SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been engaging MPs to clarify the provisions of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (Fica) through briefings and by responding to feedback.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said this in Parliament on Feb 6 in response to a question from Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) on what options are available to politically significant persons (PSPs) seeking clarifications on complying with Fica.

Fica empowers the authorities here to deal with foreign interference in domestic politics.

As they are directly involved in Singapore’s political processes, political parties, political office-holders and MPs – including Non-Constituency MPs and Nominated MPs – come under the category of defined PSPs.

This group also includes the Leader of the Opposition, election candidates and their election agents, and central executive committee members of political parties.

People or groups can become designated PSPs if the authorities assess that their activities are directed towards a political end, and that it is in the public interest for the authorities to apply countermeasures.

In her response, Ms Sun said the Government has seen examples of how these threats can be manifested in Singapore and overseas, through actors like journalists and academics.

She said: “Interactions with PSPs, which may at first glance appear normal, can in fact be a vector for foreign interference.”

Ms Sun said that if PSPs are unsure of how to comply with Fica provisions, the normal process would be to get legal advice. They can also refer to the information kit provided by the Registry of Foreign and Political Disclosures.

Fica was passed in Parliament in October 2021 and came into full force in December 2023.

Under the law, defined PSPs must report single donations of $10,000 and cannot receive donations from foreigners.

Defined PSPs must also maintain a separate bank account to receive political donations and cannot accept any volunteer labour or services from foreigners.

Designated PSPs need only disclose political donations and foreign affiliations. However, the authorities can subject them to the same requirements faced by defined PSPs if there is a higher risk of foreign interference.

Fica was invoked for the first time on Feb 2 when businessman Philip Chan Man Ping, 59, was served notice that the authorities intended to designate him as a politically significant person.

As a designated politically significant person, Mr Chan would have to make annual disclosures to the authorities of political donations of $10,000 or more that he has received and accepted, and declare his foreign affiliations and any immigration benefits.

A naturalised Singapore citizen, he was assessed to have shown susceptibility to being influenced by foreign actors, and willingness to advance their interests, said MHA in an earlier statement. MHA did not link Mr Chan to any particular country.

Mr Chan is a real estate investor by profession and president of the Kowloon Club, which helps new immigrants settle into Singapore.

In March 2023, he was invited to attend the annual session of China’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as an observer under the category of an “overseas Chinese representative”.

Mr Chan has called attention to the need to “tell the China story well” in previous interviews and public comments, as well as for people to shed their prejudices towards China.

During a parliamentary debate to pass Fica into law, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam pointed to several examples in recent years of countries trying to subvert other nations, helped by modern technology and communication tools.

He cited a former Australian senator, who in 2017 was found to have received donations from a source with ties to the Chinese government. This former senator then advocated China’s position on the South China Sea.

Mr Shanmugam also highlighted the case of academic Huang Jing in Singapore. In 2017, Dr Huang had his permanent residency cancelled for collaborating with foreign intelligence agents.