K Shanmugam's Stance on Checks, Balances, and Cabinet Authority in MRHA

During a parliamentary debate, Minister K Shanmugam defended the president’s role in reviewing restraining orders under the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act (MRHA). The act empowers the Minister for Home Affairs to issue restraining orders against individuals whose speech or actions threaten racial harmony. Appeals are reviewed by the Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony, with the president deciding whether to confirm, cancel, or vary the order.
Workers’ Party MP Sylvia Lim and Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai questioned the president’s ability to act as an independent check, given constitutional requirements that the president generally follows Cabinet advice. Lim warned that disagreements between the president and government on racially sensitive matters could risk political polarisation.
The core contradiction lies in the fact that while the MRHA portrays the president as an independent safeguard, the president is often legally required to follow the Cabinet’s advice in other areas.
Shanmugam countered that the system deliberately allows for disagreement as a safeguard. He explained that the president can act independently if the Presidential Council’s recommendations differ from Cabinet advice. By contrast, laws like the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA) do not allow presidential vetoes due to the sensitive nature of intelligence-based decisions.
Shanmugam emphasised that the MRHA’s structure ensures ministerial decisions undergo thorough scrutiny without creating excessive delays. “We are balancing the need for checks with the need for swift action,” he said, describing it as the best approach to safeguard Singapore’s racial harmony.

[@PSLau-x4u]

🎉🎉all Singaporeans must rally and united together for a even more vigorous first world parliament so this all the responsibility of all citizens to vote for more opposition parties candidates into the parliament. ❤❤

[@ongtayjoojames-ow1bs]

Just keep asking him abt the SG$88,000,000.00 B&W GCB @Ridout Road...!!!☝️🤨😡☝️❗❗❗

[@raymondang9351]

i always support Mr Leong.. He is real good.

[@ongtayjoojames-ow1bs]

Just keep asking him abt the SG$88,000,000.00 B&W GCB @Ridout Road...!!!☝️🤨😡☝️❗❗❗

[@wongliangyoung8375]

Mr Leong Mun Wai is good!.👍. Even EP is not fully trusted on fica speaks volumes. I thought the EP was elected by the people?. No?.

[@yiaplengwee5909]

If he is not elected MP next GE, then GEs in Singapore can close shop........

[@leechin2252]

@@yiaplengwee5909 Mr Leong Mun Wai is a 'GREAT WARRIOR and KAMAZAKI PARTY' for sure he'll enter in the Parliament to Voice for PUBLIC.CHEER for Him.

[@seeerr5979]

Yes he is no bullshit straight to the questions to fight for us singaporeans

[@willong4912]

​@yiaplengwee5909 AGREE....

[@peterchew4018]

Agree.

[@deborahmeghan5583]

DO WE NEED SO MUCH TALENT IN SINGAPORE, WE ARE SO SMALL, WE DONT NEED SO MUCH TALENT THAT WILL GIVE US DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Ken-g8p]

He is saying all those appointed are gods that have no mistakes.

[@PhilipP-dh3wr]

This is precisely why it's a brutal MUST to have check n balances in every organisation to ensure accountability .failing which will surely lead to abuse .

[@aliabdulkader3465]

Need to check with other TC cleaners.

[@hstan7497]

Psp Leong and poa deserve to be elected, if PSP removes Tan CB because he's too old. Without Tan, PSP will surely win at least one GRC.

[@markusong6022]

Everything goes very sensitive if pour out😂😂😂

[@avatart183]

We paid KSham $1million/year as minister. i think even if we pay him $100k/year is too much

[@rtfamily7889]

30 k would be great 😂 all gov around the world said they served and helped the citizens 😅😅 shouldn't they make a role? Earned equally = Singaporean mostly average income 😂

[@kennyfrancis6882]

Shanmugum is an utter disgrace to the legal fraternity.

[@ongtayjoojames-ow1bs]

Just keep asking him abt the SG$88,000,000.00 B&W GCB @Ridout Road...!!!☝️🤨😡☝️❗❗❗

[@umu2]

For someone like him. He kinda seems tongue tied in answering in his reply

[@2bystander2]

continued lying will do that to someone eventually😮

[@MyHanck]

How can we ever have credible checks and balances given the demographics we have?

[@luckypat8]

The man on the street says - to understand the checks and balances in Singapore read the book by Jothie Raja "Authoritarian Rule of Law".

[@guruhundal8089]

There are bigger issues facing Singaporeans rather than racial issues. We are facing high and rising costs of living. Lets not propose issues that deviate from fundamental needs of the people

[@tonykiang9052]

I've not seen any instances the EP playing referee yet.. Also what kind of refereeing he was referring to ? Prob not take place at all

[@shazamman8153]

With looming eecession, and imflux of foreign PMETs coming in to compete and take away our jobs, why we keep PAP (Party's Action People)to keep their majority seats in Parliament?

[@LonganLee]

One should not say, because EP has a team of advisors, they wont ever be wong. Thats intellectually childish

[@NoName-qh8rv]

Yes....must keep in pressing! Pui....pap!😊

[@Oldlee-g6r]

If the ep belongs to the same government.....

[@gha9543]

Do not judge me for what I am but what I have done . Judge me for what I have learned and not where I am came from 😂

[@Oldlee-g6r]

Sham: I do not knows of any countries which do these types of things.. CCP may agrees with you.

[@xorion123]

"National interest" is a trend word now after US politicians overly uses it

[@twenisix]

create a deeper state to secure their future

[@Adrian-rz4in]

@0:56 Darryl David fighting the ZZZ monster and it's a tough fight. Nothing of interest to him and it's making him sleepy

[@davidlee2816]

He is a total disgrace. first time see him in parliment because GE coming..after this, he will disappear again for good

[@mj6840]

Centralised control over every damn opinion Playing God again

[@willong4912]

Already lost track on BnW. Balance sheet. What you expect more. Come my friend i buy Parta at Thomson Prata shop😊😊😊

[@kohyianhong8762]

whatever your system most important is you must have honest well-intentioned office hol ders and critically courage like T rump

[@avatart183]

So this small group of EP council is not mandated by citizen except for EP himself?

[@johnysliverhandgrabyouriron]

no one is saying citizen cant be involved, everything have a starting point so the EP council will lead the way. I would like you to join this EP council and contribute as their committee soon.

[@wongon1168]

Check must come from 3rd party, external auditor if not ownself check same da

[@davidbobberdi965]

EP is ex-PAP

[@malaysian18]

Pap is the best government and governance for Singapore.

[@Confidence_and_Fitness]

or accountable to pap king?

[@hotmzc1977]

What is the current government's perspective on Elon Mask exposing grooming gangs in the UK?

[@seeerr5979]

In Summary, again PAP when theres mistake they side track other stories and then gaslight back at Opposition on why they are "starting fire"

[@JacksonWong-pw4zq]

Singapore's najib

[@NoNonsenseFinance]

Doesn't make sense. EP doesn't have power to make decision and MUST follow the recommendation of cabinet and council... then suddenly you flip prata and now President deciding whether to confirm, cancel?

[@wongon1168]

Ep please help

[@johnysliverhandgrabyouriron]

asking the President to handle racial issues, what's wrong with that.

[@alwintoh]

pyramid games host must be very tired.

[@wongon1168]

My British boss tell me anything direct never use THINK

[@wongon1168]

Other country can it be NK?

[@PcleePclee-v7m]

When his reputation is at stake, he is fast to react bt it take yrs for him to react for the kickbacks in his ward.

[@kelyong77ss2013]

The cunning slippery snake is yet to be beaten. No wonder the cunning snake escape many times from being hurt. Only the strong oppositions would finally defeat him eventually.🤜🤜🤜

[@willong4912]

AGREE😊😊😊

[@peterchew4018]

88 no mor an favorite number😢

[@2bystander2]

I hope he will be taken to task for all the evil he initiated throughout his term by someone / somehow

[@kiansoonchai1277]

Well done, Leong WM😂😂😂❤❤❤

[@marvinrobot962]

Somebody so bored nearly fall asleep haha

[@leechin2252]

Snakemugam is losting the Tracks and Panics and become ROJAK answers.lols

[@wongon1168]

They come out with trap again do you agree not agree

[@leechin2252]

@@wongon1168 they wanted more feedback and ideas from opposition and they will gains credits wad a Shameless Pappies better VOTE them out.

[@willong4912]

AGREE😊😊😊

[@JosephMartin-cf2pz]

😂😂😂 🐍doing 🏃‍♂️shuttle run and LMW is the🚶‍♂️PTI 😂😂😂

[@markusong6022]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@zatoichisan4637]

He’s lost or simply not giving a straight answer upon a question is ask.. Can COI be used to get the answer?

[@horologyenthusiast8523]

Ask him what happen to checks and balance at his ward on Foreigners salaries kena Alibaba 😂

[@WTHH2]

Cant even check himself😂😂😂

[@johnysliverhandgrabyouriron]

his black and white bungalow is renovated on his own and bidded on his ownself.

[@dollar1528]

mugan black white bungalow how

[@johnysliverhandgrabyouriron]

he renovate himself and bid on his own, what's wrong with that

[@zhiweidia]

Member of Parliament, Mr Darryl David dozing off during Ms Sylvia's speech. So unprofessional!

[@alvinlye8430]

This is shocking and rude. He would be aware he’s on camera too. Unprofessional and complacent

[@Oldlee-g6r]

Wow once talking about FICA sham face blackened.lol

[@LonganLee]

Roti Planta

[@ray-h5p]

Singapore obviously needed more opposition party members to check on the PAP government. General Election is around the corner. We should remove all those incompetent cabinet ministers especially the ones that were responsible for the skyrocketed HDB prices and increased transport fares namely, Desmond Lee & Chee Hong Tat. HDB flats were initially build for only Singaporeans but now more and more PRs are buying resale HDB flats pushing up prices to a level where some lower income Singapore citizens cannot afford to buy.

[@parshsingh9880]

The moment Shamu stammers you know he is not comfortable.

[@PAPPOP-h8b]

I had been a loyal supporter of PAP ever since Singapore independence. I was bullied emotionally by malay muslims classmates, school teachers & colleagues which caused me pain & mental breakdown yet PAP sided the malay muslims. No justice for me & no punishment for malay muslims!

[@deepone5005]

Fake oppo. What happened to the $33mil suit after LTK got his mouth sealed?

[@Oldlee-g6r]

Who's LTK?

[@deepone5005]

@Oldlee-g6r low thia kiang the Gen Sec of the Workers' party who is rumored to have traded in his horse presumably for a $33mil suit that could have been set up for him. Why no sound no picture now? Whereas the lady seems to have been let off the hook? There gt to be some explaining or else the rumors ll only gather momentum.

[@deepone5005]

If anyone thinks that we have a healthy bona fide 2 party system, he might as well say the sun rises from the West. Even the US doesn't have one. The people there seem to have a choice just like Sinkiapolenes. At least sinkies got 99 Yr public rental flats to pay for... even though they are discriminated in their own country by certain employers from a foreign country in their own homes.

[@Oldlee-g6r]

@deepone5005 retired wat you expect?

[@deepone5005]

@@Oldlee-g6r forced to retire? Ie horse trading, u understand the term, kiddo?

[@hengeechua3705]

The more Shanmu exposes himself, the more he loses his credibility. For a trained and professional lawyer for so long like him, he certainly is not very articulate and his arguments are not very convincing. He is just trying to wiggling away in all his arguments without any substance. He gives us an impression that most of our Ministers are not much of anything and any Singaporean can be a better Minister.

[@johnwong4424]

He is getting old

[@ongtayjoojames-ow1bs]

Just keep asking him abt the SG$88,000,000.00 B&W GCB @Ridout Road...!!!☝️🤨😡☝️❗❗❗

[@dharmakirte7233]

PAP 😮 Piss And Poop 😊

[@lohgalaxy843]

He think he is the king hahaha..and they can change any thing for their own needs...hahaha..

[@lilyli-or3ov]

Who stirred up the racial issue? We're already in racial harmony, who's the idiot who played the racial card again?

[@johnysliverhandgrabyouriron]

Ever since COVID19, the power of Singapore Muslim and Malaysia has been undermine causing a racial tension. Some harm and damage are unseen in naked eye, hence people are speaking up that butter work for food imported from Malaysia are danger from non singapore Muslim.

[@Oldlee-g6r]

Foreigners are of different races. It's a excuse to protect them.

[@FactsPreacher]

CECA and CCP d0gs la obviously……

[@chennathan-w2g]

Shamugam stirred up the racial issue first. Called PSP Leong Mun Wai a racist because of CECA in Parliament. I don't think LMW is a racist for trying to protect jobs for the Chinese, Malays and Indian local workers. The whole bunch of PAP sitting in Parliament are the racist against the local Indian Community. Tharman is an Indian but cannot be Indian PM of Singapore because he is Indian. The PAP also play the racial card in the 2017 PE for Malays only Presidential hopeful.

[@qwertypoet2386]

Leong stirred up the issue of Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) racial framework and the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) in HDB housing. Also, Mr Tharman himself said he did not want to become PM. However now he is the President of SG. After more than 46 years no Malay president so it was reserved in 2017 to ensure that minority presidents are elected from time to time as per under the constitutional change proposed, an election will be reserved for a particular racial group if no one from that group has been president for five continuous terms.