Opposition Leader in Singapore Convicted of Lying During Parliamentary Session

Reuters reported that Pritam Singh, the opposition leader in Singapore, has been found guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. He was fined $5,223 for each of two charges by the court. Although he plans to appeal against his conviction and sentence, this verdict comes at an opportune time as Singapore is preparing for its next general election.

Singh’s Workers’ Party holds nine out of 87 elected seats in parliament. Under Singapore’s constitution, any MP can be disqualified or barred from running for office if they are fined more than S$10,000 or jailed for a year. However, the Election Department has clarified that this threshold only applies to one offense.

Professor Chong Ja-Ian of the National University of Singapore believes that Singh’s case could be either “played up” by state media or “fizzle out” of public attention depending on how it is covered in the upcoming election. He notes that the verdict has garnered significant attention and interest, with a packed courtroom and live streaming for those unable to attend.

In his defense, Singh claimed he had given Raeesah Khan time to deal with a sensitive issue when she lied about witnessing police misconduct during an assault case. However, Judge Luke Tan ruled against this claim, finding that evidence suggested Singh “never wanted Ms Khan to clarify her lie” and was involved in guiding her narrative.

The incident has brought rare scandals to Singapore’s usually uneventful political scene dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party. The Workers’ Party made significant gains during the 2020 election, increasing their number of seats from six to ten – a major victory for opposition forces since independence in 1965.