SINGAPORE, Sept. 23 -- Singapore came "dangerously close" to racial and religious politics during its 2025 General Election, the country's Health Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Ong Ye Kung has warned.

Speaking in Parliament today during the debate on the President's Address, Ong said Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had personally intervened during the campaign to prevent the election from sliding into divisive territory.

"If things had played out differently, there would have been dire and lasting implications for the unity, harmony and the very fabric of Singaporean society," he said, as reported by Singapore-based media organisation CNA.

Ong blamed the threat in part on populism, noting that it often th...