In the latest episode of The Assembly – filmed months before his appeal was heard – Mr Singh was asked how he felt about being called a liar due to "Raeesah Khan's case".
"This is something which I don't lose much sleep over. I will say that because I’m in the business of politics. My political opponents will do whatever it takes to lower my esteem and the esteem of my party in the public eye,” Mr Singh said.
"But ultimately, you answer to your conscience first. If your conscience is clear, then people can throw whatever they want at you, and you will still be standing. And if there was something my conscience was not in agreement with, I don’t think I’ll be sitting here today.
"And I don't think we would have done how we did in the last elections, we did pretty respectably. At the end of the day, the court of public opinion can be a bigger court than any court in the world."
Mr Tong said on Saturday that no one should "dismiss or denigrate" the court's judgment, or suggest that public opinion can somehow "trump" a court's decision.
"This is a very dangerous idea. We have laws, and in Singapore, the rule of law is a cornerstone of our system. This is so we do not have rule of the mob," he added.
Mr Singh's suggestion that this is "part of a political attempt to attack him" is the kind of response seen all over the world from "populist politicians who attack judges and courts" when rulings go against them, said Mr Tong.
"They think they are above the law. But this kind of irresponsible politics should have no place in Singapore. Singapore is built on honesty and integrity, but Mr Singh is delegitimising our courts with his comments," he added.
"What Mr Singh said also undermines public trust in our system, in our law enforcement and in our judiciary.
"In Singapore, the courts decide cases not on politics, but based on facts and the law. And no one is above the law, not the leader of the opposition, not any minister."
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"This is something which I don't lose much sleep over. I will say that because I’m in the business of politics. My political opponents will do whatever it takes to lower my esteem and the esteem of my party in the public eye,” Mr Singh said.
"But ultimately, you answer to your conscience first. If your conscience is clear, then people can throw whatever they want at you, and you will still be standing. And if there was something my conscience was not in agreement with, I don’t think I’ll be sitting here today.
"And I don't think we would have done how we did in the last elections, we did pretty respectably. At the end of the day, the court of public opinion can be a bigger court than any court in the world."
Mr Tong said on Saturday that no one should "dismiss or denigrate" the court's judgment, or suggest that public opinion can somehow "trump" a court's decision.
"This is a very dangerous idea. We have laws, and in Singapore, the rule of law is a cornerstone of our system. This is so we do not have rule of the mob," he added.
Mr Singh's suggestion that this is "part of a political attempt to attack him" is the kind of response seen all over the world from "populist politicians who attack judges and courts" when rulings go against them, said Mr Tong.
"They think they are above the law. But this kind of irresponsible politics should have no place in Singapore. Singapore is built on honesty and integrity, but Mr Singh is delegitimising our courts with his comments," he added.
"What Mr Singh said also undermines public trust in our system, in our law enforcement and in our judiciary.
"In Singapore, the courts decide cases not on politics, but based on facts and the law. And no one is above the law, not the leader of the opposition, not any minister."
Continue reading...