends.
Any gamer starts talking about politics, he pointed out, and their followers won’t be listening.
Well, whether a suitable platform or not, the authorities aren’t leaving anything to chance.
Which means…new laws.
Authorities Checking if New Laws Are Needed
MHA and the Election Department (ELD) are looking at whether more laws are needed to keep Elections in Singapore as fair as possible.
Currently, they have some rules in place to keep foreign interference away:
- No accepting foreign funding
- Advising all political parties about the dangers of foreign interference (read: Trump)
- Guide them on precautionary measures
They added that they have “technical capabilities and processes in place” to sniff out and enforce the rules.
As for whether you’ll be arrested after talking about a non-Chinese PM in Animal Crossing or Runescape, I guess we’ll have to wait until the enforcement agencies plays the games themselves and decide.
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
