Singapore’s opposition retains Singh as party chief despite court conviction

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Workers’ Party has retained Pritam Singh as its secretary-general, despite his removal as Leader of the Opposition by the prime minister earlier this year following a court conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.

The country’s largest opposition party voted to retain Singh as its chief at a party meeting on Sunday, after Singh had spoken and answered questions from members about his conviction.

“This decision reflects the considered judgment of the Party’s cadres, and the Party’s commitment to democratic principles and due process,” it said in a statement.

A supermajority of cadres voted for Singh, WP central executive committee member Gerald Giam told local media.

In February 2025, a Singapore court found Singh guilty of giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee in 2021 about a party member. The High Court dismissed his appeal against the conviction in December last year.

In January this year, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong stripped Singh of his post as Leader of the Opposition, saying his position had become untenable after his conviction.

In Singapore, the Leader of the Opposition role is designated by the head of government, and is not provided for in the constitution or parliament’s standing orders.

Wong had asked the Workers’ Party to nominate another lawmaker not embroiled in the scandal to serve as opposition leader.

The party, which won 10 seats in last year’s election, opted against nominating a replacement. It said in January that its view was the leader of the largest opposition party in parliament should be the Leader of the Opposition.

The post comes with certain privileges and duties, including staff support, additional allowance, and access to confidential government briefings.