Pofma correction order for blogger Leong Sze Hian over post on housing grants

Blogger and financial adviser Leong Sze Hian has been issued a correction directive by the Government under Singapore’s fake news law over false statements he made on housing grants.

Mr Leong had stated in a Facebook post on Aug 21 that there is no means testing for grants given for the purchase of resale Housing Board flats.

He said: “Why are we giving more help to arguably, richer people, to buy more expensive resale flats, relative to poorer people who may only be able to afford BTO (Build-To-Order) flats?”

His statement on housing grants for eligible first-time home buyers of resale flats is false and misleading, said the Ministry of National Development (MND) in a statement on Aug 26.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee had instructed the Pofma (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act) Office to issue a correction direction for this post, it added.

This means Mr Leong will be required to insert a notice against his original post, with a link to the Government’s clarification.

MND said: “Mr Leong claims that no income means test is applicable to HDB grants for resale flats. This statement is false.”

HDB’s resale grants for families who are first-time buyers comprise the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG), CPF Housing Grant (CPF HG) and Proximity Housing Grant.

Both the EHG and the CPF HG are means-tested, MND said.

The EHG is progressively tiered so that lower-income buyers receive more support.

“This will ensure that those in need will receive more help. With the recent enhancements, first-timer families can receive up to $120,000,” the ministry said.

Only eligible first-time home buyers of resale flats with monthly household income not exceeding $14,000 qualify for the CPF HG, and they may receive $80,000 if buying a two-room to four-room resale flat, or $50,000 if buying a five-room or bigger resale flat, it added.

MND said: “HDB’s housing grants provide direct and targeted support to first-time home buyers to afford their homes, with more support for lower- to middle-income households.”

The public can refer to the article “Corrections regarding Means-testing of HDB Resale Grants in Facebook post by Mr Leong Sze Hian on 21 Aug 2024” on Factually – the government website for debunking disinformation – for the facts of the case, it said.

In 2019, Mr Leong was sued by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for sharing an article from Malaysian news site The Coverage on his Facebook page, which falsely linked Mr Lee to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad corruption scandal.

In 2021, he paid Mr Lee $262,327.22 for defamation, after raising the amount through crowdfunding. The amount comprised $133,000 that High Court Judge Aedit Abdullah had ordered Mr Leong to pay in damages, including aggravated damages, and a further $129,327.22 in costs.

Source: Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Permission required for reproduction.

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