Goh Meng Seng issued POFMA order over Facebook posts linking Lum Kok Seng with Iswaran and LTA

SINGAPORE: A correction direction was issued to opposition politician Goh Meng Seng on Wednesday (Mar 27) over a false claim he made in two Facebook posts on links between Mr Lum Kok Seng, S Iswaran and the Land Transport Authority (LTA). 

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office to issue the order to Mr Goh, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said in a media release. LTA is a statutory board under the ministry.

In the posts published on the Goh Meng Seng and Goh Meng Seng People’s Power Party Facebook pages on Tuesday evening, Mr Goh alleged that a company belonging to Mr Lum was awarded a “huge contract” by LTA while Iswaran was the Minister for Transport. The two posts had the same wording.

MOT said this claim was false.

“Mr S Iswaran was appointed as Minister for Transport from May 15, 2021, to Jan 17, 2024,” the ministry said.

“Throughout this period, LTA did not award any contract to any of Mr David Lum Kok Seng’s companies.” 

One of Mr Lum’s companies, Lum Chang Building Contractors, has two ongoing projects with LTA – addition and alteration works to Tanah Merah MRT station and its existing viaducts, and the construction of the North-South Corridor tunnel between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9. 

However, the contracts for these projects were awarded in October 2016 and December 2018 respectively, before Iswaran became Transport Minister, said MOT.

The ministry added that LTA has not awarded any contracts to Lum Chang Building Contractors since 2019.

Each page was required to carry a correction notice stating that their post making the claim contained falsehoods.

As of 11.40pm on Wednesday, both posts had been amended to include such a notice.

On Monday, Iswaran was handed eight new charges, bringing the total number of charges he faces to 35.

In the latest charges, he is accused of obtaining valuable items – reportedly worth S$18,956.94 (US$14,080) in total – from Mr Lum.