Two weeks after the Government informed it of its intentions, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has been officially designated as a “politically significant person” (PSP).
The move is to mitigate NTUC’s risk of being a target of foreign interference, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
In a press release on Friday (26 July), MHA said NTUC’s status as a PSP took effect on that same day.
Its status was applied under section 47(1) of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021 (FICA) — a law passed in 2021 that seeks to fight against foreign interference in Singapore’s domestic politics.
NTUC is the third organisation here to be designated a PSP, following two human rights groups: Maruah and Think Centre.
NTUC’s status as a PSP means it’s required to make annual disclosures to the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures — an authority appointed by the Minister for Home Affairs under FICA.
Source: Google Maps
These disclosures should be on:
MHA explained:
These transparency requirements will mitigate NTUC’s risk of being a target of foreign interference.
The intention to designate NTUC as a PSP was first served to it on 11 July.
In a statement released on that date, MHA explained that:
The Registrar has assessed that given NTUC’s close nexus and symbiotic relationship with the People’s Action Party (“PAP”), it is in the public interest for countermeasures under FICA to be applied to NTUC.
NTUC was given 14 days from 11 July to submit representations to the Registrar on this move.
However, by 26 July, NTUC had not submitted any representations, MHA said.
Thus, it was issued a notice informing them of its designation as a PSP.
It still has a right to appeal to the Minister for Home Affairs against the Registrar’s decision, similar to other PSPs.
This should be unlikely since NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said NTUC acknowledged the designation without objection, according to an NTUC press release on 26 July.
Mr Ng noted that the decision was “a pre-emptive measure to mitigate foreign interference”, saying,
We support safeguarding Singapore’s sovereignty and will adhere to the requirements under FICA.
He assured the public and NTUC’s partners that its operations and services will continue unabated, and the organisation would “continue championing workers’ interests for better wages, welfare and work prospects”.
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