What is circulating vs the facts

What is circulating

“The government uses its monopoly over land supply and its immigration policies to deliberately inflate land and HDB flat prices in order to grow the national reserves.”

Claimed by Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Reform Party secretary-general, on Facebook · social media

The facts

The government says state land is sold at fair market value set independently by the Chief Valuer and that BTO flats are priced at a significant discount to resale flats. It says more than 8 in 10 first-timer families collecting BTO keys in 2024 could service their mortgages using CPF with little to no cash outlay. A POFMA Correction Direction was issued in March 2025, his ninth since July 2023.

Fact check: Factually (Government of Singapore) · Fact check: Ministry of Finance Singapore

What is circulating

“White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people."”

Claimed by Karoline Leavitt · official statement

The facts

PolitiFact rated the claim False. Surveys of American Economic Association members found 94% to 95% agree that tariffs reduce general economic welfare, because importers and consumers pay them. Federal spending was $6.4 trillion in fiscal 2024 against $3.3 trillion in imports, so even a 100% tariff could not replace income taxes.

Fact check: PolitiFact

What is circulating

“The Department of Budget and Management released 64.9 percent of the 2025 national budget, or 4.1 trillion pesos, to President Marcos on 31 January 2025.”

Claimed by Facebook pages · social media

The facts

The budget department did report releasing 64.9 percent, or 4.1 trillion pesos, of the 6.3 trillion peso 2025 budget by the end of January. The money went to government departments, agencies and projects, not to the president personally. VERA Files, writing for the Tsek.ph election project, rated the post misleading.

Fact check: Tsek.ph / VERA Files

What is circulating

“A video shows Migrant Worker Protection Minister Abdul Kadir Karding offering Rp3 billion in aid to migrant workers who contact a WhatsApp number.”

Claimed by Social media users · social media

The facts

The original Detik footage shows Karding explaining that his ministry received Rp45 trillion in funding under the Prabowo government. Hive Moderation rated the voice in the circulating video 99.9 percent likely to be AI-generated, and his lip movements did not match the audio.

Fact check: Kompas.com Cek Fakta

What is circulating

“President Prabowo swore in former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) as chairman of the KPK.”

Claimed by Social media users · social media

The facts

The video spliced a 2016 clip of Ahok as Jakarta governor on the phone with photos of him, and showed no swearing-in. KPK leaders for 2024 to 2029 were appointed by Presidential Decree 161/P of 2024, and Ahok was not among them.

Fact check: Kompas.com Cek Fakta

What is circulating

“Prabowo fired National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo in early 2025 over the fatal shooting of a car rental owner.”

Claimed by Social media users · social media

The facts

Listyo remained police chief; the posts relied on a 6 January 2025 YouTube video whose title claimed a dismissal but which only contained opinion. Its thumbnail was a photo from Listyo's swearing-in as police chief on 27 January 2021.

Fact check: Kompas.com Cek Fakta

What is circulating

“President Prabowo has captured Harun Masiku, the former PDI-P politician wanted in a bribery case.”

Claimed by Social media users · social media

The facts

Harun Masiku, named a suspect by the KPK in 2020 over a bribe to secure a DPR seat, remained on the wanted list when the posts spread on 7 January 2025. The KPK was still questioning witnesses about his border crossings on 15 January 2025, and no credible outlet reported his arrest.

Fact check: Kompas.com Cek Fakta

What is circulating

“Leavitt blamed the egg shortage on the "Biden administration and the Department of Agriculture", which she said "directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens."”

Claimed by Karoline Leavitt · official statement

The facts

PolitiFact rated the claim Half True. USDA data show about 108 million egg-laying hens died from bird flu or culling since 2022, and retail egg prices rose from $1.60 a dozen in February 2021 to $4.10 in December 2024. But culling infected flocks was also USDA policy during Trump's first term and the 2015 outbreak, so the policy is not specific to Biden.

Fact check: PolitiFact