A correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) has been issued to Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The POFMA correction direction pertained to a post that Lee Hsien Yang had put up on Jul. 23 about Ridout Road and SPH Media Trust, and was issued by Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong.

The falsehoods about Ridout Road

SLA and the payment for renovations

According to the Ministry of Law, Lee Hsien Yang's post wrote that the state had paid for the renovations at 26 and 31 Ridout Road because the properties were leased by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

In adding that this is untrue, the ministry said the identity of the tenants had no bearing on the decision on the works to be carried out on the properties.

The Ministry of Law also highlighted that the post omitted information about how the works done were in accordance with Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) practice, and were assessed to be necessary in the circumstances.

The ministry added that SLA has spent similar, or even larger, amounts on other black and white bungalows, consistent with conservation requirements.

Most of the costs incurred for 26 Ridout Road and 31 Ridout Road were for works that external consultants determined were necessary, in light of the condition of the properties and to comply with the relevant conservation requirements, the ministry stated.

In addition, the remaining costs were incurred as part of the usual works done before the start of a tenancy to ensure that the property is habitable.

The tenants and the trees

The ministry also noted that the post had made a statement about the trees at 26 and 31 Ridout Road were allowed to be felled on account of the tenants' identities.

The ministry said this was also untrue and added that the tenants' identity had no bearing on the felling of the trees.

It also highlighted that all decisions to fell trees with a girth size of more than 1m were made following inspections by independent arborists, and safety issues were identified.

Where approval was required for any trees to be felled, such approval was obtained from the National Parks Board (NParks), the ministry added.

On SPH Media Trust and inflated circulation numbers

The ministry also rebutted the post's statement that SPH Media Trust had fraudulently inflated its circulation numbers.

In explaining why this was untrue, the ministry said the overstatement of circulation numbers happened when the media business was under SPH Limited – a listed company.

This was before SMT was incorporated.

The ministry added that when SMT took over SPH Limited’s media business, it discovered, reported, and investigated the circulation issue.

The government’s funding agreement to build up public service media capabilities was also signed with SMT, and not SPH Limited.

The ministry also elaborated that the funding quantum was based on SMT’s transformation needs, and not the circulation numbers.

Top screenshot via Lee Hsien Yang/Facebook