Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh speaking in parliament on Jan 14, 2026. - Photo: CNA
SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh rejected a motion on Wednesday (Jan 14) for Parliament to decide on his suitability for the role, and said his “conscience will always be clear” with regards to his conviction on two counts for lying.
In a speech that lasted nearly 20 minutes, the WP chief disagreed that his conduct was “dishonourable and unbecoming”, and addressed the six points of the motion moved by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah.
Indranee had said that while the court already fined Pritam, the lies which gave rise to his offence occurred in Parliament, and were told to Parliament’s Committee of Privileges. His conduct and conviction reflect on the standing and integrity of the House, she added.
Rising to respond, Pritam said he had lifted the party whip, meaning WP MPs could vote “as they consider fit” on the motion.
He noted that he could not take his case beyond the High Court which dismissed his appeal, and said he was disappointed with the judgment and did not agree with it.
Pritam said he agreed with the first and sixth resolution of the motion, which called on MPs to affirm that honesty and integrity are fundamental pillars of Singapore’s parliamentary and political system; and to uphold their duty to respect and abide by the law.
“The future (WP MPs) envisage for Singapore does not call for the destruction of the stable and sensible politics Singaporeans seek to uphold in Singapore,” he said.
He rejected the other resolutions, including the second one which called on the House to note the findings of the High Court and Committee of Privileges. The committee had found that Pritam had guided former WP MP Raeesah Khan to continue with her lie to Parliament.
The findings by the committee “went much further” than the charges levelled against him, Pritam said.
“Raeesah Khan was not told to take a lie to the grave on Aug 8, 2021,” he said, noting that this was the anchoring piece of documentary evidence that, along with other “circumstantial evidence”, led to the trial judge’s conclusion that this statement was made by himself.
“My conscience remains clear, as it will forever, that this was not said by me to Khan at any point in time,” he added.
He also rejected the third resolution which stated his behaviour was “dishonourable and unbecoming” as an MP.
“There are those who believe that whatever our courts decide, a convicted person is unable to retain their belief that they are innocent in so far as a conviction is concerned,” he said, as he referenced now-President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Tharman was convicted in 1994 under the Official Secrets Act for negligence in allowing sensitive government data to be communicated to the media.
Noting that Tharman had said in a 2023 media interview that “they got the wrong man”, he added: “A criminal conviction does not negate one’s right to assert innocence. A finding of guilt by the courts did not undermine the president’s personal view of his conviction.”
“In my case, my conscience will always be clear, insofar as my conviction on both charges is concerned.”
Pritam moved on to reject the fourth resolution, which called on MPs to consider that Pritam’s conduct renders him unsuitable to remain as Leader of the Opposition, and that his continuation in the role would undermine public confidence in Singapore’s political system.
He noted that the appointment is not a constitutional or statutory one.
Following the 2020 General Election, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong designated Pritam as the formal Leader of the Opposition, after the WP won 10 seats.
“I have never operated on the assumption that the Leader of the Opposition appointment is a given, nor have I hankered for it,” said Pritam.
“I have done my best to work with my colleagues to advance the interests of Singaporeans with the Workers’ Party as a responsible opposition through the office.”
He also rejected resolution five, which called on the House to consider the implications of the case on WP MP Sylvia Lim and former MP Faisal Manap separately.
Pritam said no action should be taken against Lim and Faisal, as he did not agree with the judgment and the findings of the Committee of Privileges.
The committee had found that both Lim and Faisal had lied under oath by denying that they had told Khan to hide her untruth in an August 2021 meeting.
Concluding, he thanked Singapore and Singaporeans for their support.
He added: “In my case, whatever Parliament decides, and as long as I am a Member of Parliament, I will continue my work as an MP on the ground in Aljunied GRC, and I will continue to advocate for Singaporeans in Parliament to the best of my abilities as I have for the last 15 years.”
All 11 WP MPs present in the House subsequently voted against the motion. - The Straits Times/ANN
