SINGAPORE, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday announced that Pritam Singh will cease to serve as the leader of the opposition in Parliament, following Singh's criminal convictions and a parliamentary vote questioning his suitability.
"Having considered the matter carefully, I have decided that Mr. Singh's criminal convictions, taken together with Parliament's view of his unsuitability, make it no longer tenable for him to continue as the Leader of the Opposition," Wong, also secretary-general of the ruling People's Action Party, said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Parliament passed a motion expressing regret over Singh's conduct and deeming him unfit to continue as leader of the opposition after a debate. All 11 Workers' Party members of Parliament voted against the motion.
Singh, chief of the Workers' Party, Singapore's largest opposition party, was convicted in February 2025 on two counts of lying to Parliament. The case was linked to an investigation into former Workers' Party lawmaker Raeesah Khan, who resigned in 2021 after admitting she had made false statements in Parliament.
Khan had falsely claimed in 2021 that she had accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station, where the victim was allegedly mistreated, before later admitting the claim was untrue. Singh was found guilty of lying about his role in handling the case, specifically whether, when, and how he had advised Khan to come clean.
Wong said Singh's designation as leader of the opposition will cease immediately. He has invited the Workers' Party to nominate another elected member of Parliament to serve in the role.
In Singapore, the leader of the opposition's duties include leading the opposition in presenting alternative views on policies, bills, and motions, and in scrutinizing the government's positions and actions in Parliament. ■
