Workers’ Party to continue ‘as per normal’ following release of COP report: Pritam Singh

SINGAPORE: Workers' Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh said that he would continue his work "as per normal" until matters related to a report by the Committee of Privileges (COP) are resolved.

Mr Singh made the statement in a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 10), following a recommendation by the Committee that both he and WP vice-chair Faisal Manap be referred to the Public Prosecutor for further investigations.

In its final report on Thursday, the Committee said it has found former WP Member of Parliament Raeesah Khan guilty of abuse of privilege for telling an untruth in the House on Aug 3 last year, and then repeating it on Oct 4.

The report said from Aug 8 onwards, Ms Khan was acting under the guidance of three senior WP leaders - referring to Mr Singh, Mr Manap and WP chair Sylvia Lim - to "keep to the untruth".

As the COP's findings raise questions about the conduct of the three WP leaders, the Committee also recommended that Mr Singh be referred to the Public Prosecutor for further investigations "with a view to considering if criminal proceedings ought to be instituted in respect of his conduct before the Committee".

Mr Faisal will also be investigated for his refusal to answer relevant questions put by the Committee, and consider if criminal proceedings ought to be instituted.

Mr Singh said he has looked at the Committee of Privileges report and its recommendations.

"I will speak more extensively on the COP report in Parliament when it is tabled for debate, expected to be sometime next week.

"Assuming Parliament adopts the Committee’s recommendations, there remain a number of unknowns," said Mr Singh. 

"These include the eventual decision of the Public Prosecutor to prosecute, the intervening time before the matter goes to trial, the eventual verdict and any sentence meted out, and the prospect of both Faisal and I losing our parliamentary seats and stepping down as Members of Parliament if either of us is fined S$2,000 or more."

Mr Singh said that both he and Mr Faisal would continue their work "until there is some resolution to these matters", noting that it "may take some time yet".

He said these activities include but are not limited to Meet the People Sessions (MPS), estate walks, house visits and other parliamentary commitments, as well as WP's outreach efforts in previously contested constituencies. 

"As always, Sylvia, Faisal and I are grateful to the public for their support of the Workers’ Party, and all three of us, like our party colleagues will continue to serve to the best of our abilities," said Mr Singh.

"Finally, we thank the public for your encouragement and support towards the efforts of The Workers’ Party in building a more democratic Singapore, one that all Singaporeans can be proud of. That work will continue."