SINGAPORE – Assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk was a victim of worsening political divisions within the United States, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, stressing the need for law and order to have proper democratic discourse.  

For such discourse to happen, there must be low crime and trust in institutions, and people must feel safe, said Mr Shanmugam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security. 

He was speaking to the media on Sept 12 at Laguna National Golf Resort Club before attending a charity dinner held by Thye Hua Kuan Moral Charities following

the fatal shooting of Mr Kirk.

The American conservative activist, credited with pulling in the youth vote for US President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, was shot dead on Sept 10 as he was speaking to students and visitors at Utah Valley University. 

Singapore’s approach is zero tolerance for gun violence, drug trafficking, hate speech and inciting violence, as well as being tough on crime, said Mr Shanmugam.

“And our politics is largely operated within the framework where we discuss our differences in a mostly civilised way,” he added.

Mr Shanmugam said what happened to Mr Kirk was horrific, but not surprising as political divisions within the US have been getting worse for some time. 

“Very harsh, toxic language used against political opponents, persons with opposing views,” he said, noting that they are essentially labelled as enemies.

There is also a “winner-take-all mentality without compromises”, a general worsening of public life and easy availability of high-grade weapons, he said, listing factors that have led to the killings of high-profile political activists. 

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