#trending: Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh goes viral for 'storming out of Parliament', explains later that he needed a 'toilet break'

SINGAPORE — During a parliamentary debate on the repeal of Section 377A on Tuesday (Nov 29), Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh was filmed abruptly leaving the House after fellow WP members had presented their speeches.

In video clips that have gone viral on social media, a loud sound is heard off-camera — allegedly Mr Singh thumping his arm rest — after Ms He Ting Ru, WP Member of Parliament (MP) for Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC), ends her speech.

A view of the chambers then shows Mr Singh wordlessly getting up and striding briskly out of the House as the other MPs look on in apparent confusion.

He stops briefly at the entrance to bow to the attendees and appears to give a thumbs-up gesture to Ms He, situated behind the camera.

Netizens were quick to pick up on the incident, posting clips on social media and questioning why Mr Singh was "so angry".

As it came right on the heels of Associate Professor Jamus Lim and Ms He's speeches, several wondered if it was an indication of dissent within the party.

Many were also amused by the other MPs' shocked reactions to Mr Singh's sudden exit, flooding TikTok with edits of the scene.

Some jokingly referenced the ongoing World Cup as the reason for his dissatisfaction.

"It's 6pm so the first World Cup match has started," one TikToker offered.

"He lost the Korea vs Ghana bet," another suggested.

The real explanation, however, turned out to be much less dramatic.

Mr Singh quickly cleared things up via his Facebook account on Tuesday evening in response to a comment which asked why he was seen "leaving the chambers in a huff".

"Toilet break!" clarified the Leader of the Opposition.

"After thumping on my arm rest loudly in approval of MP He Ting Ru's speech.

"MP Jessica Tan was also startled! I must add I apologised to her after she told me!"

As several Reddit users pointed out, in line with Westminster tradition, MPs usually show appreciation or support in the House by thumping their arm rests as clapping is seen as a disturbance.

Over the two days of the parliamentary debate that began on Monday, a total of 27 MPs stated their support for the repeal of Section 377A, which criminalises sex between men. Four were against both Bills related to the repeal and a related constitutional amendment, and eight did not explicitly state their stand.