SINGAPORE, Sept 14 — The Sedition Act, which criminalises conduct with seditious tendencies, might soon be repealed, as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it has "limited application” in Singapore yesterday.

A Bill was tabled in Parliament yesterday to repeal the Act, which was introduced in 1938 to address various forms of conduct that could weaken Singapore’s social fabric and undermine its institutions. 

In a statement explaining why it was proposing to repeal the law, MHA said that new laws have been introduced in the years since, which deal with these concerns in a "more targeted and calibrated manner”. 

However, one aspect of the Sedition Act, ensuring social cohesion between different groups within Singapore, continues to be relevant, it added. 

And so, alongside the repeal of this Act, the Bill also proposes to amend the Penal Code to include these laws.

The sedition act

Since 1938, the Act has criminalised conduct that: