The prime minister and his predecessors from the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) have a track record of successfully suing opposition figures and foreign news outlets for libel. 

Singapore PM suing blogger for defamation says action to protect reputation

Leong and Ngerng were the first to be sued by Lee over comments made online. 

Ngerng said the support he and Leong had received showed most Singaporeans now had little tolerance for PAP leaders’ use of litigation against opponents. 

“It is clear that Singaporeans no longer have the appetite for the use of personal defamation suits as a means to address public interest issues, especially when the application of these suits has become more illogical over the years,” he said. 

The use of libel suits as a tool of “political persecution” increasingly reflected a “widening gap and detachment from the concerns of the general public” among the country’s leaders, Ngerng said. 

“The support for this crowdfunding movement and that of Leong Sze Hian reflects a braver and more confident Singapore populace who want to engage in critical discourse and discussion in Singapore,” he added. 

A Singapore High Court in 2014 issued a summary judgment against Ngerng in Lee’s libel suit against him over a blog post that accused the prime minister of misappropriating state pension funds. 

Ngerng had sought to defend himself but the judge ruled there was “no triable defence against the plaintiff’s claim”. 

The blogger, who had earlier led physical protests over the government’s stewardship of the Central Provident Fund, had admitted that his post was false and without foundation and offered S$5,000 in compensation. Lee rejected the offer. 

Instead, the prime minister’s lawyers reached a deal with Ngerng for the blogger to pay S$100 a month for five years, with the amount increasing to S$1,000 subsequently. The higher amount accounted for about half his current income, Ngerng has said.

Ngerng lost his government hospital job over administrative reasons after the suit was launched and in recent years has lived in Taiwan. He has said job opportunities have been hard to come by in Singapore following Lee’s suit against him. 

The two court cases were closely watched by citizens and took place in a climate of increased dissent against the PAP as critics used social media platforms to take on the top leaders. 

Alongside political opponents, media outlets have also been on the receiving end of legal action. 

Media organisations that have apologised and paid damages to PAP leaders for publishing articles found to be defamatory include the Financial Times, The Economist and Bloomberg.

Rights groups say these actions chill free speech and the action against Leong and Ngerng has previously been criticised by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.