We have seen how POFMA (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) does not resolve the issue of fake news and has been abused by the authorities to shut down alternative views that are of important public interests whether it be public health or civil rights. We have seen how The Online Citizen, one of the few remaining independent media, being shut down, resulting in the loss of a major source of alternative voices. 

This new bill, called the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, FICA in short, if passed in parliament, will likely be abused and further restrict our access to information that are of public interest, and further reduce the platforms that the public can take part in to gain understanding of what's going in the society and make their concerns heard. 

Succeeding POFMA, FICA is going to confer even more rights to the ministers, where the ministers can exercise their powers based only on their suspicions. They don't even have to provide concrete evidence. 

It is a large bill that spans 249 pages that is scheduled for a second reading in the next parliamentary sitting after its first reading on 13th Sept 2021. This will surely not provide sufficient time for Members of Parliament to thoroughly read through its content and contemplate its scope and impact. A lot of its wordings are so vague that anyone can be deemed as being under foreignly influenced. 

Let's not forget that local blogger Leong Sze Hian was sued for defamation by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong just by sharing an article from a foreign news website without any comments. Could we, one day, end up being labelled as foreign affiliated when we communicate with our friends and family members abroad? 

As society becomes more complex, more voices need to be heard for us to make the right decisions that benefit most people, not just the ruling elites. 

Sign this petition now. Let us not pass another sinister bill hastily without a comprehensive debate. Do not let history repeats.