Faishal Ibrahim resigns due to ‘lapse of judgment’ over female member of the public

SINGAPORE: The resignation of Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim from political office, as a Member of Parliament (MP), as well as from the People’s Action Party (PAP), was announced on Monday (July 20) after interactions with a woman that “fell short” of the standards expected of him.

His letter to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, as well as PM Wong’s statement on the matter, have been made public.

Associate Professor Faishal was Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs. He has also been an MP since 2006, first at Marine Parade, then at Nee Soon, and most recently at Marine Parade–Braddell Heights.

“A situation has arisen involving my conduct with a female member of the public. While there was no physical relationship between us, and I did not intend for the interactions to develop into one, there was a lapse of judgment on my part in the way I handled the interactions, and in failing to establish clearer boundaries at an earlier stage,” wrote Assoc Prof Faishal.

He acknowledged that his conduct had fallen short and was inconsistent with the responsibilities he had been given and added that he decided it was “right for me to step away from politics” to devote his time and attention to his family.

The Prime Minister said in his statement that he had accepted Assoc Prof Faishal’s resignation. 

However, he shed further light on the matter, writing that the Prime Minister’s Office had received an email from a woman regarding her interactions with Assoc Prof Faishal. 

“I asked for the matter to be looked into immediately,” wrote PM Wong, adding that both Assoc Prof Faishal and the woman were spoken to separately.

“Most of their interactions took place through online messages. They also met on the sidelines of public events. Both parties subsequently made allegations of harassment against each other, and the matter was referred to the Police. The Police investigated the allegations,” he wrote.

While the investigation, together with a consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, showed that there had been no criminal offence and therefore no criminal action would be taken, the Prime Minister added that the question remained concerning Assoc Prof Faishal’s conduct and the standards expected of him.

Noting that he has since tendered his resignation, PM Wong acknowledged the significant contributions Assoc Prof Faishal has made in over 20 years of public service.

“He played key roles in advancing initiatives that strengthened community resilience, supported the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders, and improved the outcomes for vulnerable families,” the Prime Minister noted.

His statement added that Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad will be appointed Acting Minister for Muslim Affairs, and Assoc Prof Faishal’s fellow MPs at Marine Parade–Braddell Heights will take over his duties. /TISG

Read also: Faishal Ibrahim taking MRT to escape traffic jam leads to commenters’ questions