A press release from the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs points out that 2019 amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act and 2021 amendments to the Criminal Law go into effect today. According to the press release:
Key administrative leadership positions in religious groups are to be held only by Singapore Citizens (SC) or Permanent Residents (PR), and the majority of the governing body has to be SCs....
Religious groups must declare single monetary donations of S$10,000 or more from foreign sources...
Religious groups must declare any affiliations to foreign persons or organisations which are in a position of control or power over the local religious group....
... [W]e will introduce the CRI [Community Remedial Initiative], to be offered by the Minister for Home Affairs, as an opportunity for a person to take remedial actions to soothe communal tensions and repair disrupted ties.
(a) Examples of such remedial actions include a public or private apology to the aggrieved parties, or participation in inter-religious events. This will provide an opportunity for the person to make amends to the affected community, and better understand the sensitivities of Singapore’s multi-religious society....
... [A]mendments will update the RO [Restraining Order] regime to enable us to swiftly and effectively respond to offensive online content that might cause widespread harm to religious harmony. The updated RO regime will also allow us to safeguard against foreign influences on our local religious groups that may undermine our religious harmony....
