Speaking at a forum organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former puppet president Tony Tan called for Singaporeans to unite behind the dictatorship government. The trusted crony of Lee Hsien Loong claimed that the PAP government is always working for national interests:
“Attempts may be made by external forces to divide Singapore along racial and religious fault lines. In the face of such attempts to manipulate sentiments, the ties that bind Singaporeans as one people are vital. At the end of the day, a successful foreign policy also requires strong domestic support at home. Notwithstanding any differences we may have internally, we have to close ranks and stand firm on issues that have significant impact on Singapore’s national interests.”
Tony Tan, who was recently appointed as director and special advisor to GIC, also denounced foreign news and commentary labeling them as “fake news”, and said that Singaporeans can only trust the local commentary written by 154th-ranking Singapore media:
“There is one major threat to Singapore’s domestic and foreign policy: the spread of fake news and misinformation. Big and small states realise they can use misinformation to undermine the will of nations they have problems with. And smaller players can manipulate social media to do this at little cost. The technique is new but the goal is age-old. They seek to divide a country against itself.”
The disgraced former president who had the lowest winning popular votes at 35.2%, also added that Singaporeans should not trust foreign news easily:
“Singaporeans should not take information at face value. The next time you read a foreign policy commentary or op-ed, ask yourself who stands to benefit from the proposed course of action. Singaporeans also need to be well-informed and understand not just a diversity of views but also the trade-offs that come with each policy position.”