SINGAPORE — The Peoples Action Party (PAP) will not seek the suspension of Pritam Singh as Member of Parliament (MP) while legal proceedings over his charges are ongoing.  

The Workers’ Party chief was handed two charges on Tuesday (March 19) for making false statements before a parliamentary committee that was looking into the conduct of his party’s former lawmaker Raeesah Khan, who lied in the House in 2021.

In a media statement, PAP organising secretary Grace Fu said there have been queries about whether the party will, through its MPs, be seeking to suspend Singh given that he has been formally charged.

PAP MPs will not be doing so, Ms Fu said, adding that the party will not comment on the merits of the case as it is now before the courts. 

"This is in line with Parliament’s resolution to defer any sanctions in respect of Mr Singh’s, Ms Sylvia Lim’s and Mr Faisal’s respective roles in the matter of former MP Raeesah Khan’s untruth, until after the conclusion of the investigations and criminal proceedings (if any) against Mr Singh," she said.

Ms Khan admitted to lying in Parliament in 2021 over a rape case that she had alleged was mishandled by the police. She was then referred to the Committee of Privileges for breach of parliamentary privilege.

Several witnesses, including Singh and WP vice-chairman Faisal Manap, testified during the hearings that took place in late 2021 and early 2022.

In its final report in February 2022, the Committee of Privileges recommended that Singh and Mr Faisal be referred to the public prosecutor for lying while testifying under oath. The public prosecutor later referred both cases to the police. 

DUE PROCESS OF LAW, NATURAL JUSTICE

Ms Fu also said that the PAP's decision not to seek Singh's suspension was consistent with its position in relation to a motion filed by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Hazel Poa from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) in September 2023.

The PSP motion had called for then-Transport Minister S Iswaran to be suspended as MP, following his arrest and investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

This was later rejected, with Parliament voting instead to consider the matter when corruption investigations against him concluded.

Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said at the time that it would be "premature" for parliament to take any action against Iswaran, and that such situations should not be exploited for political ends.

Both Singh and Mr Manap were under police investigation when the PSP motion was filed. Ms Indranee pointed out that they had not been suspended as MPs, and questioned if Ms Poa was calling for their suspension as well.

Iswaran subsequently resigned from parliament and the PAP in January this year after CPIB gave him formal notice of the criminal charges filed against him. 

Following Pritam's charging on Tuesday, Ms Fu said: "Parliament must deal rigorously with any MP who has committed wrongdoing, but suspending an MP is a serious action that must be done in accordance with due process of the law and natural justice. Parliament should not prejudge the outcome of the proceedings."

In response to a query from CNA on Tuesday on whether PSP intends to file a similar motion calling for Singh's suspension, the party said that the circumstances in his case are different from those in Iswaran's.

"It is the PSP's stance that an MP or minister who is under investigation for corruption and suspended from official duties should be put on no pay leave until the investigation or criminal case is concluded," a PSP spokesperson said.

"If the MP or minister subsequently resumes their official duties after being cleared by the investigation or criminal case, they should be entitled to full back pay for the period during which they were on leave of absence.

"(Leader of the Opposition) Pritam Singh has neither been charged with corruption, nor has he been suspended from his official duties by the Workers' Party." CNA