Police report filed over ex-NMP Calvin Cheng’s ‘dangerous' views

SINGAPORE — A police report has been made against former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng for his remarks that seemingly advocated the killing of terrorists’ children “in case they grow up to take revenge”.

The report was filed by Mr Augustin Lee Tze Shih, organising secretary of the opposition People’s Power Party (PPP), on Monday (Dec 14).

The party’s secretary-general, Mr Goh Meng Seng, told TODAY that while the police report was not a “concerted effort on our party’s part”, the PPP regarded Mr Cheng’s views as “dangerous”.

Mr Goh said the party had discussed the remarks made by Mr Cheng.

“Allowing people to incite violence against the innocent children or even the family members of any criminal — I think he is challenging the current system … ,” Mr Goh said. “From a legal point of view, my party believes that this view is dangerous (as) it will set the precedent that will challenge the rule of law.”

“ ... We do not want people to take the law into their own hands; there are reports of people doing that in England and I think we should stop that,” he added.

In a posting on its Facebook page on the police report today (Dec 16), the PPP said the party believes that the “fascist statement made by him (Mr Cheng) has gravely threatened Singapore’s security”.

Alleging that Mr Cheng had committed criminal intimidation and infringed the Internal Security Act, the party cited the case of Ng Chong Guan, who was sentenced to seven months’ jail in September for making verbal death threats to a nurse. The woman had earlier called the police when Ng’s girlfriend left the clinic without paying for her medication. 

Mr Cheng’s controversial comments on killing the children of terrorists were posted on Nov 17. It was in response to a Facebook thread started by Future-Moves group chief executive Devadas Krishnadas about liberalism and security.

Mr Cheng’s views attracted much criticism, and he later clarified on his blog that his comments were not  “hate speech”. 

He added then that he was “hoping to tease out a philosophical discussion about the killing of children (and women) terrorists”, after reading a CNN article about the Islamic State militant group grooming children as terrorists.

Mr Cheng also apologised to the Media Literacy Council, of which he is a member, and the Media Development Authority Singapore.

The council’s chair, Professor Tan Cheng Han, said later that Mr Cheng’s comments were insensitive and inappropriate for a member of the council.

Mr Cheng today declined to comment on the police report.

In response to TODAY’s queries on whether a report had been against Mr Cheng, the police said “reports were lodged and investigations are ongoing”.