US comedian Sammy Obeid has been issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) regarding the social media posts he made regarding his cancelled Singapore show.
“Obeid’s account of protracted back-and-forth interactions with the Government is inaccurate,” said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Monday.
The ministry explained that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) never discussed his script or content with him or his representatives.
“IMDA never requested edits, nor did it suggest removing any material,” MDDI stated. “The cancellation had nothing to do with the event.”
On Aug 27, Obeid announced that his stand-up show on Aug 31 has been cancelled and accused authorities here of trying to censor it.
He told his Instagram followers that he had toned down his script – originally focused on the ongoing war in Gaza – and only referenced Palestine and Israel a few times.
He said his script went through multiple rejections afterwards and was revised a few times until he was allegedly told there was no time for more resubmissions.
‘False claims’
MDDI on Monday said that IMDA was not part of the discussion that took place in videos uploaded by Obeid, also highlighting how these “false claims” can cause “serious misunderstanding”.
This incident may cause an erosion of public trust in IMDA’s licensing role and risk inflaming public sentiment on an already sensitive issue, MDDI pointed out.
“We want to reassure everyone that this case was not about silencing anyone’s voice. Singaporeans will always have channels to express their views reasonably and constructively on Gaza and other important issues,” MDDI said.
Under Pofma, Obeid will be required to carry correction notices alongside his Facebook, Instagram, and X posts published on Aug 27.
He does not need to remove his posts.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com
