NDR 2022: Be wary of social media messages on Ukraine war with ulterior aims, says PM Lee

SINGAPORE - Singaporeans should be vigilant about messages that are shared on social media and actively guard against hostile foreign influence, regardless of where they originate from, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Speaking during the Mandarin portion of his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 21), PM Lee said information that is shared on social media, such as Facebook and WeChat, as well as messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram, may be perceived as true and credible.

But some of these messages have an ulterior aim of persuading Singaporeans to take sides, or to erode their trust in the Government, he said.

Citing examples, he said there were messages in Chinese and English related to the Ukraine war that try to stir up strong anti-American sentiments.

Others aim to discredit Russia and China, and seek to persuade people to side with the West, he added.

"We need to ask ourselves: Where do these messages come from, and what are their intentions? And are we sure we should share such messages with our friends?

"So please check the facts and do not accept all the information as truths. We must actively guard against hostile foreign influence operations, regardless of where they originate," said PM Lee.

Only then can Singapore's sovereignty and independence be safeguarded, he added.

PM Lee, who was speaking at the Institute of Technical Education headquarters in Ang Mo Kio, said he was heartened that most Singaporeans support the Government's position on the Ukraine war, including Chinese Singaporeans who are active on Chinese-language social media.

The first part of his Mandarin speech was devoted to geopolitical challenges, as the international environment has become more unstable.

He cited the deepening division between the United States and China, and the hostility created between Russia and other countries as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. These have profound implications for Singapore, PM Lee said.

Greater geopolitical rivalry and tension among the major powers in Asia-Pacific could happen, and the possibility of the region experiencing similar conflicts to that of Europe cannot be ruled out, he said.

"Hence, we need to be psychologically prepared and stay united."

He reiterated why Singapore had to take a strong stance against Russia's invasion of Ukraine which started on Feb 24.

Most Singaporeans understood the Government's position, he said, but some have questioned the need to offend Russia, to side with the US, or for Singapore to stick its neck out.

PM Lee said Singapore was not siding with the US and neither was the Republic against Russia.

"But we have to be firm in our position and defend fundamental principles robustly. We cannot be ambiguous about where we stand. We believe the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, big or small, must be respected.

"These principles are existential for all nations, but especially so for a small nation like Singapore," he said.

Singapore has consistently opposed the approach of "might is right", said PM Lee.

"If we do not stand firm and take a clear stand on the Ukraine crisis, should Singapore be invaded one day, no one will speak up for us," he said.

PM Lee outlined how countries such as India, China, Vietnam and Laos abstained when the United Nations voted in March on a resolution deploring Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While the remaining Asean members voted for the resolution, they did not name Russia in their statements.

As the smallest nation in Asean, Singapore's interests and considerations are naturally different from the others, said PM Lee.

"This is why we have not only explicitly condemned Russia's invasion, but also gone further to impose our own targeted sanctions on Russia," he said.

As for Singapore's Chinese community, it is clear about the country's national interests because of a deeper sense of national and cultural identity, said PM Lee.

The strong sense of local identity can be seen in the way home-grown artists infuse local flavours in their works, he said.

PM Lee cited the example of the recent musical Shadow Moon, presented by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, which incorporated xinyao, a genre of Singapore Mandarin songs.

The centre also plans to set up a dedicated unit this year to conduct research on the evolution of Singapore Chinese culture - a move which the Government supports, he added.