Yahoo Finance Budget 2019 debate: 'Stark increase' in number of radicalised Singaporeans detected since 2015
Since 2015, 24 radicalised Singaporeans have been detected and dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
“This is a stark increase from the 11 such cases that were detected between 2007 and 2014,” said Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs, in Parliament on Friday (1 March).
Speaking during the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Committee of Supply debate, she noted that the terrorism threat to Singapore “remains high” and that the nation is still an attractive target for terror groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Besides addressing the community’s role in counter-terrorism efforts, she also announced new SGSecure initiatives aimed at strengthening the societal response to the terror threat.
Role of community
“While the overall responsibility for counter-terrorism lies with the Home Team, the community also plays an indispensable role, especially in detecting suspected cases of self-radicalisation,” said Sun.
She added that friends, families and colleagues are “best placed to notice such signs in an individual”.
Sun cited the case of Mohamed Faishal Mohd Razali, who was detained under the ISA in 2018. He had sought to participate in armed violence overseas, and his friends as well as family members had failed to dissuade him.
Someone who knew of Faishal’s plans eventually alerted the authorities, so that he could be prevented from being further radicalised.
“So I encourage the public to report suspected cases as soon as possible. Early reporting not only prevents the commission of violence and loss of lives, it also gives the individual the best possible chance of being rehabilitated,” said Sun.
Religious communities also play a critical role in the counter-terrorism effort, she added. Citing the Religious Rehabilitation Group, Sun said the voluntary group of Islamic scholars and teachers who counsel radicalised individuals and have invested “significant educational efforts to ward off extremist thinking in the general Islamic community”.
More public outreach
Sun also noted how the SGSecure movement has gone from “sensitising the public to the terror threat” to now being more focused on “raising preparedness”.
“Today, three in four Singaporeans are aware of SGSecure. One in two Singaporeans believe that they are well prepared to handle a terror attack on our shores, and almost all Singaporeans believe
that we will stand united in the face of an attack,” she said.
To further these efforts, new SGSecure initiatives will be also rolled out. These will include holding events at condominiums and more public roadshows, and bringing together more stakeholders from various sectors to form part of the Community Response Round Table.
An SGSecure Responders Network will also be formed to mobilise first responders from the community, said Sun.
“Through these new initiatives, we hope to make participation in SGSecure programmes more accessible, and to strengthen our whole-of-society response to the terror threat,” she added.
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