SINGAPORE: Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh on Wednesday (Jan 14) rejected the motion to find him unsuitable as Leader of the Opposition, saying that he disagreed that his behaviour was dishonourable and unbecoming of a Member of Parliament (MP).
The motion filed by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah - after Mr Singh was convicted of lying to a parliamentary committee - also called on Members of Parliament to express regret at Mr Singh's conduct.
Mr Singh said on Wednesday that former WP MP Raeesah Khan was not told in 2021 to "take her lie to the grave".
"The courts have ruled that her SMS message of Aug 8, 2021, of having been told to take a lie to the grave was the anchoring piece of documentary evidence, and along with other circumstantial evidence, led to the trial judge's conclusion that such a statement was made by myself," said Mr Singh.
"My conscience remains clear, as it will forever, that this was not said by me to Khan at any point in time."
Mr Singh also disagreed with the part of the motion that stated that he had lied to the Committee of Privileges (COP) and also guided Ms Khan to continue with her lie to parliament. He said that the COP's findings went "much further than the charges that were preferred against me".
He added that the matter was referred to the police and the public prosecutor to "review all evidence afresh".
"It follows that the public prosecutor would have no trouble framing a charge to this effect if indeed there was sufficient evidence that I had guided Khan to lie," said Mr Singh. "My position is Khan was not told to lie, let alone guided to lie."
He also rejected the motion's point that his conduct is dishonourable and unbecoming of an MP, as he disagreed with the findings of guilt by the courts and the COP.
He added that there are those who believe that whatever the courts decide, a convicted person would be unable to retain their belief that they are innocent.
He gave the example of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was convicted in 1994 under the Official Secrets Act for negligence in allowing sensitive government data to be communicated to the media.
Mr Singh noted that Mr Shanmugaratnam had said in an interview in 2023 that "they got the wrong man".
"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," said the WP chief.
"In my case, my conscience will always be clear, in so far as my conviction on both charges is concerned."
Mr Singh said, however, that he maintains "full responsibility for not responding quickly enough" to correct Ms Khan's lie. He added that he had publicly taken responsibility for taking too long on previous occasions.
He also said that he "did not have close to three years to deal with a sensitive matter involving one of my MPs".
"My timeframe was far shorter, and I tried to do what I deemed was best for the MP in question and for parliament, with a view to work towards an outcome where the MP took ownership and responsibility for her actions," he added.
"I certainly did not expect the MP to double down on her lie when asked about it."
Mr Singh also rejected the point in the motion that stated he is unsuitable to continue as the Leader of the Opposition.
He said that the Leader of the Opposition role is neither a constitutional nor a statutory one.
"I have never operated on the assumption that the Leader of the Opposition appointment is a given, nor have I hankered for it," he said.
"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."
Mr Singh was designated Leader of the Opposition by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the 2020 General Election.
The WP chief said on Wednesday that he believes no action should be taken against WP chair Sylvia Lim and former WP leader Faizal Manap, as he did not agree with the judgment and findings of the COP.
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."
Ms Indranee told parliament that the "turning point" in WP's response to Ms Raeesah Khan's lie was after former party secretary-general Low Thia Khiang told Mr Singh and party chair Sylvia Lim that Ms Khan had to clarify her comments and apologise to parliament, regardless of whether it might be discovered by the government.
It was after this meeting that "arrangements" were made for Ms Khan to clarify, and she did so in a statement in parliament.
While the WP subsequently convened a disciplinary panel to look into Ms Khan's admissions in parliament, Ms Indranee said that what was "most troubling" about the episode was that Mr Singh, Ms Lim and Mr Faisal Manap failed to declare to the WP central executive committee or party members that they had known about and were involved in guiding Ms Khan to maintain her lie.
Ms Indranee said that it was strange that WP could act decisively in the cases of Ms Khan and former MP Leon Perera where there were no court findings on their conduct.
"Yet now, in a far graver case of dishonesty and lying, it needs four months to figure out the import of the court’s clear judgment of Mr Singh," she added.
Mr Perera resigned in July 2023, days after video evidence of his extramarital affair with fellow party member Nicole Seah emerged.
"Parliament cannot wait on the WP. Nor should our view depend on the WP’s internal deliberations, or on whether Mr Singh’s actions contravene the WP constitution," Ms Indranee said.
Late last month, WP said that its party cadres had requested a special conference to be held and that the party's central executive committee (CEC) would be following up on the request.
Over 20 cadres had signed a letter calling for the special conference to be held in February, and that Mr Singh's position as the party chief could be among the topics discussed.
The WP's CEC also directed earlier this month that a disciplinary panel be formed to determine if Mr Singh had contravened the WP’s constitution.
The party's top decision-making body set a timeline that the disciplinary process be concluded within three months.
Continue reading...
The motion filed by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah - after Mr Singh was convicted of lying to a parliamentary committee - also called on Members of Parliament to express regret at Mr Singh's conduct.
Mr Singh said on Wednesday that former WP MP Raeesah Khan was not told in 2021 to "take her lie to the grave".
"The courts have ruled that her SMS message of Aug 8, 2021, of having been told to take a lie to the grave was the anchoring piece of documentary evidence, and along with other circumstantial evidence, led to the trial judge's conclusion that such a statement was made by myself," said Mr Singh.
"My conscience remains clear, as it will forever, that this was not said by me to Khan at any point in time."
Mr Singh also disagreed with the part of the motion that stated that he had lied to the Committee of Privileges (COP) and also guided Ms Khan to continue with her lie to parliament. He said that the COP's findings went "much further than the charges that were preferred against me".
He added that the matter was referred to the police and the public prosecutor to "review all evidence afresh".
"It follows that the public prosecutor would have no trouble framing a charge to this effect if indeed there was sufficient evidence that I had guided Khan to lie," said Mr Singh. "My position is Khan was not told to lie, let alone guided to lie."
He also rejected the motion's point that his conduct is dishonourable and unbecoming of an MP, as he disagreed with the findings of guilt by the courts and the COP.
He added that there are those who believe that whatever the courts decide, a convicted person would be unable to retain their belief that they are innocent.
He gave the example of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was convicted in 1994 under the Official Secrets Act for negligence in allowing sensitive government data to be communicated to the media.
Mr Singh noted that Mr Shanmugaratnam had said in an interview in 2023 that "they got the wrong man".
"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," said the WP chief.
"In my case, my conscience will always be clear, in so far as my conviction on both charges is concerned."
Mr Singh said, however, that he maintains "full responsibility for not responding quickly enough" to correct Ms Khan's lie. He added that he had publicly taken responsibility for taking too long on previous occasions.
He also said that he "did not have close to three years to deal with a sensitive matter involving one of my MPs".
"My timeframe was far shorter, and I tried to do what I deemed was best for the MP in question and for parliament, with a view to work towards an outcome where the MP took ownership and responsibility for her actions," he added.
"I certainly did not expect the MP to double down on her lie when asked about it."
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LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION ROLE
Mr Singh also rejected the point in the motion that stated he is unsuitable to continue as the Leader of the Opposition.
He said that the Leader of the Opposition role is neither a constitutional nor a statutory one.
"I have never operated on the assumption that the Leader of the Opposition appointment is a given, nor have I hankered for it," he said.
"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."
Mr Singh was designated Leader of the Opposition by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the 2020 General Election.
The WP chief said on Wednesday that he believes no action should be taken against WP chair Sylvia Lim and former WP leader Faizal Manap, as he did not agree with the judgment and findings of the COP.
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."
Ms Indranee told parliament that the "turning point" in WP's response to Ms Raeesah Khan's lie was after former party secretary-general Low Thia Khiang told Mr Singh and party chair Sylvia Lim that Ms Khan had to clarify her comments and apologise to parliament, regardless of whether it might be discovered by the government.
It was after this meeting that "arrangements" were made for Ms Khan to clarify, and she did so in a statement in parliament.
While the WP subsequently convened a disciplinary panel to look into Ms Khan's admissions in parliament, Ms Indranee said that what was "most troubling" about the episode was that Mr Singh, Ms Lim and Mr Faisal Manap failed to declare to the WP central executive committee or party members that they had known about and were involved in guiding Ms Khan to maintain her lie.
Ms Indranee said that it was strange that WP could act decisively in the cases of Ms Khan and former MP Leon Perera where there were no court findings on their conduct.
"Yet now, in a far graver case of dishonesty and lying, it needs four months to figure out the import of the court’s clear judgment of Mr Singh," she added.
Mr Perera resigned in July 2023, days after video evidence of his extramarital affair with fellow party member Nicole Seah emerged.
"Parliament cannot wait on the WP. Nor should our view depend on the WP’s internal deliberations, or on whether Mr Singh’s actions contravene the WP constitution," Ms Indranee said.
Related:
Late last month, WP said that its party cadres had requested a special conference to be held and that the party's central executive committee (CEC) would be following up on the request.
Over 20 cadres had signed a letter calling for the special conference to be held in February, and that Mr Singh's position as the party chief could be among the topics discussed.
The WP's CEC also directed earlier this month that a disciplinary panel be formed to determine if Mr Singh had contravened the WP’s constitution.
The party's top decision-making body set a timeline that the disciplinary process be concluded within three months.
Continue reading...