PSP's Leong Mun Wai shows solidarity with LO Pritam Singh amid legal challenges

Source: Gutzy Asia
Author: Yee Loon

SINGAPORE: Mr Leong Mun Wai, a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) representing the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), has voiced his support for the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Pritam Singh, amidst ongoing legal proceedings.

In a recent Facebook post, Mr Leong affirmed his solidarity with Mr Singh, recognizing his dedication to serving Singaporeans in his role as Leader of the Opposition.

He extended his best wishes to Mr Singh as he seeks to clear his name in court.

In the comments, Mr Leong reiterated the PSP's stance that any MP or minister under investigation for corruption and suspended from official duties should be placed on unpaid leave until the investigation or legal proceedings conclude.

"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."

However, Mr Leong clarified that Mr Singh has not been accused of corruption nor suspended from his official duties by the Workers' Party.

On 19 March, Pritam Singh, who is also the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party (WP), pleaded not guilty to two charges of providing false information to a parliamentary committee.

He affirmed his commitment to fulfilling his parliamentary and town council duties "until the legal process comes to a complete close".

The controversy ignited when former WP MP Raeesah Khan falsely claimed in Parliament in 2021 that she had accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station, alleging that the victim had received insensitive treatment by the police.

After two further misleading statements in Parliament, in August and October 2021, Raeesah finally admitted in November 2021 that her claim was untrue, prompting an investigation that would ensnare Singh and Faisal.

A probe led by the Committee of Privilege (COP) was launched on 27 November 2021 to scrutinize Raeesah's fabrications.

In February 2022, the Singapore Parliament voted to refer the conduct of Singh and Faisal to the Public Prosecutor, aligning with the committee's recommendation in its 1,180-page report following the hearings.

After nearly a year of investigation, on 19 March, Mr Singh was charged with two counts of offences under section 31(q) of the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act for allegedly providing false answers during his examination by the Committee of Privilege.

In September 2023, PSP's NCMP Ms Hazel Poa submitted a motion in September 2023 to suspend Iswaran.

The motion aimed to address Iswaran's receipt of the MP allowance during the ongoing CPIB investigation, a period in which he was not carrying out official duties.

In addition, Ms Poa also introduces a Private Member's Bill to amend the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act 1962, which seeks to provide Parliament with the power to back-pay the MP allowance that was withheld from an MP who has been suspended from the service of Parliament.

Singapore's PAP-dominated Parliament rejected Ms Poa's motion on 19 September last year, opting instead to defer any decision until the conclusion of the corruption investigations against him.

During the debate, Ms Poa argued that this suspension is necessary to ensure the prudent use of taxpayers' money, as allowing a suspended MP to continue drawing their full allowance during an investigation can be financially detrimental if they are later found guilty.

Ms Poa stated that PSP believed that the suspension, coupled with the provision for retroactive payment to Mr Iswaran if he is cleared of wrongdoing, represents a firm and equitable approach to addressing the matter.

On 19 March, The Peoples Action Party (PAP) affirmed that they will refrain from seeking the suspension of Mr Singh as an MP while legal proceedings related to his charges remain ongoing.

Ms Fu highlighted that PAP's decision aligns with their stance when debating the Ms Poa motion's last year.

Indranee Rajah, the Leader of the House, stressed the importance of avoiding premature actions by Parliament in such cases, asserting that political motives should not exploit these situations.