Pritam Singh confirms candidacy for general election following conviction appeal

Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh has confirmed his intention to contest in the upcoming general election, marking his first public remarks after being convicted on 17 February of lying to a parliamentary committee.

Singh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aljunied GRC, was fined the maximum of $7,000 for each of his two charges, amounting to a total penalty of $14,000. Speaking to reporters outside the State Courts, he stated: “I will be running for the general election.”

Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan found Singh guilty of two counts of lying to the Committee of Privileges, making him the first sitting opposition MP in nearly 40 years to be convicted of a criminal offence.

The first charge concerned Singh’s claim that on 8 August 2021, he had intended for former WP MP Raeesah Khan to clarify her lie in Parliament at some point. The second charge pertained to his assertion that he had advised Khan on 3 October 2021 to admit her falsehood in Parliament, one day before she reiterated it.

Singh, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition, stated that his legal team has been instructed to file an appeal and review the written oral judgment in detail.

His political future had been under scrutiny following the conviction. However, the Elections Department (ELD) confirmed on 17 February that Singh remains eligible to stand for election and retain his parliamentary seat.

Under the Constitution, an individual is disqualified from contesting an election or holding a parliamentary position if fined at least $10,000 or sentenced to at least one year in prison for a single offence. Since Singh’s penalties do not meet this threshold, he is not disqualified.

ELD also clarified that sentences for separate offences cannot be aggregated to determine disqualification.

When asked how the verdict would impact his political career, Singh responded: “I’m not a soothsayer, I can’t tell you what the election results will be like. But I intend to contest the general election, and we’ll see what happens. You can ask me that question again on Polling Day.”

Regarding whether his conviction might prompt him to step down, Singh stated: “Well, I think the need of the hour is for me to step up, not step down.” He acknowledged that the election would be challenging and that WP would have to “fight hard.”

Addressing concerns about the morale of his party, Singh remarked: “The party’s morale, as far as my reading is concerned, is not affected.”

WP chairwoman Sylvia Lim also commented on the situation, reaffirming the party’s resilience. “We are no strangers to challenges and will rise to the occasion, as we have done many times in the past,” she said in a media statement.

She expressed gratitude for those who have supported the party “through good times and bad” and affirmed WP’s commitment to earning the trust of Singaporeans.