US comedian Sammy Obeid ordered to carry Pofma correction notices on posts alleging censorship
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Comedian Sammy Obeid had alleged in the Aug 27 social media posts that his planned stand-up shows in Singapore were cancelled due to government censorship.
PHOTO: SAMMY OBEID/INSTAGRAM
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SINGAPORE – Lebanese-Palestinian American comedian Sammy Obeid has been ordered to carry correction notices on social media posts he made on Aug 27, alleging that two planned stand-up shows in Singapore were cancelled
The Pofma Office, which administers the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, has been instructed by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo to issue the correction direction under Singapore’s fake news law.
The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said on Sept 1 that Mr Obeid does not have to remove his posts on Facebook, Instagram and X, but will need to carry the correction notices on them so readers have a link to the Government’s clarification.
“The cancellation had nothing to do with content,” the ministry added.
MDDI also responded to Mr Obeid’s latest Instagram post on Aug 31, in which he denied lying.
“We are aware of claims based on the recording of a private conversation. IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority) was not part of that discussion. It never had any discussions – directly or indirectly – with Mr Obeid or his representatives about his script, and certainly never asked for any edits or removals,” MDDI said.
Mr Obeid’s Aug 31 post carried two video clips, with one showing an unidentified person telling him over the phone to remove “anything that has to do with Palestine and Israel”.
“They’ve given us until 3pm today,” the person is heard saying in the other video clip that was posted. This was after Mr Obeid said he would agree to making edits to his script for the Singapore shows.
The comedian did not say in his post when the videos were taken, nor did he identify the person on the phone.
MDDI said it had issued the Pofma order as Mr Obeid’s claims risk causing serious misunderstanding, eroding public trust in IMDA’s licensing role and inflaming public sentiment on the crisis in Gaza, which is already a sensitive issue.
It added: “We know many Singaporeans care deeply about Gaza. We want to reassure everyone that this case was not about silencing anyone’s voice. Singaporeans will always have channels to express their views reasonably and constructively on Gaza and other important issues.”
The authorities have refuted Mr Obeid’s claims that he was made to go through multiple rounds of script editing that included instructions for him to remove mentions of Israel and Palestine, as well as portions related to crowd work.
While he did not name IMDA in his posts, Mr Obeid implied that it was the agency that asked for the edits.
Law Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong on Aug 31 said the comedian’s account of what transpired was “completely fictional”
The comedian’s local representative submitted the application for his shows on Aug 15 – just 10 working days before the performances were meant to be held at Victoria Theatre on Aug 31.
According to IMDA’s website, applications for a licence must be submitted at least 40 working days before the event, and they are usually processed within 20 working days upon receipt of complete information. In Singapore, an arts entertainment licence is required for a wide range of public performances, including theatre, dance, art exhibitions, literary readings and stand-up comedy.
IMDA is the designated authority for this process, and has the power to request alterations to scripts before they are approved.
MDDI on Sept 1 reiterated IMDA’s timeline of events. It noted that Mr Obeid’s assistant had asked the authority about application timelines on July 8, and was told on July 9 that applications must be submitted 40 working days in advance via a local representative.
After Mr Obeid’s local agent submitted his application on Aug 15, IMDA rejected it on Aug 19. The agent appealed on Aug 20. This was also rejected on Aug 25.
An IMDA spokesperson also said on Aug 31 that the local agent claimed to have e-mails and recordings showing that she had repeatedly reminded Mr Obeid that the application was late and that no script edits were required.
Neither Mr Obeid nor the authorities have disclosed who the local agent was. It also remains unclear why Mr Obeid had submitted a script, when stand-up comedy performances are categorised as unscripted under IMDA’s framework.
Mr Obeid had been booked for two shows in the 614-seat Victoria Theatre at 6pm and 8.30pm on Aug 31 as part of an Asia tour and had apparently sold more than 1,000 tickets. After the shows here were cancelled, Singapore ticket holders were informed that they could exchange their tickets for tickets elsewhere.
While Mr Obeid can appeal against the Pofma order, he must comply with it in the interim. Failing to do so without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence that carries a fine of up to $20,000, jail for up to a year, or both.
The Pofma Office can also issue directions to the relevant social media platforms to carry the correction notice for all their Singapore users. It also has powers to order the removal of the offending posts or block access to them.
