SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh is not losing “much sleep” about being called a liar in the Raeesah Khan case.
And even as he is appealing against his conviction and sentence for lying to a parliamentary committee about his handling of the case, he believes “the court of public opinion can be bigger than any court in the world”.
“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,” he said.
“If your conscience is clear, then people can throw whatever they want at you, and you’ll still be standing. And if there was something my conscience wasn’t in agreement with, I don’t think I’ll be sitting here today.”
He was speaking in the latest episode of The Assembly — filmed months before his appeal was heard on Tuesday — and had been asked how he felt about being called a liar.
In his response, the Workers’ Party (WP) chief also pointed to this year’s general election, in which his party retained its 10 seats and gained two Non-Constituency Member of Parliament seats.
“We did pretty respectably,” he said. “People have eyes; people can see what’s happening. And you’re thankful for the support that you get, no matter what people try and throw at you.”
He also hailed the “incredible show of support from the public” when WP leaders Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and himself raised more than S$1 million (US$768,000) in three days to fund their legal fees in two town council lawsuits.
Singh with the team from The Assembly.
“I do remember many donations to the tune of S$10, sometimes S$5, S$50,” said Singh, 49, who did not recall who the largest donor was when asked about it.
“There are enough people in Singapore who don’t want the Workers’ Party to fail. And on our part, we don’t want to fail these Singaporeans.”
In 2017, Aljunied-Hougang Town Council and the then Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC) sued the three WP leaders, among others, over S$33.7 million in allegedly improper payments.
The Court of Appeal found that all the defendants were liable for negligence to Sengkang Town Council — which took over PRPTC’s lawsuit — and cleared Singh of liability in the other lawsuit. The case was settled last year after mediation.
“If we misused the money, we’d be in jail today,” he said. “The fact that that case eventually was settled would suggest that some of the accusations … probably were more politically motivated than reflective of what truly happened.”
These cases were among the controversies involving him and the WP that came up in his first national television interview, with a group of neurodivergent individuals doing the questioning.
Of interest to Trevor Lee, who is on the autism spectrum, was “what really happened” when senior WP members Leon Perera and Nicole Seah were confronted about their extramarital affair — which was exposed in 2023 in a leaked video.
This was a “difficult question” to answer, Singh replied, because both individuals have “gone on with their lives” after what had been “a difficult time for their family members too”.
“They’ve made significant contributions to the Workers’ Party,” he said. “I prefer to remember them for that.”
WATCH: Pritam Singh’s first national TV interview as he faces neurodiverse panel (28:02)
He did wish he had known the truth when the allegations first surfaced around late 2020 and early 2021, when they lied about the affair.
“But I wouldn’t say I felt betrayed,” he said. The reason is that a part of him feels it was a private matter.
“But you know, in politics there are very few private matters. Everything tends to come into the open, and some things that come into the open aren’t so simple to deal with.”
How well does he know, however, what goes on in his party and with its members, asked Matthew Quek — who has dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Asperger’s — citing the affair and the Raeesah incident.
Similar things happen in other political parties, Singh replied, because “in any organisation, you’re going to have people who come from different walks of life”.
While there is no manual for how to respond, “you try and deal with the situation as best you can when it comes up”.
“Sometimes, on reflection, you look back and you say, ‘Actually, if I’d done something else, maybe it wouldn’t have turned out this way,’” he said.
“So, you’re thankful for those people around you who are there to motivate you and who are there to remind you that this is the reality of life, and you try your best — that’s all you can do.”
“Things happen, learn from it, do your best, move on,” Singh says.
He cited his wife as an “incredible pillar of support” at these moments when the going gets “a bit tough”.
It is “certainly harder” for the opposition, he said when asked about Singapore’s political system. “Then it’s your job to try and think as best as you can to improve your odds,” he added.
“Power, unfortunately or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, is a reality of politics. And nobody likes to lose power, so they’ll make sure that it’s hard for anybody else to come in.
“We have to develop a platform which is attractive to Singaporeans. And if we haven’t succeeded, maybe we need to work harder. … It’s a difficult system. But any challenge in life to overcome is always going to be difficult.”
Singh was elected as an MP for Aljunied GRC in 2011. And he had wanted to join the WP — instead of the People’s Action Party (PAP) — because of his belief in “the importance of a balanced political system”.
While acknowledging the good work the PAP has done and the important role it has played in the Singapore story, he stressed the need for an opposition in a parliamentary democracy. “‘Opposition’ is a very strong word,” he remarked.
“And I reached a point in my life where I felt, why don’t you join mainstream politics and participate? Organise, get similarly minded people to also work for Singapore and Singaporeans but in a different way.
“The beauty of our political system is it’s designed to accommodate that.”
Jireh Ko (right), one of the participants with autism on The Assembly, listening intently to Singh.
At the local level, opposition MPs are not grassroots advisers — who are appointed by the People’s Association — and thus do not preside over ceremonies such as Edusave award presentations, he noted.
“I believe in a more plural system, where anybody who’s in a position to … motivate, drive our students to higher peaks, higher achievements, should be part of that firmament,” he said.
“We also want our people to do well, our children to do well. I don’t think it’s out of place to have us there, encouraging our children. … It’s not surprising the government may have a different view.”
Being on opposite sides of the political fence, however, should not stop MPs from being civil to one another, he said. In this respect, the younger generation is “leading the way” in being “a better people”.
“I find young people being less angsty about political issues. They come at the issue from the perspective of ‘I have my voice, I have a different view, and I’d like to share that view,’” he continued.
“And I think it’s important for the political platforms in our country to be receptive to these different views.”
Among the many questions he fielded, there was one, as he put it, that was “very loaded”: Who was his favourite politician outside the WP? His answer: President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, when the latter was a Cabinet minister.
“The way he’s able to explain an issue and the way he genuinely believes in what he’s saying and what he’s putting forward … is admirable,” Singh cited.
“In parliament when he stood up to speak, it was a good opportunity to understand and to learn how to be a better politician.”
Singh singing the Hokkien song, Ai Pia Jia Eh Yia (To Win, You Must Strive) — a request from The Assembly participants at the end of filming.
For his part, Singh has said before that he has never had prime ministerial ambitions. But if he were the prime minister, how would he run the country, asked Zachary Tan, a participant with autism.
“I’d run the country very well,” Singh replied with a grin.
Watch this episode of The Assembly here. Catch the final episode of Season 2 next Wednesday at 9pm.
Continue reading...
And even as he is appealing against his conviction and sentence for lying to a parliamentary committee about his handling of the case, he believes “the court of public opinion can be bigger than any court in the world”.
“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,” he said.
“If your conscience is clear, then people can throw whatever they want at you, and you’ll still be standing. And if there was something my conscience wasn’t in agreement with, I don’t think I’ll be sitting here today.”
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He was speaking in the latest episode of The Assembly — filmed months before his appeal was heard on Tuesday — and had been asked how he felt about being called a liar.
In his response, the Workers’ Party (WP) chief also pointed to this year’s general election, in which his party retained its 10 seats and gained two Non-Constituency Member of Parliament seats.
“We did pretty respectably,” he said. “People have eyes; people can see what’s happening. And you’re thankful for the support that you get, no matter what people try and throw at you.”
He also hailed the “incredible show of support from the public” when WP leaders Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and himself raised more than S$1 million (US$768,000) in three days to fund their legal fees in two town council lawsuits.
Singh with the team from The Assembly.
“I do remember many donations to the tune of S$10, sometimes S$5, S$50,” said Singh, 49, who did not recall who the largest donor was when asked about it.
“There are enough people in Singapore who don’t want the Workers’ Party to fail. And on our part, we don’t want to fail these Singaporeans.”
In 2017, Aljunied-Hougang Town Council and the then Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC) sued the three WP leaders, among others, over S$33.7 million in allegedly improper payments.
The Court of Appeal found that all the defendants were liable for negligence to Sengkang Town Council — which took over PRPTC’s lawsuit — and cleared Singh of liability in the other lawsuit. The case was settled last year after mediation.
Related articles:
“If we misused the money, we’d be in jail today,” he said. “The fact that that case eventually was settled would suggest that some of the accusations … probably were more politically motivated than reflective of what truly happened.”
These cases were among the controversies involving him and the WP that came up in his first national television interview, with a group of neurodivergent individuals doing the questioning.
THE NICOLE-LEON AFFAIR
Of interest to Trevor Lee, who is on the autism spectrum, was “what really happened” when senior WP members Leon Perera and Nicole Seah were confronted about their extramarital affair — which was exposed in 2023 in a leaked video.
This was a “difficult question” to answer, Singh replied, because both individuals have “gone on with their lives” after what had been “a difficult time for their family members too”.
“They’ve made significant contributions to the Workers’ Party,” he said. “I prefer to remember them for that.”
WATCH: Pritam Singh’s first national TV interview as he faces neurodiverse panel (28:02)
He did wish he had known the truth when the allegations first surfaced around late 2020 and early 2021, when they lied about the affair.
“But I wouldn’t say I felt betrayed,” he said. The reason is that a part of him feels it was a private matter.
“But you know, in politics there are very few private matters. Everything tends to come into the open, and some things that come into the open aren’t so simple to deal with.”
How well does he know, however, what goes on in his party and with its members, asked Matthew Quek — who has dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Asperger’s — citing the affair and the Raeesah incident.
From Season 1 of The Assembly:
Similar things happen in other political parties, Singh replied, because “in any organisation, you’re going to have people who come from different walks of life”.
While there is no manual for how to respond, “you try and deal with the situation as best you can when it comes up”.
“Sometimes, on reflection, you look back and you say, ‘Actually, if I’d done something else, maybe it wouldn’t have turned out this way,’” he said.
“So, you’re thankful for those people around you who are there to motivate you and who are there to remind you that this is the reality of life, and you try your best — that’s all you can do.”
“Things happen, learn from it, do your best, move on,” Singh says.
He cited his wife as an “incredible pillar of support” at these moments when the going gets “a bit tough”.
It is “certainly harder” for the opposition, he said when asked about Singapore’s political system. “Then it’s your job to try and think as best as you can to improve your odds,” he added.
“Power, unfortunately or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, is a reality of politics. And nobody likes to lose power, so they’ll make sure that it’s hard for anybody else to come in.
“We have to develop a platform which is attractive to Singaporeans. And if we haven’t succeeded, maybe we need to work harder. … It’s a difficult system. But any challenge in life to overcome is always going to be difficult.”
More from Season 1 of The Assembly:
HIS POLITICAL BELIEFS AND FAVOURITE POLITICIAN
Singh was elected as an MP for Aljunied GRC in 2011. And he had wanted to join the WP — instead of the People’s Action Party (PAP) — because of his belief in “the importance of a balanced political system”.
While acknowledging the good work the PAP has done and the important role it has played in the Singapore story, he stressed the need for an opposition in a parliamentary democracy. “‘Opposition’ is a very strong word,” he remarked.
“And I reached a point in my life where I felt, why don’t you join mainstream politics and participate? Organise, get similarly minded people to also work for Singapore and Singaporeans but in a different way.
“The beauty of our political system is it’s designed to accommodate that.”
Jireh Ko (right), one of the participants with autism on The Assembly, listening intently to Singh.
At the local level, opposition MPs are not grassroots advisers — who are appointed by the People’s Association — and thus do not preside over ceremonies such as Edusave award presentations, he noted.
“I believe in a more plural system, where anybody who’s in a position to … motivate, drive our students to higher peaks, higher achievements, should be part of that firmament,” he said.
“We also want our people to do well, our children to do well. I don’t think it’s out of place to have us there, encouraging our children. … It’s not surprising the government may have a different view.”
Being on opposite sides of the political fence, however, should not stop MPs from being civil to one another, he said. In this respect, the younger generation is “leading the way” in being “a better people”.
“I find young people being less angsty about political issues. They come at the issue from the perspective of ‘I have my voice, I have a different view, and I’d like to share that view,’” he continued.
“And I think it’s important for the political platforms in our country to be receptive to these different views.”
Among the many questions he fielded, there was one, as he put it, that was “very loaded”: Who was his favourite politician outside the WP? His answer: President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, when the latter was a Cabinet minister.
“The way he’s able to explain an issue and the way he genuinely believes in what he’s saying and what he’s putting forward … is admirable,” Singh cited.
“In parliament when he stood up to speak, it was a good opportunity to understand and to learn how to be a better politician.”
Singh singing the Hokkien song, Ai Pia Jia Eh Yia (To Win, You Must Strive) — a request from The Assembly participants at the end of filming.
For his part, Singh has said before that he has never had prime ministerial ambitions. But if he were the prime minister, how would he run the country, asked Zachary Tan, a participant with autism.
“I’d run the country very well,” Singh replied with a grin.
Watch this episode of The Assembly here. Catch the final episode of Season 2 next Wednesday at 9pm.
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