PUBLISHED ONMarch 28, 2026 9:09 AMBYSean LerThe Government will act decisively when it comes across instances of foreigners inciting Singaporeans to break the law and use violence, said Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam on Saturday (March 28).
Shanmugam, who is also Minister for Home Affairs, also reiterated that the Government will not tolerate interference by foreigners in Singapore's politics — a position which it has consistently upheld since independence.
"It is an absolute no. That position has not changed — and it will be firmly enforced," he added.
He was commenting on his Facebook about the case of Malaysian activist Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, who was banned from Singapore.
In his post, Shanmugam pointed out that Fadiah had encouraged local activists in Singapore to adopt her brand of radical advocacy.
"When people attempt to interfere in this manner, we will act decisively.
"It does not matter whether the instigator is Singaporean, Malaysian, or any other foreign national," the minister wrote.
Shanmugam also said the Government is increasingly seeing people from different parts of Malaysian society wanting to intervene in Singapore's politics and policies — ranging from criminal penalties and foreign policy, to the ways in which the Republic organises itself.
The minister's comments come a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement that Fadiah had encouraged students to go beyond protests — to mobilise them and different communities in Singapore and to undertake disruptive and violent action to support specific causes.
Fadiah issued a response to MHA's statement on X on Friday night, claiming that the Government had made "malicious, false, and defamatory" statements.
Among other things, she alleged that the Government has been "actively suppressing voices opposing the genocide in Palestine".
Fadiah also claimed that the Government had raided and prosecuted students and activists, and said "these latest acts of repression are shocking, but not at all surprising".
She added: "By persecuting those who oppose imperialist, genocidal violence, who is Singapore protecting?"
— Fadiah Nadwa 法迪婭·娜德娃 (@FadiahNadwa) March 28, 2026
In November 2023, a month into the Gaza war, Shanmugam said that it was his view that Israel's actions were illegal and oppressive to Palestinians.
Shanmugam repeated the same view on other occasions, such as in April last year.
Other Cabinet members have also similarly described Israel's actions in Palestine as such.
And in October, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed Singapore's support to help the Palestinians in rebuilding Gaza.
"Far too many lives have been lost, and the suffering has been immense", he said.
The following month, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan visited the Palestinian Territories to convey Singapore's commitment to support capacity-building programmes in Palestine.
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