SINGAPORE: Reform Party leader Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been handed a fourth correction order in just over a month, over comments he made about the National Day Rally package disbursements, manpower statistics and the Ridout Road rentals, among other issues.
Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong instructed that the correction direction be issued to Mr Jeyaretnam under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), the Ministry of Law said on Wednesday (Aug 30).
In his comments posted on Facebook, X (formally known as Twitter) and LinkedIn, dated Aug 21, Mr Jeyaretnam said that the government does not expect to fully disburse to the intended beneficiaries the money set aside for funds to support the Majulah Package, Pioneer Generation Package, and Merdeka Generation Package disbursements.
A statement on the government’s fact-checking website Factually said that this was untrue.
It said that the government has set aside the money for the funds to meet the important long-term spending commitment towards the different packages so that it will be funded without burdening future generations.
“The Government projects and has always remained committed to the full disbursement of the moneys in the funds towards the Packages.”
“The moneys set aside therefore entail real spending to support the packages,” it added.
MANPOWER STATISTICS
In addition, Mr Jeyaretnam’s article also suggested that if a person is a full-time student that person will be considered employed in Singapore’s manpower statistics.
This is false, said the Factually statement.
It added that a full-time student will be considered employed only if the person is working while studying.
Mr Jeyaretnam also suggested that the recent Labour Force Participation Rate for Singapore citizens was below 50 per cent.
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)’s Comprehensive Labour Force survey, the Labour Force Participation rate for Singapore citizens was above 50 per cent for the past five years.
The participation rate was 68.3 per cent in 2022 and 69 per cent the year before.
The statement also clarified that the Ministry of Manpower does not break down resident labour statistics into Singapore citizens and permanent residents, as Singapore citizens make up a large majority of the resident labour force.
Under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), Mr Jeyaretnam will be required to carry a correction notice on his Facebook, X and LinkedIn accounts, which state that the article and posts contain false statements of fact, and include a link to the government’s clarification.