The Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue a Correction Direction to TikTok user @dr.ishhaq.jay and a Targeted Correction Direction to TikTok in relation to a TikTok video posted on Jul. 17 by the said user.

TikTok user issued with correction order

In the TikTok post, the user falsely claimed that the government can trace who a voter has voted for in order to penalise the voter based on his or her vote.

As a result, the user @dr.ishhaq.jay will have to create a new TikTok post containing a correction notice to state that the TikTok post on Jul. 17 contains a false statement. The correction video is also required to provide a link to the government’s clarification.

Social media company TikTok will also be required to communicate a correction notice to all end-users in Singapore that had accessed the TikTok post that contains false statement, the POFMA office said.

Your vote is a secret

According to the government fact-checking site Factually, the Parliamentary Elections Act 1954, and the equivalent provisions of its predecessor Acts, provide for voting secrecy.

The government, including the Elections Department, has complied strictly with the statutory procedures and obligations relating to voting secrecy, as a matter of policy and practice, Factually wrote.

For example, all personnel at the polling stations or at the counting of votes have to make an oath of secrecy.

For votes cast in person at polling stations, there is no break in the chain of custody of ballot papers transported from the polling stations to the counting centres, and from the counting centres to the Supreme Court.

Furthermore, the ballot papers would be sealed before they are retained in safe custody at the Supreme Court for six months and subsequently destroyed.

This process is transparent and open to observation by candidates and their agents.

Why there's a serial number on the ballot paper

The serial number on the ballot paper is meant to safeguard against counterfeiting and voter impersonation, Factually explained.

The voter serial number written on the ballot paper counterfoil serves to facilitate vote tracing if necessary.

This is only allowed if there is an order from the Court when there is enough evidence that the votes have been fraudulently cast and the result of election is affected.

Top image via TikTok