SDP promises to correct article misrepresenting AGC's stance

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has promised to correct an article that mischaracterises the Attorney-General's Chambers' (AGC) position on ongoing legal proceedings under the fake news law.

The AGC gave this update in a statement yesterday, after it attended a hearing with the SDP earlier in the day over the party's article last Saturday, titled Whether A Statement Is True Or False Cannot Be "Based On The Minister's Interpretation".

The article, which is about ongoing proceedings regarding corrections issued by the Manpower Minister against the SDP, "falsely suggested that it is the AGC's case that the Minister's interpretation of a subject statement is determinative of its meaning under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma)", the AGC said.

Adding that this was incorrect, the AGC said its position is that the courts ultimately determine whether a statement "bears the particular meaning relied on by the Minister" when he issues a correction direction.

Justice Ang Cheng Hock, who presided over the hearing, reminded the SDP to ensure all its statements relating to ongoing proceedings under Pofma were accurate.

The AGC's statement added that the SDP had undertaken to make the necessary corrections to the article by the close of business yesterday.

"The AGC expects the SDP to honour its undertaking and to refrain from further mischaracterising the Government's position in these proceedings as per the Court's reminder," it said.

Checks on the SDP's website and Facebook page show that the party had not done so as of 9pm.

The Straits Times contacted the SDP for comment but it did not reply to queries by press time.

The AGC had requested the hearing on Monday, after the SDP published the article, which cited a Straits Times piece quoting Deputy Attorney-General Hri Kumar Nair.

It said the piece omitted "critical parts" of what Mr Nair had told reporters after the hearing and accused the SDP of cherry-picking from the ST piece.

In its response on Monday, the SDP denied misrepresenting what Mr Nair had said.

It added: "The SDP does not believe that this is (the) end of the matter under the Act... The fact that we've taken the matter to court makes clear our stand that the Government does not have a final say in the matter."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 24, 2020, with the headline SDP promises to correct article misrepresenting AGC's stance. Subscribe