More people from M'sia trying to intervene in S'pore politics: K Shanmugam on activist who promoted violent protest here

Singapore has been "increasingly" seeing people from "different parts of Malaysia" wanting to intervene in Singapore politics and policies, said Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.

In a Mar. 28 Facebook post addressing the recent barring of Malaysian lawyer and activist Fadiah Nadwa Fikri from Singapore, he said such foreign interference is "unacceptable" and called it an "absolute no".

Shanmugam added that Fadiah, who had studied at the National University of Singapore (NUS), had encouraged local activists to adopt her brand of "radical advocacy" by inciting them to break the law and use violence.

"When people attempt to interfere in this manner, we will act decisively.

It does not matter whether the instigator is Singaporean, Malaysian, or any other foreign national."

What happened

Fadiah was barred from entry in Singapore for promoting unlawful, violent, and disruptive methods of civil protest, and getting involved in domestic politics here.

On Mar. 22, Fadiah shared that she was "banned" from entering Singapore.

She called it a "stunning" decision because she has stayed in Singapore for five years and was conferred a doctoral degree by NUS.

In a series of retweets, she shared posts by other X users, who linked her denial of entry into Singapore to her views on the conflict in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinians.

But the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a subsequent statement that Fadiah had been denied entry because she encouraged youths to "adopt her brand of radical advocacy".

"She encouraged them to go beyond protests, to mobilise students and different communities in Singapore, and to undertake disruptive and violent actions to support specific causes," MHA said.

"We will not tolerate foreigners getting involved in our domestic politics, nor the promotion of unlawful, violent and disruptive methods of civil protest."

Top image from Fadiah's X and K Shanmugam's Facebook page.