WP chief Pritam Singh issued letter of reprimand following conclusion of disciplinary panel

[SINGAPORE] The Workers’ Party has issued a formal letter of reprimand to its chief Pritam Singh, wrapping up a disciplinary process that was sparked by his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.

In a statement on Thursday (Apr 30), the WP said a disciplinary panel convened in January had found that Singh contravened two articles of the party’s Constitution.

The party’s top decision-making body, its central executive committee (CEC), has accepted its findings after meeting on Apr 28 and Apr 29 to consider the panel’s report.

The WP said that the CEC separately considered that “at all material times, Singh did not have any intention to act in a manner contrary to the principles, aims, or objects of the party, or prejudicial to the welfare of the party”.

It added that his actions ultimately reflected judgement calls that he had to make.

“In considering the range of potential actions to be taken against Singh, the CEC assessed the totality of the circumstances and has issued a formal letter of reprimand to him,” the party said in its statement.

WP chair Sylvia Lim, its vice-chair Faisal Manap and Singh recused themselves from these CEC meetings, it said.

In a separate response to queries from The Straits Times, the WP said there are “currently no restrictions on Singh that prevent him from seeking office” at the next party election. This is scheduled for later in 2026.

It did not specify when the election will be held, but said that “as part of the agenda…cadre members in good standing may elect or put themselves up to be elected as members of the CEC, including the roles of chair and secretary-general”.

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The disciplinary panel was set up by the CEC after the High Court upheld Singh’s conviction on two counts of lying to a parliamentary committee in December 2025.

It comprised two of WP’s Sengkang GRC MPs He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim and former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat. The panel on Apr 4 said it would be presenting its final report and recommendations to the party’s CEC that month.

On Apr 30, the WP said the panel found that Singh had contravened articles 20(1) and 30 of the party’s Constitution.

According to the party’s website, Article 20(1) states that: “The Central Executive Committee, if satisfied that the conduct of any member is contrary to the principles or aims or objects of the Party or prejudicial to the welfare of the Party, may suspend or expel such member from any post in the Party, and demote him to the status of ordinary member if a Cadre Member, and expel him from membership of the Party.”

Article 30 states: “The Party may nominate members as candidates for election to public office, and each nominee shall be required to take a solemn oath or affirmation to support the three-fold principle of the Party, and to comply with Party discipline in major decisions of policy, and to be honest and frank in all his dealings with the Party and the people of Singapore.”

The WP told ST a notice of a special cadre members’ conference, which was requested by a group of its cadres, will be issued within two weeks from now. Cadres form party’s inner circle.

Information from the disciplinary panel’s report will be included in the notice and “cadre members will be given the opportunity to raise clarifications on all resolutions tabled for discussion”, it said.

When asked about the consequences of the letter of reprimand, a WP spokesman referred ST to the statement.

Singh’s convictions had triggered a series of actions from both the Government and his own party. This included the request from this group of cadres - numbering at least 20 - for this conference to discuss the issue.

The Aljunied GRC MP – who has been WP chief since 2018 – was also removed as Leader of the Opposition (LO) by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in January. PM Wong cited Singh’s criminal convictions, as well as a Jan 14 motion in Parliament which found him unsuitable for the role, making it “no longer tenable for him to continue as the LO”.

PM Wong also asked the WP then to nominate another MP as LO – which the party declined to do. Analysts said this signalled the party had closed ranks around Singh. THE STRAITS TIMES