Singapore parliament strips Pritam Singh of ‘leader of the opposition’ title after perjury conviction

Pritam Singh, the chief of the Workers’ Party (WP), was formally removed from his position as Leader of the Opposition on Wednesday following a parliamentary vote. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong moved the motion to withdraw Singh’s title after the lawmaker was convicted of giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee. The motion passed easily in the House, where the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) holds a significant majority.

While Singh retains his seat as a Member of Parliament and continues his role as Secretary-General of the Workers’ Party, he loses the constitutional status, additional allowance, and parliamentary privileges—including the right of first response during debates—that come with the formal leadership title.

The fallout stems from a 2021 incident where former WP lawmaker Raeesah Khan lied in Parliament about police misconduct. Singh was later found guilty of perjury during the subsequent investigation into whether he instructed Khan to maintain the lie. During the three-hour debate preceding the vote, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah argued that Singh’s conduct had damaged public trust in the legislature. Defending his actions, Singh maintained that his “conscience is clear” and vowed to continue his duties as an MP.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong stated on Thursday that retaining Singh in the role was “no longer acceptable” given the court’s verdict and the severity of the offense. Singh, the first person in Singapore’s history to be officially designated as Leader of the Opposition, responded to the developments via a concise social media message using the hashtag “#WeContinue.” The Workers’ Party has launched an internal probe to determine if further disciplinary action is required.