SINGAPORE — The evidence against The Real Singapore (TRS), in the crucial issue of racial and religious harmony in Singapore society, leaves Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim in no doubt that the Media Development Authority (MDA) has done the right thing.
And in ordering the shutdown of the TRS website early this month, it was the first time the MDA has made that move, Dr Yaacob noted yesterday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a community event, he said: “Since 1996, we’ve only had 27 interventions. We’ve never shut down a site. We do this very, very carefully.
“But once you cross the line, and in this case, they have, and we have enough evidence to show that all the materials are very egregious and can cause a lot of racial unhappiness, we have to move. I am confident that the MDA has done the right thing.”
Two of the website’s editors have also been charged with publishing seditious articles on TRS and the TRS Facebook page.
The Government is not against the internet, but it is important to preserve racial and religious harmony, stressed Dr Yaacob.
He added: “It is above board, you can see all the evidence we have put forward in terms of the materials in which they have published.”
