SINGAPORE: The authorities are looking into a case of jobs offered on LinkedIn, supposedly by a branch of the Communist Party of China and its Communist Youth League.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told The Straits Times on Tuesday (Dec 24) that it is aware of the matter and that police reports have been received.
Two job listings had been posted on the online platform on Dec 20 by an account that named itself the Communist Youth League of China.
The Communist Youth League of China (中国共产主义青年团) is the youth wing of the Communist Party of China.
The listings were for a party branch secretary and deputy branch secretary for a supposed Ngee Ann Polytechnic branch of the youth league.
The account that made the listings, and the listings themselves, have since been taken down.
MHA warned that the Singapore Government will not tolerate the importation of the politics of other countries into the Republic.
“Foreigners visiting, studying, working or living in Singapore should not carry out their political agendas or activities here. We will deal firmly with any individual or group found to be doing so,” it said.
A Ngee Ann Polytechnic spokesperson told ST that as an educational institution, it has no affiliations with any political parties.
The polytechnic has reported the job offers to LinkedIn and asked for them to be removed, she said.
The Chinese embassy in Singapore noted that one of the organisations referred to in the job descriptions in the listings does not exist in China (中国共产党青年团).
“The information contained in the two job postings is fake information, clearly untrustworthy and unreliable,” it said.
One of the listings was no longer available to applicants on Dec 21, while the other was also removed on Dec 22.
At 2pm on Dec 21, each listing had showed at least four applicants.
As at Dec 23, the LinkedIn page of the account offering the job listings had also been taken down.
The page had been sparse, with its earliest activity being the two Singapore job listings and a single post put up about a week ago.
Several other listings related to positions in Changsha, the capital of China’s Hunan province, were also seen at one point.
The job descriptions in the listings included promoting the party’s ideology and culture, as well as increasing the overseas outreach and influence of the party.
Individuals would have to provide proof of their party membership to apply.
The job would also require applicants to have at least a bachelor’s degree, with a preference for those with a background in education or management.
Apart from communication skills and a strong team spirit, applicants should also be familiar with Singapore’s education system and the activities of the Chinese community, said the listings before they were removed. - The Straits Times/ANN
