SINGAPORE: Singapore’s most prominent opposition party, the Workers’ Party (WP), issued its yearly Labour Day message at midday on Apr 30 (Thursday) titled Strengthening Social Solidarity in the Age of AI. The statement from Secretary-General Pritam Singh expressed appreciation for workers amid concerns for the future of jobs in Singapore as technology, specifically Artificial Intelligence, rapidly develops.

He pointed out the value of the contribution of every worker, from the Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) who drive Singapore’s innovation, to skilled tradespersons, care workers, and public servants.

“The progress of our nation is built on the collective effort of all workers, and we owe a profound debt of gratitude to those who continue to serve across all sectors of our society,” he wrote.

Transformation of work due to AI

The WP noted how AI is no longer a novelty but is redefining work and, moreover, will play an ever-increasing role in people’s work and everyday lives. However, the party underscored that “uniquely human capabilities—empathy, physical presence, critical thinking and creativity—are becoming more valuable than ever.”

When Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the national Budget in February, he emphasised Singapore’s push toward AI, with a new AI Council to be set up with himself as chairman. The message from the WP referred to this, but called at the same time for more proactive policies to support all workers.

More support for new graduates

The WP has expressed much concern over the dilemma new graduates face, as some entry-level professional roles are being replaced by AI-driven solutions. This could cause young professionals to miss out on the long-term development of skills vital for them to grow as future leaders, the WP warned, which is why stronger support for them is needed “to get past the taxiway and onto the runway.”

The party called for temporary wage subsidies to encourage companies to hire graduates in apprenticeship-style roles, which would help young workers gain essential experience while reducing hiring risks for employers. 

A call for redundancy insurance

As it has many times in the past, the WP again called for a redundancy insurance scheme to protect workers amid the risk of displacement in today’s global economy. This scheme should be given to workers of all income levels as it would provide protection against financial pressure.

“True security comes from a clear pathway: from redundancy to reskilling and finally to employment. We believe that retraining must be coupled with an assurance that such efforts will translate directly into new, stable jobs,” Mr Singh wrote.

The WP noted that a lack of a strong safety net for people’s basic needs would cause workers to shy from the qualities needed at this time of transformation, innovativeness and risk-taking.

The WP Chief ended the message by affirming the party’s commitment to continue to bring rational and constructive proposals in Parliament that would bring society forward.

“We envision a Singapore where every contribution is valued, and all workers are protected. #WeContinue forward—together, and with no one left behind. I wish all workers in Singapore a Happy Labour Day.” /TISG

Read also: WP MP Louis Chua: Now is the time to do more for Singapore’s fresh graduates

This article (WP’s Labour Day Message: We continue forward together, with no one left behind) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: In an Instagram (IG) video posted on April 20, women’s strength and identity coach Jen Balute shared her thoughts after leaving Singapore for the Philippines.

“It’s been 20 days since I left Singapore, and it feels like I left ages ago,” she said, adding that while she is unsure what comes next in her life in the Philippines, she knows the kind of life she wants, which she said, “Sadly, I didn’t see it in Singapore,” expressing her disappointment.

Jen, however, made it clear she wasn’t criticising the country outright. “Singapore is a lovely place, a great place to be,” she explained. “You can make a lot of money. You can have the lifestyle you want,” but “You’re just grinding there,” she shared her perspective that comes from living there as a foreigner and solo entrepreneur for two decades.

“You will have a lifestyle, but you will never have a life in Singapore…”

Jen then described her last 10 years in Singapore as intense and isolating, saying, “You will have a lifestyle, but you will never have a life in Singapore,” because according to her, “Everyone is fighting for power. Everyone is hustling.”

She added that many people seem stuck in “survival mode,” driven by competition and ego, and even “competing for no reason,” leading to a cycle in which they chase success yet feel burnt out.

“You constantly believe you need to hustle and go on holiday to glamorise your lifestyle,” she added further, describing what she sees as a constant pattern of burnout in the people of Singapore.

“You will never have a genuine connection in Singapore…”

A major part of her message focused on relationships among Singaporeans. She opined that “You will never have genuine support, a genuine connection in Singapore. You’re constantly looking for a connection somewhere else.”

She elaborated more that families she knows tend to fill their schedules with activities rather than spend time together. “Even couples or families in Singapore that I know choose to add more activities to their lives rather than spend time with their own families,” she said.

“As a solo person in Singapore, grinding alone, you wonder, where are the genuine connections here?” she pondered, adding that this environment can change people over time: “You become numb in Singapore. You become the kind of person you wouldn’t want to be when you actually observe the people around you in Singapore, people around you in your industry.”

“Everything is just fake…”

She also spoke about how people’s true selves are revealed during difficult times. “You’ll never know who your true friends are and who genuinely cares about you until you go through these three [hardship] phases in your life:

Not when you’re making a lot of money, not when you’re glamorising your life on social media, [but] when you go flat broke, when you become fully honest with yourself, and when you choose to keep going and not give up,” Jen shared her Singapore experience.

“Aside from that, everything else is just fake,” she concluded.

Burnout, cost of living, and work-life balance

Within days of posting her IG video, reactions from netizens poured in. Some agreed with her take on burnout and social pressure. Others pushed back, saying her view was too narrow and shaped by her own circle.

The clip has since also drawn attention among Singaporeans, especially those working long hours or running solo businesses.

Jen’s comments land at a time when conversations about burnout, cost of living, and work-life balance are becoming more common in Singapore.

Many professionals recognise the pressure to perform and keep up. At the same time, others say Singapore offers stability, safety, and opportunity that are hard to match.

Jen’s personal experience in Singapore reflects one side of that equation, especially for those working alone without a strong support system.

Her message is shaped by her own life’s path. It doesn’t necessarily capture the full picture of Singapore, but it does mirror a feeling that some people silently experience.

Nevertheless, as in any other country in the world, including the Philippines, there is no single way to live in Singapore. Some thrive in its pace. Others step away to find something slower and more connected.

The real way of life is to build one that fits you, not one that only looks and feels good from the outside.

This article (‘You will never have a life in Singapore’ — Former SG resident of 20 years says, ‘Everything is just fake’) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan has made a dig at recent comments Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong made, as he expressed concerns online about the rate of deforestation in the country.

The party chief is presently on a trip to the US and has been invited to give talks to a number of groups, including students at top American schools. He wrote in a social media post that he took a drive to a state park to see the famed California redwood trees and was left amazed at the sight of the giant trees.

He wrote, “It didn’t disappoint. Its magnificence is truly breathtaking. Some of them are more than 2,000-years old.”

Reflecting on the state of forests at home, Dr Chee added, “Meanwhile, in Singapore, we are clearing more forests for development, including more data centres. But no worries, the government says they are ‘green’ data centres. And to compensate for the immense heat generated, not to mention the enormous amounts of power and water needed, we just have to use more fans and less air-con.”

His tongue-in-cheek comment about using less air-conditioning is a reference to the DPM’s controversial energy-saving tips that recently went viral.

Mr Gan had advised in Parliament earlier this month that Singaporeans should take public transport instead of driving and use fans instead of air-conditioning units to do their part in conserving energy.

Netizens on social media, online forums, and messaging groups were quick to ask whether the DPM and his fellow ministers would lead by example and take buses and trains, and turn off the air-con in Parliament, to do their part.

Others described the remarks as “tone-deaf” and “out of touch,” with some suggesting they reflected a disconnect between policymakers and ordinary citizens.

This article (Chee Soon Juan mocks Gan Kim Yong’s controversial energy saving tips) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A study from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) published mid-month concerned the issue of Singaporeans being overqualified for their jobs. Last year’s overqualification rate is substantial, at nearly one in five. However, a large majority of the overqualified workers are those who chose their jobs voluntarily.

According to the Occasional Paper on Overqualification in Singapore 2025, overqualification in Singapore is not a major structural problem but is, in large part, a condition that is mostly voluntary, often temporary or transitional and is on the increase because of more tertiary-level graduates. Moreover, the biggest challenge for Singapore’s job market is ensuring that workers are not just qualified, but have the right and up-to-date skills for today’s needs.

The report points to the overall strength and efficiency of the city-state’s labour market. While Singapore’s overqualification rate last year stood at 19.4%, this is lower than in other high-income countries, including the United States, Belgium, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. The global average of overqualification in high-income countries is 21.6%.

Moreover, 64% of Singapore’s workforce is highly educated, reaching the tertiary level. Despite this, again, its job matching is relatively good by global standards.

Voluntarily overqualified 

From 2015 to 2025, Singapore’s overqualification rate rose from 16.3% to 19.4%. MOM noted that people’s choices to take roles they are more than qualified for are connected to their preferences for job stability, flexibility, or opportunities to gain experience. 

Last year, about nine out of 10 overqualified workers, or 17.7% of the workforce, were voluntarily overqualified. Only 1.7% of the workforce, meanwhile, were involuntarily overqualified.

In the last 10 years, the number of involuntarily overqualified workers has remained low and stable, which suggests that there is a limited mismatch in the job market.

A skills problem, not overqualification

The study also showed that when it comes to hiring workers, employers do not put the highest premium on degrees. Instead, for almost 80% of jobs, the top priorities are experience (~48%) and skills (~20%). 

This shows that hiring has become more about certain skills, as opposed to the level of education. The report cited the examples of data scientists, engineers, and trainers as hard-to-fill roles, with PMET vacancies unfilled for more than six months, rising to 16% last year.

A problem for young workers

Nevertheless, similar to what the latest Graduate Employment Survey showed last March, overqualification is the biggest problem for young workers, with the highest rates for employees under the age of 30.

Fortunately, this appears to be a temporary problem. Young workers may take on entry-level positions they are overqualified for, and then take on roles for which they are better matched later on.

Interestingly, diploma holders are slightly more affected than degree holders, and the fields with the highest number of overqualified workers are in the humanities, arts, and mass communication. Those who graduate from law and health courses have a lower number, mainly due to strict qualification requirements.

Across different industries, higher numbers of overqualification are found in the sectors of food and beverage, administrative and support services, and transport, such as ride-hailing, while professional services and tech sectors have lower overqualification rates. Also, overqualification is more common in smaller and locally owned companies. /TISG

Read also: WP MP Louis Chua: Now is the time to do more for Singapore’s fresh graduates

This article (In Singapore, the problem with jobs is not overqualification but skills) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A family’s living room turned into a disaster zone when a built-in wardrobe suddenly collapsed, raising safety concerns. On Facebook, a user named Jaye Yeo shared their unfortunate experience, stating: “This wasn’t just furniture falling. It was a heavy structure installed inside a living space where our child plays every day. We were extremely lucky no one was injured.” 

As seen in the photos posted, household items, including their child’s toys and several clothes, were scattered in the living room, and with this incident, the family realised that it is really important to properly check if house installations are really completed to avoid injury in the future.

“If you are a homeowner or parent, please take 2 minutes to check this in your home: Are your wardrobes and wall units properly anchored? Do they feel stable when lightly tested? Did anyone ever show you proper installation checks? We never thought something already “installed and completed” could become a safety risk — until this happened,” they post encouraged.  

With this, netizens shared their thoughts and opinions in the comments section. One netizen observed: “Looks like the cabinets were not bolted properly to the wall….. didn’t see a proper mounting bracket either!” 

“This is a pole system. Not built-in wardrobes. cheap and flimsy. In every trade, workmanship and safety is top priority, price should be secondary, not primary concern,” another netizen remarked. 

Some believe that the cause of this is the humidity in Singapore, while others blame the workers, stating, “Now most of the jobs are done by low common sense workers. Best daily go check during renovation.” 

However, one netizen confirmed that what has been shared was not to blame the contractors of the house and emphasised that the furniture was installed by the family themselves. 

“This post is a self-reflection and a lesson learnt for those that are planning to do the same. Just learn from their mistakes,” the post declared. 

This article (No warning: Family’s heavy wardrobe suddenly fell in a HDB home) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A 23-year-old Malaysian man named Yap Ching Gun was convicted on Wednesday (April 29) for his involvement in an investment scam of an elderly victim. 

Yap, who has been sentenced to seven months’ jail and one stroke of the cane, is the first person in Singapore to receive a caning for the offence of being a money mule in a scamming scheme.

The Public Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force said in a statement on Wednesday evening that Yap was convicted of one count of being concerned in an arrangement to facilitate another person’s control of benefits from criminal conduct under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA) for his role in cash from an elderly victim of an investment scam in Singapore.

The Police added that Yap had been recruited through a Telegram message by an individual who was unknown to him. This person asked him to collect money from the elderly victim, who had been deceived into handing cash over to a mule as part of an investment scam. 

After he collected the money from the victim, Yap, in turn, gave the money to another man he did not know.

The victim had been told that the money would be deposited as investment capital into a fictitious investment brokerage company named “Maplerock.” 

According to the police, Yap was responsible for the losses of the elderly person, which amounted to at least JPY1,000,000 (around S$8,198.)

“Yap’s conviction marks the first instance of caning being imposed on accused persons convicted of money laundering offences related to scam activities under the amended CDSA. This follows the introduction of discretionary caning for scam money mules under the legislative amendments that took effect on 30 December 2025,” the Police noted.

The amendments said that scammers, as well as members or recruiters of scam syndicates, would face a mandatory caning of a minimum of six strokes up to a maximum of 24 strokes. 

Additionally, people who act as scam mules, who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds, would face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes, including certain money-laundering offences under the CDSA. 

“The Police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” the SPF added. /TISG

Read also: S$13M lost to 411 scammers and money mules in over 1,500 cases

This article (Malaysian man, 23, first to receive caning in SG for money mule role in elderly victim scam) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans have raised concerns online that scammers may still be able to target them, even after PayNow removes its nickname feature, which has been exploited by scammers posing as established entities or trusted individuals using customised aliases.

On Wednesday (April 29), the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) announced that PayNow users will no longer be able to set or personalise their display names starting June 6, as part of measures to reduce impersonation scams. Instead, payment transactions will show the name linked to the user’s bank account, with only selected letters shown to protect privacy.

“With this enhanced security measure, scammers will no longer be able to masquerade as legitimate entities or persons, significantly reducing their ability to deceive unsuspecting users through PayNow. Given the current scam landscape, the upcoming change is essential to safeguard the interests of PayNow users against scammers,” ABS added.

However, netizens worry that even though certain letters in their names will be masked, the display format may still make their real identities “guessable”, leaving their names exposed to scammers.

One said, “Certain letters are removed but still very guessable”, while another pointed out just “how easily guessable names can be.” A third added that the change may have just “made it easier to impersonate real people.”

PayNow’s nickname feature, which has been available since the electronic fund transfer service was launched in 2017, was meant to address customers’ privacy concerns who preferred not to display their registered account names when receiving payments through their mobile number or NRIC numbers. /TISG

Read also: Scammers kick off Fire Horse year, with Millennials and Gen Z most at risk

This article (‘Certain letters are removed but still very guessable’: Singaporeans worried of scammers knowing their real names after PayNow discontinues nickname feature) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

MALAYSIA: In some parts of the world, this man would be called a Romeo for wooing as many as nine wives, but in Malaysia, some are calling him, for some reason, a Ted Bundy after his arrest for causing a miscarriage.

The man, 43-year-old Rosmaini Abd. Raof has allegedly beaten his pregnant wife with a clothes hanger, rubber hose, curtain rod, and broom following a domestic dispute.

This caused the 39‑year‑old victim, a hospital staff member who was 12 weeks pregnant, to miscarry. She received treatment at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) and suffered injuries to her body and face.

According to various news reports, the man has been married nine times and was released on bail while appealing a 10-year jail sentence for yet another case in which he attacked one of his many spouses.

Of particular relevance is that all his wives, current or former, are civil servants.

Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah said at a press conference that the suspect has more than one wife.

“The suspect is believed to currently have three wives and has been married nine times.”

“He would seek partners with stable jobs, as he himself does not have steady employment,” Bernama reported.

The suspect has 11 children and four previous criminal records involving assault, voluntarily causing hurt, concealing a birth and criminal intimidation, the police said.

After the recent incident, the suspect took off and went into hiding. He is now remanded for seven days in Kedah on Wednesday after police arrested him at a homestay in Alor Setar.

The police also confirmed that he is the same perpetrator in the case involving then-pregnant ex-wife, Jahidah Nordin, in Larkin, Johor Bahru, in May 2021. This piece of information shocked many in Malaysia.

People are also asking how this man could be free, given last week’s incident.

The man was convicted of injuring Jahidah, who has remained in a coma until today, but his 10‑year prison sentence was postponed pending appeal.

Police said last week’s case had been reclassified as voluntarily causing grievous hurt, an offence that carries a maximum punishment of 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine or caning.

Public reaction online has been largely critical, with many expressing shock over the case.

Some users suggested the suspect appeared to target women with stable jobs, pointing to a pattern in his relationships.

“He definitely has a type… That’s why he chose victims with government jobs,” one commenter wrote.

Others were baffled by the number of marriages and children involved.

“An unemployed, violent man managed to marry multiple women and father 11 children. Who should be held accountable for this?” another said.

There were also questions about how the suspect remained free despite a prior conviction.

“How is he still not in jail?” one user asked, raising concerns about enforcement and accountability.

This article (Man with multiple marriages faces jail after alleged assault on pregnant wife) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: An unfortunate event happened in the streets of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 when a car decided to run a red light and struck a boy riding a bicycle, crossing the road. The incident occurred last April 29, 2026, at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon. 

In a video posted on Facebook, it was clearly seen how a young boy wished to cross the street when he was struck by a black vehicle. The car hit the boy’s bicycle, which led to the young man flying in the air and losing control. 

As reported by Lianhe Zaobao, a woman cycling behind the boy witnessed the accident and tried to help him up. However, due to the impact, the boy struggled to get on his feet. Furthermore, at the time of the accident, a construction worker wearing a helmet and a reflective vest was crossing the road, and when he saw the boy, he carried him to the side while waiting for rescue. 

When contacted, the Singapore Civil Defence Force remarked that after receiving the report, the authorities immediately went to the scene for rescue. 

With this, netizens expressed their thoughts and opinions on what happened. One comment declared: “The traffic light is clearly on red for the driver, yet he still drives across. What is he thinking?? As for those who help the cyclist, they meant well by trying to move him to a safer location, but using force to lift up the cyclist may cause more harm if he has sustained bone or internal injury.” 

Another netizen said that there should be a mandatory jail term for the driver, and there should be an additional charge for failure to provide assistance to the boy. Some claimed that the driver was distracted and thought that the driver was looking at or talking on the phone. 

“There are things called brakes in a car to use,” one more concluded. 

However, there were comments where people thought that the child should be more careful next time around. One said: “His mother should educate him to stop at traffic lights to make sure every vehicle stops before riding through the crossing, even if it’s your right of way.” 

Other related news 

In other news related to Singapore accidents, there was a recent report where a customer claimed that a beautician scratched her face with a blade while doing an eyebrow touch-up and failed to apologise. 

“I felt very disappointed with the attitude shown. Accidents can happen, but it is important to take responsibility and apologise to the customer,” the customer claimed. 

Read more about the news story here. 

This article (Netizens enraged when a car ran a red light and hit a boy riding a bicycle, say there are brakes for a reason) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A French teenager made the news last month in Singapore after allegedly having licked a straw from an iJooz vending machine and then putting it back into the dispenser.

He shared a video of himself in an Instagram Story on March 12 with a caption that read that the “city is not safe.”

Eighteen-year-old Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien is a student at ESSEC Business School, a French school with campuses in several countries. He was charged on April 24 with committing mischief and being a public nuisance. If he is convicted of both charges, he could be jailed for more than two years, as well as fined thousands of dollars, or both. His parents have flown over to Singapore as the matter progressed.

Court documents say that the teen posted the video even as he was aware that it “would or would probably cause annoyance to the public.”

He was offered S$5,000 bail after the incident, and his case will be heard again in court on May 29, although he has been permitted to leave Singapore on May 2 to go to the Philippines for an internship, with the condition that he stays contactable. He is scheduled to return on May 25.

After the incident, iJooz said that it replaced all 500 straws in the machine involved in the incident, and sanitation protocols were carried out.

ESSEC Business School is also carrying out internal investigations on the matter.

While the initial incident made the news in Singapore, as the teen is a foreign national, the charges against him were covered in France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries as well.

Commenters online have, by and large, shown little pity on the French teen, seeming to believe that he needs to be taught a lesson.

“Parents gotta teach their kids, or strangers will,” a Facebook user remarked.

“Totally deserves it,” wrote another.

“The kind of biohazard it poses if the perpetrator is carrying a disease. This is not a laughing matter,” an IG user commented.

“Public hygiene concern. Ppl need to stop doing things for ‘likes’ on social media. Very careless behaviour. Good on Singapore for teaching a lesson. Nobody should be behaving like that,” another chimed in.

Others commented along the lines of FAFO, which stands for fool around and find out and is slang for how reckless behaviour can lead to swift, severe consequences.

“Good!! All these kids need to start realizing that actions have consequences,” a commenter wrote. 

“Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes,” another added. /TISG

Read also: ‘Asian parenting is still top tier’: Commenter says after seeing uniformed boys sharing priority seat on MRT

This article (‘Parents gotta teach their kids, or strangers will,’: Teen who licked iJooz straw sparks global backlash, little sympathy online) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government is facing intense criticism after the police in Malaysia raided the home of a Malaysiakini journalist, B Nantha Kumar.

The raid is in connection with investigations into a report on the proposed foreign worker recruitment system.

On April 27, Nantha said two plainclothes police officers arrived at his home and searched his residence in Seri Serdang for about 45 minutes.

“However, no items were seized during the raid,” he said.

However, Nantha was presented with a search warrant stating that police had reason to suspect the premises were being used to store “official cabinet documents.”

The document in question is related to the Turap platform, which is a digital system proposed to centralise and streamline the recruitment of foreign workers into Malaysia, a multi-billion-dollar business.

Last week, police also recorded a statement from Malaysiakini founder and director Premesh Chandran regarding the matter, Malaysiakini reported.

Now, it is an ally in the Madani government, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), which is also a political party under the Barisan Nasional coalition, that is raising questions about the raid on the journalist’s home.

MCA Youth deputy chief Mike Chong Yew Chuan said these actions could have a worrying effect on media freedom.

“These developments raise serious questions about whether the actions are part of a proper investigation, or an attempt to pressure and intimidate the media,” Chong said.

Chong noted that the reports have raised legitimate public interest concerns, while there has been no clear indication that they have been proven false.

“This makes the enforcement actions taken against journalists even more questionable,” he added.

The initiative has drawn scrutiny from policymakers and industry stakeholders.

Ten PKR MPs had previously issued a joint statement opposing the proposed introduction of TURAP.

They cited concerns over overlapping systems alongside existing and planned government platforms. They raised questions over efficiency, transparency and market concentration.

PKR is the party of Anwar Ibrahim.

Opposition parties like Muda and Perikatan Nasional have slammed the Human Resources Ministry for lodging a police report against Nantha’s article on Turap.

According to reports, Nantha was called in on April 1 to give a statement under Section 203A of the Penal Code for alleged unauthorised disclosure of information and under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

This article (Allies question raid on journalist over Malaysia’s foreign worker system report) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: On Thursday evening (April 30), the Workers’ Party issued a statement on the conclusion of the disciplinary process that began after the High Court said on Dec 4, 2025, that it upheld the decision finding the party’s Secretary-General Pritam Singh guilty of two counts of lying to the Committee of Privileges in Parliament.

The WP said that its highest decision-making body, the Central Executive Committee (CEC), had met on April 28 and 29 concerning the report from the Disciplinary Panel that had been convened over the matter. Mr Singh, together with the party’s chair and vice chair, Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap, respectively, had recused themselves from the meeting.

“The DP found that there was a contravention of Articles 20(1) and 30 of the Party Constitution by reason of the findings by the Court. The CEC accepted the findings of the DP in respect of the contravention,” the WP said.

However, the statement added that the “CEC separately considered that, at all material times, Mr 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, and his actions ultimately reflected judgment calls that he had to make.”

Concerning actions to be taken against the WP Chief, the CEC has since issued a formal letter of reprimand to Mr Singh.

Who is in the WP’s CEC?

Aside from Mr Singh, Ms Lim, and Mr Faisal, here is the list of the Workers’ Party’s CEC members.

• Treasurer: He Ting Ru

• Deputy Treasurers: Nathaniel Koh, Kenneth Tiong Organising Secretary: Dennis Tan Lip Fong

• Deputy Organising Secretaries: Ang Boon Yaw, Foo Seck Guan Kenneth, Tan Kong Soon, Fadli Fawzi, Abdul Muhaimin Bin AbdulMalik 

• Head, Media Team: Chua Kheng Wee Louis

• Deputy Heads, Media Team: Lee Li Lian, Andre Low Head, Policy Research: Gerald Giam

• Deputy Head, Policy Research: Jamus Lim

• Youth Wing President: Eileen Chong

• Committee Member: Low Thia Khiang

It began with a lie

In August 2021, former WP Member of Parliament Ms Khan told Parliament about a sexual assault victim whom she accompanied to a police station, where she alleged that the victim was treated insensitively. A few days later, she admitted to the party leaders that the story she told in Parliament was untrue. After meeting with Mr Singh, WP chair Sylvia Lim, and vice chair Faisal Manap, she appeared to interpret their advice as to stay silent about the lie she had told.

By October, however, she met with the WP leaders again, who agreed that she should correct the lie she had told, and on Nov 1, 2021, she admitted in Parliament that the story she told was untrue.

By December, a Parliamentary Committee of Privileges (COP) had been convened to investigate the matter, and questions arose as to the advice he had given Ms Khan as to telling the truth. Mr Singh testified before the committee, and it was this testimony that later became the basis for the criminal charges filed against him.

In February 2022, the COP recommended a S$35,000 fine for Ms Khan, as well as referred Mr Singh and Mr Faisal to the Public Prosecutor for their conduct during the investigation.

After further investigations were held, Mr Singh was formally charged with two counts of lying to the COP on March 19, 2024. He was found guilty of this charge on Feb 17, 2025, and fined S$14,000. Although he appealed his conviction, on Dec 4, 2025, the High Court upheld the decision.

The WP then announced that it would carry out an internal disciplinary process concerning Mr Singh. /TISG

Read also: WP disciplinary panel completes probe into Pritam Singh after High Court ruling

This article (Formal letter of reprimand issued to Pritam Singh by WP CEC) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.