Pritam Singh Loses Opposition Leader Title Following Perjury Conviction

Pritam Singh, Leader of the Opposition in Singapore, Stripped of Title

Pritam Singh, the leader of the opposition in Singapore, has been deprived of his title after a parliamentary vote dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP). The vote took place on Wednesday in parliament following Singh's conviction for lying under oath before a parliamentary committee. Singh has consistently maintained his innocence.

Despite losing his title, he remains a Member of Parliament and Secretary-General of the largest opposition party, the Workers' Party (WP), but will lose privileges such as additional allowances and the right to respond first during parliamentary debates. Singh's case is one of the few instances of criminal conviction against a sitting opposition parliamentarian.

Critics have previously accused the Singapore government of using the justice system to target political opponents, allegations that the authorities have always denied. During the debate on Wednesday, Indranee Rajah, the House Leader, stated that Singh's lies "challenge the trust" that Singaporeans have in parliament and accused him of "not taking responsibility."

Singh defended himself during the debate, asserting that "his conscience remains clear" and challenged the resolution of the debate that deemed his behavior "indecent and unacceptable" for a parliamentarian. After three hours of discussions, parliament approved a motion stating that Singh should no longer serve as the opposition leader. All 11 present WP members voted against it.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong declared that in light of Singh's conviction and the vote, it was no longer "sustainable" for him to continue in this role. The WP holds 12 seats in Singapore’s 108-seat parliament. The party announced it would conduct an internal review to determine if Singh violated its rules.

The saga began in 2021 when WP MP Raeesah Khan claimed in parliament that she witnessed inappropriate behavior by police towards a sexual assault victim. She later admitted that her anecdote was untrue but stated during a parliamentary inquiry that party leaders, including Singh, had told her to "stick to the narrative" despite knowing it was a lie. Khan resigned from the party and parliament and was fined for lying and abusing parliamentary privilege.

A criminal case was subsequently brought against Singh for perjury during the hearings related to Khan's case. In February, a court found him guilty and imposed a penalty amounting to several thousand dollars. Judges determined that Singh's actions were "strongly indicative" that he did not want Khan to clarify the falsehood. Nonetheless, Singh, who maintained his innocence throughout the trial, argued he intended to allow Khan time to deal with a sensitive issue.

In December, he lost an appeal against the conviction.