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SINGAPORE: The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has refuted suggestions from former party member Daniel Teo that the party “has been infiltrated and financed by foreign sources,” it said Monday (May 4).
Teo, 36, was kicked out by the party last Friday after admitting he was behind a video claiming that 10 PSP members were working with Singapore People’s Party President Jose Raymond and historian Thum Ping Tjin. .
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Reports say some of the people named in the video have made police reports. PSP member Ravi Philemon said in a Facebook post over the weekend that he made a police report and denied the allegations of being “a proxy for foreign powers” on a certain website, without specifying the website to which he was referred.
“I wanted to make sure that these allegations were cleared up once and for all. If there is no evidence, then we could all go ahead,” he told the newspaper. “I had good intentions. I accept that I was expelled and I am not unhappy.”
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In response, the party said: “The content of the video did not point to PSP having received foreign funds and we would like to state categorically that our party’s funds comply with the Political Donations Law.”
He said that Mr. Teo has previously made this accusation to certain members of his Central Executive Committee, but he did not present any evidence.
“Our internal investigations showed no such issues and their allegations were dismissed. We understand that some Party members who have been implicated in the video have made their own police reports and have sought legal advice.”
The Political Donations Act seeks to prevent foreigners from interfering with Singapore’s internal politics by funding candidates and political associations.
Previously, PSP said that one of its members informed him of Teo’s participation in the anonymous video.
“Following the completion of internal investigations, the Singapore Progress Party decided to expel this member,” said a spokesman, adding that he was unable to comment further on the matter until the police investigations are completed.
PSP said Monday that while “it encompasses diversity, there is no tolerance for spoilers.”
“In the future, the party will not hesitate to expel members who do not abide by the party’s responsibility rules. This is in line with the party’s stance and long-term goal to make Singapore a better place for everyone.” , said.
Teo’s expulsion is the second from PSP in recent months. In March the party He expelled a member, Jan Chan, after he made a religiously offensive Facebook post.