Singapore’s opposition leader, Pritam Singh, has been convicted of lying to parliament in a case that could significantly affect his political future. On Monday, the 48-year-old secretary-general of the Workers’ Party (WP) was found guilty of two counts of providing false testimony to a parliamentary committee investigating a fellow party member. The charges stem from his involvement in helping Raeesah Khan, a former MP, cover up her false account of a rape victim’s police report in 2021.
The case has sent shockwaves through Singapore’s political landscape, where the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has maintained a dominant grip on power since the nation’s independence. With the next general elections expected within months, Singh’s conviction could potentially disqualify him from running, dealing a blow to the opposition’s efforts to challenge the PAP’s longstanding supremacy.
District court judge Luke Tan noted that Singh failed to do enough to get Khan, a rookie MP, to retract her fabricated story about a police officer making “insensitive comments” about a rape victim. Khan had initially told parliament that she accompanied a woman to the police station, where an officer allegedly mocked the victim’s attire and drinking habits. However, an investigation revealed no record of such an incident. Khan later admitted to fabricating the story and resigned from her position as an MP.
The judge further supported Khan’s testimony, which claimed that Singh had advised her to “take the lie to the grave.” This revelation painted Singh in a negative light, further damaging his credibility as a leader.
The conviction carries serious consequences for Singh, who now faces a potential jail sentence or hefty fine. Under Singapore’s constitution, anyone who is fined over SG$10,000 ($7,400) or sentenced to at least one year in prison is disqualified from contesting elections or holding a parliamentary seat for five years. Singh could face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to SG$7,000 per charge.
This development casts a shadow over the Workers’ Party’s ambitions to further strengthen its position in the upcoming elections. Despite the PAP’s overwhelming dominance, the WP’s impressive performance in the 2020 general elections, where it won 10 seats, sparked hopes for a stronger opposition presence. As Singapore looks to its first major political test under new premier Lawrence Wong, Singh’s fate could have far-reaching implications for the country’s political dynamics.
