Tan Kin Lian says he joined Chinese Communist Party in jest, gets query from MHA

Singaporean businessman Tan Kin Lian, former presidential candidate and former CEO of NTUC Income, shared an encounter with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after a Facebook post that he said was meant to be in jest.

Tan Kin Lian and CCP post

On Oct. 20, 2024, Tan shared a picture of himself next to a sign that said "Party Member Activity Room" in both English and Chinese.

The sign featured the hammer-and-sickle symbol of communism, which is also used as a symbol of the Chinese Communist Party, the ruling party of China.

The post caption read, "I am now a member of the party in Guizhou."

Guizhou is a province in Southwest China where Tan was presumably visiting while on holiday.

MHA informs Tan

On Dec. 13, Tan shared another post in relation to the Guizhou one.

He said:

I received this notice from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

"Dear Mr Tan,

1. We refer to your public Facebook post dated 20 Oct 2024 with the caption “I am now a member of the party in Guizhou.” (the “Post”). Pursuant to section 108(1) of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021, you are required to provide further information and documents about your relations with foreign principals to the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures."

Tan added:

I gave this reply.

"Dear MHA

The post was made in jest. I am not a member of the communist party of China. I visited the premises of the party as a tourist."

MHA confirms communication

In response to a query from Mothership, MHA said:

"Under section 108 of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021 (FICA), the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures is empowered to request for information from any entity or individual, including to ascertain a Singapore Citizen’s membership in foreign legislatures/foreign political organisations.

The Registrar was made aware of Mr Tan Kin Lian’s Facebook post on 21 Oct 2024, where Mr Tan had commented publicly about his membership in a party in Guizhou, and had requested for more information on this.

The Registrar has received Mr Tan’s reply and will be responding to him separately."

FICA

The Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act of 2021 was introduced in Parliament in Oct. 2021 and passed after a debate that lasted for about 10 hours.

Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam spoke at length in support of the bill, elaborating that subversion of local politics is a serious issue, with the matter made worse with technological advances.

He said that FICA is more calibrated than existing laws (at the time) that afforded powers to the authorities and security services but goes further in its extra-territorial reach, which is necessary for threats in an Internet age that can be spread through global platforms.

Section 108 of the Act relates to the Power to Obtain Information.

108(1) reads:

A competent authority may by written notice require any person (whether in or outside Singapore) to provide, within a period or at intervals specified in the notice, and in such form and manner as may be specified in the notice, all documents or all information or material (or both), for the purposes in subsection (2), such as documents or information or material about all or any of the following:

(a) the membership of the person by individuals who are not citizens of Singapore;

(b) relations with foreign principals;

(c) the provision of voluntary labour, or voluntary professional services, to or for the benefit of the person by individuals who are not citizens of Singapore;

(d) recurrent and capital expenditure for the administration and management of activities undertaken by the person which are directed towards a political end in Singapore.

Therefore, the authorities have the power to obtain such information, whether or not that individual is involved in politics.

Top image from Tan Kin Lian Facebook.