Anti-terror action plan: Involve community, social media influencers in crisis management
Nominated Member of Parliament K Thanaletchimi called on the authorities to encourage workplaces to be better prepared, to have contingency plans or business continuity plans in the event of a terror attack. Photo: Gov.sg
SINGAPORE — Members of Parliament (MPs) have called for more people to play their part to tackle the threat of terrorism, including getting more “first points-of-contacts” to flag radicalised individuals and social-media influencers to be “first responders”.
Some proposed that workplaces be better prepared should there be a terrorist attack here, while others asked for tougher laws to curb hate speech.
These were suggestions raised on Tuesday (Oct 3) by 15 backbenchers, apart from Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam and Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim, in debating a motion filed by MP Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah).
The motion, to fortify Singapore’s resolve to stay united against terror threats, includes the recommendation that the Government invest in multiracialism as the “best socio-weapon to defeat the ills terrorism seeks to sow”.
Noting that terrorism is an “affront” to all regardless of race or religion, multiracialism should be seen as “muscular asset” to counter this threat, Mr de Souza said.
While Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh supported the motion, he also warned that multiracialism should not be “weaponised”.
This would make it a double-edged sword, Associate Professor Goh said, and it would heighten racial thinking, and could cause race consciousness to feed on itself, and lead people to judge each other on the basis of race.
“Multiracialism is only effective for countering extremism when it is not treated as measure and means to counter extremism, but respected as an end in itself — the good that defines the essence of who we are as Singaporeans,” he added.
While multiracialism is the “surest defence against terror”, Non-Constituency MP Leon Perera cautioned against using the “very real danger of a racial strife to reach for authoritarian, heavy-handed solutions at every turn” and called for a balanced approach.
During the five-hour debate, MP Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC) urged the authorities to involve “as many first points-of-contact” as possible to pick up tell-tale signs or potential problems of a radicalised individual.
These can be people from family service centres, social service offices, non-government organisations and voluntary welfare organisations, as families and friends “may not always be impartial or neutral enough” to detect the tell-tale signs, she said.
Noting that social media can unite or divide people in times of crisis, MP Desmond Choo suggested that a group of social-media influencers can be trained to respond quickly to “lead discussions in a productive manner” and help government agencies spread the correct messages to resolve the issue.
Nominated Member of Parliament K Thanaletchimi spoke about better workplace integration and harmony, and also called on the authorities to encourage workplaces to be better prepared, to have contingency plans or business continuity plans in the event of a terror attack.
This could come in the form of an annual drill led by the national SGSecure movement, and ensuring workplaces are prepared to provide first aid, she added.
Noting that the authorities have taken a hands-on approach to foster racial harmony, MP Tan Wu Meng (Jurong GRC) asked the Government to study if newer public housing estates have enough shared common spaces for different races to interact.
MP Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) said that legislative responses to extremism and terrorism should be settled now before any serious acts of terrorism occurs. While Singapore has a sound legal framework, laws to curb hate speech and extremist teachings on social media could be strengthened, to put an obligation on the individual to report someone who is suspected to be a terrorist.
Mr de Souza also mentioned that laws could help facilitate early and pre-emptive action to reduce the possibility of terror threats. At the same time, the system must rehabilitate those who were detained, he added.
