Last Tue (20 Nov), Senior Minister of State for Law Edwin Tong blasted Facebook in Parliament for refusing to remove a post accusing Singapore of corrupt dealings.
He denounced Facebook’s refusal to remove a post by sociopolitical site States Times Review, which alleges Singapore is involved in corrupt dealings in the 1MDB scandal.
The decision, he said, shows Facebook allows itself to be the platform for spreading lies and falsity that “poison and divide societies” as well as encouraging xenophobia and to profit from that.
Despite blasting and denouncing Facebook, and accusing it for being a platform for “spreading lies and falsity”, Tong continues to use Facebook to announce and publicise his own official engagements.
For example, on 20 Nov, the same day that he was about to go to Parliament to denounce Facebook, he posted his previous-day official engagement with some Chinese lawyers from Shaanxi visiting Singapore.
He said, “(I) gave an opening address at the Singapore-Shaanxi lawyers study visit programme on Monday morning where 23 lawyers from six leading law firms in China Shaanxi Province began their one-month attachment with 10 law practices in Singapore as part of a MinLaw’s initiative.”
On 21 Nov, the next day after denouncing Facebook, he posted on Facebook again about a Suzuki Cup football match involving the Lions.
“The Lions scored six times… Quite brilliant,” he wrote. “Many thanks to Minister Grace Fu for coming down support the Lions!”
And on 22 Nov, he posted, “I was so pleased to join over 70 Changi General Hospital staff for Deepavali lunch yesterday. The food was prepared by CGH’s very own kitchen, which served healthy and very tasty Indian dishes – they were fantastic!”
Continuing posting on 23 Nov, he wrote, “Attended SIArb’s 37th Anniversary Dinner last week. Was a good opportunity to catch up with many practitioners, counsel, arbitrators and ex- Judges.”
“On a separate note, glad that SIArb is now being helmed by my old friend, ex-classmate, ex-neighbor and, until recently, my partner at my previous law practice, Dinesh Dhillon,” he added.
It is indeed incomprehensible that a person who condemns a product or service would continue be using it.
