(Jan 21): Singapore’s main opposition party said it will not nominate a replacement leader of the opposition after Pritam Singh was stripped of the title last week by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong following a conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.
“The Workers’ Party takes the view that the leader of the largest opposition party in parliament, is the leader of the opposition,” the political group said in a statement on Wednesday.
Singh was removed from the position after being convicted and fined last year for giving false testimony in connection with a lying scandal involving a former party member about a sexual assault case. Wong offered the Workers’ Party an opportunity to float another lawmaker to the role not connected to the scandal.
Singh has consistently denied wrongdoing and lost an appeal to overturn the conviction. The fine imposed fell below the legal threshold that would have barred him from parliament for five years, allowing Singh to retain his seat. In the 2025 general election, the Workers’ Party won nearly 60% of the vote in his constituency.
Singapore has been governed by the People’s Action Party for more than six decades, under an electoral system some critics say favors incumbents. Singh was appointed leader of the opposition in 2020 by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the Workers’ Party made unprecedented gains and won 10 seats at the polls then.
Wong’s decision last week to remove Singh from the opposition leadership role threatens to sideline a politician widely regarded as the most prominent opposition figure to emerge in years.
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“In other Westminster systems, the title of the leader of the opposition is established by law and is not the prerogative or choice of the government of the day or the prime minister,” the Workers’ Party said. “This approach expresses the authority and sanctity of the people’s vote.”
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