14 political parties asked for proof of existence have yet to comply with foreign interference law: MHA

SINGAPORE – Fourteen dormant political parties have been asked to provide proof of continued existence as they have not met their reporting obligations under Singapore’s foreign interference law, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times on what prompted the Registry of Societies (ROS) to seek such proof via an Aug 7 notice in the Government Gazette, MHA said on Aug 12 the political parties have not complied with

the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (Fica)

, possibly because they have ceased to exist.

“ROS has therefore commenced the cessation process under the Societies Act by publishing in the Gazette a notification calling upon the (political parties) to furnish ROS with proof of (their) existence,” said an MHA spokesperson.

“If there is new information that they continue to exist, the Registry of Foreign and Political Disclosures (RFPD) will follow up with the political (parties) accordingly on their reporting obligations.”

ROS and RFPD are units under MHA, with RFPD in charge of administering reporting requirements under Fica.

Under Fica, all political parties here are categorised as defined politically significant persons, and have to meet annual requirements related to donations, volunteers, leadership and affiliations.

For instance, they have to report single donations of $10,000 or more, and are prohibited from receiving donations from foreigners. Individuals also need to disclose whether they have been granted migration benefits, such as honorary citizenship or permanent residency, by foreign governments.

The 14 political parties listed in the Gazette notice

include Barisan Sosialis, once Singapore’s largest opposition party, which was registered in August 1961, and the United People’s Party, founded by former People’s Action Party leader Ong Eng Guan in July 1961.

The only party on the list registered post-2000s was the People’s Liberal Democratic Party, registered by former independent candidate Ooi Boon Ewe on May 2, 2006.

MHA said on Aug 12 that the RFPD has been unable to contact the 14 political parties.

A list of all the registered societies in Singapore is published annually in the Gazette, and in the latest one published on July 11, some of the 14 political parties have outdated registered addresses. For instance, the registered address given for Barisan Sosialis is 436C Victoria Street, while that of the Persatuan Melayu Singapura is Istana Kampong Gelam Sultan Gate.

ST reported in 1984 that the Barisan was losing its party headquarters, as the Victoria Street premises it had rented for 23 years had been acquired by the Government.

The two-storey building, then owned by the Malayan Finance Corporation (Singapore), was among property that had been acquired to make room for an MRT station and to turn Victoria Street into a dual carriageway.

The Istana Kampong Gelam was in 2004 preserved as the Malay Heritage Centre. The former seat of Malay royalty in Singapore was gazetted as a national monument on Aug 6, 2015, just before Singapore’s Golden Jubilee.

On criteria used to assess whether a society is active, MHA said ROS looks at a range of indicators. 

“This includes whether the society has submitted their annual returns as required under the Societies Act, and whether there were any other applications or communication between the society and ROS in recent years,” it said.

Under Section 6(1) of the Societies Act, ROS can publish a notification in the Gazette calling upon a society to furnish proof of its existence within three months.

Following this period, the registrar can publish another notice in the Gazette to consider the society as defunct if he is satisfied that the society has ceased to exist.