Ministry of Home Affairs Rules in place to ensure ministers, MPs declare gifts, financial positions
Dr Chong Ja Ian accepts that foreign interference is a serious problem (Finding the right response to foreign influence, Sept 27). He suggested that elected officials and political parties declare their assets, income, directorships and valuable gifts for themselves and their immediate family members.

There are existing rules which require ministers and MPs to declare all gifts, which then have to be valued and paid for if the recipient wishes to keep them.

In addition, every minister must, upon his or her appointment to office, disclose to the President (through the Prime Minister) his or her sources of income, assets and financial liabilities.

These rules, and laws, have been drafted primarily to prevent corruption, and they have worked well. They will cover monies gratuitously received from foreign sources.

Foreign interference is a separate and distinct danger.

When it takes the form of money transfers to ministers and MPs, it will be covered by the current rules and laws. There are, however, also several other insidious and dangerous forms of foreign interference.

For example, based on the Gerasimov Doctrine, one can work out methodically how the Internet can be used to carry out serious destabilising operations. These operations can be combined with other methods, including using non-government organisations and other organisations. This has happened in several countries around the world.

These are all issues that we have to deal with.

Goh Chour Thong
Director, Media Relations
Community Partnership and Communications Group
Ministry of Home Affairs

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/rules-in-place-to-ensure-ministers-mps-declare-gifts-financial-positions

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