Parliament must deliberate 'appropriate response' to Pritam Singh's conviction for lying: Indranee

SINGAPORE: Parliament must deliberate on an "appropriate response" to Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh's actions and convictions, said Leader of the House Ms Indranee Rajah on Wednesday (Dec 17).

"Lying under oath is a serious matter. In some countries, leaders who have lied, cheated or flagrantly broken the law still escape any legal or political consequences. We cannot accept such standards in Singapore," said Ms Indranee in a media statement.

She described the facts of the case as "disturbing".

"The courts’ findings and Mr Singh’s convictions are a solemn reminder to all Members of Parliament that we have a sacred duty to uphold the rule of law and maintain honesty and integrity in our conduct." 

Singapore cannot have a first-world parliament or provide robust checks and balances unless MPs on both sides of the aisle hold themselves to high standards of conduct, added Ms Indranee, who is MP for Pasir Ris-Changi GRC and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.

"Whatever course of action the Workers’ Party may take, it is necessary for parliament to take notice of Mr Singh’s actions and convictions, and deliberate on an appropriate response," she said, adding that the matter will be raised at the January sitting.

Her statement follows a High Court judge’s decision earlier this month to dismiss an appeal by the WP chief against his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee over the case of ex-MP Raeesah Khan.

Mr Singh, who is Leader of the Opposition and MP for Aljunied GRC, was convicted in February and sentenced to a total fine of S$14,000 (US$10,700).

As the fine of S$7,000 per charge did not meet the threshold for disqualification, he remained an MP, and led his team to victory in Aljunied GRC in May’s General Election.

"A TRAVESTY" OF INTERNAL DISCIPLINE

In her statement, Ms Indranee criticised the WP's handling of the Raeesah Khan case, saying that Mr Singh had formed a disciplinary panel with party leaders Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap to investigate Ms Khan's conduct.

“This was a travesty, given that the three of them already knew about the lie months earlier, and it was in fact Mr Singh who guided Ms Khan to continue with the lie. None of these facts were disclosed when the disciplinary panel was formed,” said Ms Indranee.

She pointed out that the WP has its own processes to deal with members who are untruthful.

Ms Khan was asked to resign, and Mr Singh said the former Sengkang GRC MP would have been expelled from the party had she not done so.

In Mr Perera's case, he resigned after admitting to an extramarital affair and initially lying to the party leadership. Mr Singh had also said then that he would have recommended Mr Perera be expelled had he not resigned.

"Ms Khan and Mr Perera were backbench Members of Parliament. Mr Singh is the secretary-general of the Workers’ Party and the Leader of the Opposition," said Ms Indranee.

“It is up to the Workers’ Party to decide what it intends to do in light of the court judgment (that he had lied under oath), and Mr Singh’s acceptance of the judgment, fully and without reservation."

WP on Wednesday evening confirmed that it has initiated the party’s internal processes in light of the High Court judgment.

"The party will give further updates on the matter in due course," it said in a Facebook post. 

HOW THE RAEESAH CASE UNFOLDED

In August 2021, then-WP member Raeesah Khan lied in parliament about accompanying a rape survivor to make a police report. She repeated the lie when questioned by Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam.

"After Ms Raeesah Khan confessed to Mr Singh in August 2021 that she had told an untruth in parliament, he (contrary to his statements on oath) had in fact told her to take the lie 'to the grave'," said Ms Indranee.

She added that Ms Khan repeated the lie in October 2021 based on Mr Singh’s comments, including that he "will not judge" her.

Ms Khan eventually confessed in November 2021, and was referred to the Committee of Privileges.

"The decision to come clean was only made when Mr Low Thia Khiang advised Mr Singh and Ms Sylvia Lim, on 11 October 2021 (when they briefed him on the matter) that the truth had to be clarified in parliament," said Ms Indranee.

However, she noted that even then, they did not inform Mr Low that they had known about the lie since August, or that Mr Singh had encouraged Ms Khan to continue the falsehood.

Mr Singh testified before the Committee of Privileges in December 2021. Ms Indranee said he had falsely stated on oath that he wanted Ms Khan to clarify her lie in parliament on both occasions.

In March last year, Mr Singh was charged with two counts of lying to the committee. He contested the charges and was found guilty in February this year. His appeal was dismissed on Dec 4.

Mr Singh told reporters outside the court that he was disappointed with the verdict but respected the court's decision. He said he took responsibility for taking "too long" to respond to Ms Khan's lie, but said he remains committed to his responsibilities to parliament and to Singaporeans.

He also said his focus is to continue serving Singaporeans and to speak up for them, and thanked Singaporeans for their support.

The WP said in a Facebook post then that it was studying the court's verdict and grounds of decision, adding that it has "weathered many challenges over the years" and that “our commitment to serving the people of Singapore remains unwavering”.