Parliament will debate Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh's convictions when it sits in January next year, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah on Wednesday (Dec 17).
In a statement issued in her capacity as Leader of the House, Indranee said the matter will be raised for discussion at the upcoming Parliament sitting.
"It is necessary for Parliament to take notice of Mr Singh's actions and convictions, and deliberate on an appropriate response. This matter will therefore be raised for discussion at the upcoming sitting of Parliament in January 2026," the House Leader said.
Singh, who is also the Workers' Party's (WP) chief, had his appeal against his convictions for lying to a parliamentary committee in 2021 dismissed by the High Court on Dec 4.
The High Court found that the two counts of lying to the committee were supported by evidence.
Justice Steven Chong who delivered the verdict said: "From the time (Singh) learnt about the untruth to the time it was decided Ms (Raeesah) Khan should clarify the truth... the appellant was hoping that he would not have to deal with it."
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Singh said he was "disappointed" with the verdict, but accepted the judgment "fully and without reservation".
"I certainly took too long to Raeesah's lies in Parliament. I take responsibility for that," Singh added.
Turning to the court's findings, Indranee highlighted that the facts are "disturbing".
She said: "When Mr Singh testified to the Committee of Privileges, he falsely stated on oath that on both occasions (August 2021 and October 2021) he had wanted Ms Khan to clarify the matter in Parliament and tell the truth."
Khan first lied in Parliament on Aug 3, 2021, in a speech where she claimed that she had accompanied a 25-year-old victim of sexual assault to a police station and alleged that the police had treated the victim insensitively.
On Oct 4, 2021, in an exchange with Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Khan maintained her lie and refused to provide more details, citing confidentiality concerns.
Singh was found to have told Khan, at a meeting after the first lie, to take her lie "to the grave".
He was also found to have said, a day before the second lie was told in Parliament, that he would not judge her if she maintained her lie.
Referring to these facts, Indranee said that lying under oath is a "serious matter".
"In some countries, leaders who had lied, cheated or flagrantly broken the law still escape any legal or political consequences. We cannot accept such standards in Singapore," she said.
Indranee noted that Singh, as the WP's leader, had indicated before that Khan and former WP MP Leon Perera would both have been expelled had they not resigned.
"The Workers' Party has said that it will study the High Court's judgement in Mr Singh's case. It is up to the Workers' Party to decide what it intends to do in light of the court judgement — that he had lied under oath — and Mr Singh's acceptance of the judgement, fully and without reservation," the House Leader said.
She also reminded members of parliament that they have a sacred duty to uphold the rule of law and maintain honesty and integrity in their conduct.
"We cannot talk about having a First World Parliament or providing robust checks and balances unless MPs on both sides of the aisle hold themselves to high standards of conduct," Indranee said, adding that Parliament will discuss the matter at its next sitting "whatever the course of action the Workers' Party may take".
In a statement issued hours after Indranee's, WP said that "internal processes" have been initiated in light of the High Court’s judgment on Dec 4.
The political party added that further updates on the matter will be given in due course.
Parliament will sit in January at a date to be announced.
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