The Workers’ Party (WP) would like to clarify that it's not raising funds for the three Members of Parliament (MPs) - Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim, Pritam Singh - in the current civil suit against them.

In a Facebook post this morning (Oct 26), WP announced that they are aware that the three MPs are undertaking a private fundraising effort but it is "not involved in that effort".

WP NCMP Daniel Goh had also verified on Oct 25. that the appeal for donations is legitimate, and told Channel NewsAsia that "the website belongs to the three defendants" and is not linked to WP.

In its post, WP also urged members of the public to be extremely wary of donating money to any persons claiming to represent the WP.

The note by WP may be in reference to the overwhelming positive public response to the trio regarding their call for public donations.

Donations started pouring in after the call for funds was made on Oct. 24 on their blog to help the trio with their mounting legal fees and potential bankruptcy.

This unprecedented public giving occurred after the WP MPs revealed they had spent close to S$600,000 of their own personal money on their legal fees, with no funds coming from WP itself.

In slightly more than 24 hours, they received S$477,653.

Pritam Singh: "Singapore and Singaporeans are worth it"

In a Facebook post shared on Oct. 25 at about 6.14pm, shortly after Singh stepped down from the stand on the 15th day of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council trial, he repeated the public call for donations and elaborated further about his objectives:

"My family and friends have been asking me why I do what I do and why my colleagues and I have continued to press on in spite of the allegations that seek to bury us.

The answer is simple.

Singapore and Singaporeans are worth it."

All three MPs have since stepped down from the witness stand in the AHTC trial.

 

 

 

Public appeal for donations

The MPs said in their In Good Faith blog that if they lose the suits and are adjudged to pay large sums of money, but are unable to pay, they would face bankruptcy.

It is understood that being declared bankrupts would have a bearing on their chances of running in the next election.

The MPs and two other town councillors are facing two suits over S$33.7 million in alleged improper payments -- one brought by Aljunied-Hougang Town Council as directed by an independent panel, and the other by Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council.

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Top photo from Mothership.sg.