The Singapore government is considering taking action against individuals who leaked what was supposed to be confidential details in Singapore's Taylor Swift deal, Edwin Tong said in Parliament on Mar. 4, 2024.
Tong, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said this in response to Nominated Member of Parliament Usha Chandradas who brought up the recent discussion about Singapore's supposed exclusivity deal with American pop star Swift.
Tong said government will take "appropriate measures under advisement"
Noting that the discussion about Singapore's deal with Swift has "struck a nerve" with some of Singapore’s neighbours, Chandradas wanted to know if there was a confidentiality clause in Swift's contract with Singapore, and if so, whether the government will take action against those who breached it.
Tong replied that there was a confidentiality clause included in the contract for Swift's shows in Singapore.
It is for this same reason — business confidentiality — that the government cannot reveal the exact figure of the grant given, Tong said in Parliament on Mar. 4.
However, he emphasised once more that the actual size of the grant is "not anywhere as high as speculated", and that the economic benefits to Singapore "are assessed to be significant and outweigh the size of the grant".
CNA reported that it understood the figure is closer to between US$2 million to US$3 million, or S$2.6 million to S$4 million, in total for all six shows.
On whether the government is taking action against those who breached the confidentiality clause in Swift's contract with Singapore, Tong said they will assess the terms of the contract and will take "appropriate measures under advisement".
What others have said about Singapore's Swift deal
Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin claimed on Feb. 16 that the Singapore government had offered Swift up to S$4 million (US$3 million) in subsidies for each of her six concerts in Singapore, if she agreed not to perform elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Srettha said he heard this from the global concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) on Feb. 12.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) cleared the air in a joint statement on Feb. 20 and said Swift’s shows in Singapore are supported through a grant, but did not mention its amount.
Referring to Srettha's claim about Singapore's supposed deal with Swift, Joey Salceda, a Filipino lawmaker, criticised Singapore on Feb. 28, claiming that in doing so Singapore had "hurt" the Philippines and that is not "what good neighbours do", among others.
Tong revealed to Mothership on Feb. 28 that the actual size of the grant is "not what is being speculated online".
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Top image from @tunku_idris/Instagram and by Lee Wei Lin