Vetting Process for Potential Grassroots Leaders, Key Appointment Holders and Patrons for Susceptibility to Foreign Influence

5 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how are potential grassroots leaders, key appointment holders and patrons vetted to ensure they are not susceptible to foreign influence; (b) whether there are regular review processes in place after appointment to identify and address potential vulnerabilities; (c) whether citizens born or educated outside Singapore are subject to more stringent vetting criteria; and (d) how are grassroots members empowered to critically evaluate information and resist undue foreign influence, especially from social media.

The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Mr Speaker, Sir, an important part of the People's Association (PA)'s mission is to foster social cohesion and racial harmony and build a strong and resilient community. To achieve this, grassroots leaders, or GRLs, volunteer with PA, to help PA with its mission. GRLs come from all walks of life, representing a diverse cross section of our society. They volunteer their time, effort and resources to serve Singaporeans and make Singapore a better home for all.

GRLs also help the Government communicate policies to residents and receive feedback. This helps Singapore's interests. To fulfil this role, it is important that GRLs can discern information from misinformation and are able to critically evaluate information that they receive, including from social media sources. PA supports GRLs in this role by regularly sharing key information on Government policies, with regular dialogues, both formal as well as informal, held with GRLs on national and local issues. This also includes open discussions at regular Grassroots Organisations (GRO) meetings so that GRLs better understand the intent of various Government initiatives. In addition, the National Community Leadership Institute, or NACLI, conducts workshops to equip GRLs with the knowledge and skills to identify and manage misinformation.

As leaders in the community, GRLs are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that befits their standing and role in the community, and also to act in Singapore's interests.

There are sound processes and due diligence in place when appointing and re-appointing GRLs, regardless of their background, to ensure that they are able to carry out the above duties. We constantly review the appointment system to ensure that there is sufficient rigour.

For instance, before GRLs join GROs and are appointed to leadership positions, they first serve as observers for a period of time. This is an opportunity for them to be given direct and hands-on exposure to grassroots work, but also an opportunity for PA to observe them and assess their suitability for appointment into GROs as full-fledged GRLs.

Sir, we endeavour to make the best judgment of a person before deciding to appoint him or her as a GRL, with the appointment and vetting processes in place. But even the most rigorous checks cannot preclude the possibility of the person subsequently behaving in an unbefitting manner or discovering a hitherto unknown fact or circumstance. Where such facts are brought to PA's attention, we will take immediate action to reassess the person's suitability to continue as a GRL and revoke the GRL appointment if necessary.

Mr Speaker: Mr Yip.

Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister for his reply. Indeed, our GRLs in the community, play critical roles in community engagement and facilitating better Government to citizen communications.

I just have two short supplementary questions. How often are the regular review processes conducted after GRLs are appointed and does this review include an assessment of the susceptibility to foreign influence?

Second, I want to check whether there are avenues or agencies that GRLs can seek advice, in the event that they are approached by individuals or organisations or encounter situations where there may be attempts at influence.

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Sir, on the first question, we review the process regularly. We look at it periodically to assess whether or not the system that we have in place remains rigorous, given the evolving circumstances on the ground. For example, with the proliferation of social media a few years ago, we looked at that as an additional factor. We also look at the local ground conditions. What are some of the organisations that the GROs partner with, in fulfilling their mission or conducting their events. So, it is on a regular basis.

The point, really, also is to not just focus on the systemic reviews and the processes that we look at regularly, but also to apply a common sense approach. When you assess an individual, when you get wind of, perhaps, a person becoming too close or unnaturally closer to one or more organisations, then, I think that you can surface it.

Which segues into the second question on what are the avenues. Bring it up to senior GRLs. There are now grassroots' mentors that we appoint. These are senior, more experienced GRLs who have since retired from their position. They are deployed in various constituencies and serve the constituency as a resource person and more from a mentor perspective, to cast a broader view with their experience. And of course, there are also the grassroots' advisor and other organisations to whom you can raise any particular observations or concerns.

Mr Speaker: Mr Leong Mun Wai.

Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Speaker, I have one question for the Minister. Do Permanent Residents (PRs) and foreigners participate in our grassroot activities and are any of them in leadership positions?

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Sir, I think this is the subject of a question that has been answered in writing, so I refer Mr Leong to it. The short answer is PRs and non-citizens, they are welcome to take part in events. They make up a part of the Singaporean society, so they are present in the events. A proportion of the PRs do take up leadership positions as GRLs, but not foreigners.