‘I fear impossible standards are being set’: Academic opines Minister Faishal need not have resigned over ‘lapse in judgment’

SINGAPORE: Singapore academic Walid J Abdullah has paid tribute to former Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Professor Faishal Ibrahim following his resignation, describing him as one of the few people in positions of power who remained “nice and humble” and questioning whether stepping down had been necessary.

In a Facebook post published after Prof Faishal announced his resignation on July 20, Dr Walid reflected on the former minister’s tenure, particularly his efforts to rebuild ties between the Government and the Malay/Muslim community.

He said Prof Faishal inherited the Muslim Affairs portfolio during what he described as a difficult period in government-community relations, after trust had been damaged during his predecessor Masagos Zulkifli’s tenure.

According to Prof Walid, Prof Faishal had focused on repairing those ties over the past year by reaching out to a wide range of people, including those who strongly disagreed with him.

“Prof Faishal tried to engage as many people as he could, including those who disagreed with him vehemently,” he wrote.

Drawing on his own interactions with the former minister, Prof Walid said they had shared “quite a few tense exchanges” but added that Prof Faishal had always been willing to listen, even when the conversations were difficult.

“I had quite a few tense exchanges with him, but he was always gracious enough to hear me out, even when I may not have been kind with my words,” he said.

Prof Walid also questioned whether resignation was warranted based on the information that has been made public so far, while acknowledging that not all the details of the matter are known.

“Given what we know about the matter (though granted, we do not have the full information), did he need to resign? I don’t think so,” he wrote.

He expressed concern that the expectations placed on political office holders could become so high that they discourage younger Singaporeans from entering politics. “I fear that impossible standards are being set, and younger people may be deterred from stepping up to serve in politics,” he said.

Assessing the resignation in terms of its impact on the country, Prof Walid said he believed Singapore was worse off without Prof Faishal serving in government.

“And the criteria I would use is: is Singapore better off today than yesterday? I think the answer is no. He was a good Minister for the country,” he wrote.

The academic urged Singaporeans to remember Prof Faishal’s broader record of public service rather than allow the circumstances surrounding his resignation to define his legacy.

He said, “When the dust settles, I hope people will remember his two decades of public service, and how his one year as Minister was pivotal in restoring some of the lost trust mentioned above.”