Singapore Opposition Leader Guilty of Lying to Parliament, Could Face Election Ban
Singapore opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of giving false information to parliament as he tried to cover up misleading evidence presented by a fellow party member. This conviction may disqualify him from running in the country’s next national elections.
Conviction and Its Impact on Elections
Singh, 48, who is the secretary-general of the Workers’ Party, was convicted on Monday on two charges of lying to a parliamentary committee that was probing another Member of Parliament.
The ruling is a major blow to Singapore’s opposition politics, which have been pushing to break the long-standing grip of the dominant People’s Action Party (PAP). The PAP has ruled the city-state since 1959 and is gearing up to contest polls due within the next few months.
The leniency of Singh’s sentence will decide whether or not he is allowed to join the coming elections. He pleaded not guilty, and sentencing was due later on Monday.
Probable Disqualification Under Elections Law
As stated by Singapore‘s constitution, a person fined more than Sg$10,000 ($7,400) or convicted for a sentence of one year in prison and above is excluded from running as an MP or having a seat in parliament for five years.
Singh is liable to face a maximum of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of Sg$7,000 for each charge. The Attorney-General’s Chambers, however, has said that the prosecution will instead ask for a fine for every charge.
The Case Against Singh and Former MP Raeesah Khan
The case came from ex-Workers’ Party MP Raeesah Khan, who quit parliament after she admitted to lying about a story. She had lied that she had taken a sexual assault victim to make a police report and that a police officer had made “insensitive remarks” about the victim’s dress and drinking.
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam subsequently confirmed that there was no trace of such an event occurring in police records, which resulted in Khan’s admission in 2021 that she lied to parliament.
Singh later faced accusations of deceiving the parliamentary committee that was probing Khan. It emerged in court documents that he purportedly claimed ignorance about Khan’s deceitful testimony, apparently to trivialize his own role as party chief.
Political Prospects of Workers’ Party
During the 2020 general elections, the PAP won 83 of 93 seats, retaining its political dominance. The Workers’ Party, however, made record gains, winning 10 seats—its best since Singapore gained independence in 1965.
With elections looming, the Workers’ Party had sought to further boost its presence in parliament. This will also be the first significant electoral test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who recently assumed leadership.