Workers' Party (WP) leaders Leon Perera and Nicole Seah have resigned from the party after having an extramarital affair.
The announcement was made by WP Secretary-General Pritam Singh at a press conference on Jul. 19.
Affair began after GE2020
According to Singh, both Perera and Seah admitted that they had an affair which began after the 2020 General Election (GE2020) but stopped some time ago.
Singh said some time around late 2020 and early 2021, he was informed by Perera's driver that Perera and Seah were meeting very often at restaurants and hotels.
The driver also claimed he saw both of them hugging each other and holding hands.
Singh added that there was no evidence or corroborative information to support this allegation, he said.
Perera said driver's claims are untrue
Singh also said that when he was informed of the matter, he asked Perera who said the allegations from his driver were untrue.
In addition, Perera shared that he was in an ongoing dispute with his driver and was about to terminate his driver's services.
He had also sought legal advice on the allegations of the driver.
Driver shared allegations with other WP members
Singh also said Perera's driver, over the course of the next few months, shared "substantively" the same information with other members of the party, including Sylvia Lim, Gerald Giam, Dennis Tan and Jamus Lim.
All of them sought clarifications from Perera who said the allegations did not have truth.
When other members approached Seah about the allegations, she also replied that there was no truth to the allegations.
Singh: Video on Jul. 17 was the first time all of us saw it
"When the video of Nicole and Leon emerged on Monday, that was the first time all of us saw it," Singh said.
Singh added that he immediately contacted Perera and Seah and arranged to meet them separately in the afternoon.
Both of them admitted to the affair, he said.
In the case of Perera, he admitted that he should have been more forthcoming about his driver's allegations when the WP members first approached him.
Received Nicole Seah's resignation on Jul. 18 and Leon Perera's on Jul. 19
Singh added that the party's central executive committee (CEC) met on the evening of Jul. 17 to discuss the matter and make a decision.
On Jul. 18, Singh said he received Seah's letter of resignation and Perera's on Jul. 19.
Perera also informed the acting Speaker of Parliament that he was resigning from his seat.
Would have recommended that Leon Perera be expelled if he did not resign
Singh then said the constitution of the WP requires candidates to be honest and frank in their dealings with the party and people of Singapore.
Perera's conduct fell short of the standards expected of him as a WP Member of Parliament as he had not been truthful with the party and its leadership, Singh highlighted.
"This is unacceptable," he said.
"Had he not offered his resignation, I would have recommended to the CEC that he be expelled from the party," Singh added.
"From the moment the party was made aware of the video, we moved as quickly as we could, bearing in mind that we needed to be fair to everyone, get to the bottom of matters and put things right, and we did so."
Singh then said, "I would like to request all Singaporeans to give both Leon and Nicole the space to heal and to be with their families, and their loved ones. As you can imagine, this must be a difficult time for them."
Who is Leon Perera?
Attained a double degree from Oxford
Perera holds a Double First Class Honor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Exeter College, Oxford University.
He was awarded Oxford’s Gibbs Prize in Politics in his graduating year.
He was also a public service commission (PSC) scholar.
In addition, Perera is currently a member of the Economic Society of Singapore, the Singapore Institute of Directors and the EDB Society.
Was a former civil servant
Perera began his career as a senior officer with the Singapore Economic Development Board’s (EDB) International Business Development Division, serving first in the policy planning function supporting Singapore’s regional investments.
He then served as Assistant Head in the EDB’s Enterprise Development Division, assisting large Singaporean companies grow in the service sector.
Went into the private sector
Perera then joined Asia Market Intelligence Business Consulting, establishing the firm's Singapore office.
He also co-founded the Spire Research and Consulting Group in the year 2000 and served as its Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2021.
Joined WP in 2013 as a member
Perera joined the WP in 2013 as a member.
He then contested in the 2015 General Election (GE2015) as one of the WP's candidates for East Coast GRC.
Subsequently, in September 2015, he was elected as a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) in Singapore’s 13th Parliament.
During the 2020 General Election, Perera was one of the WP's candidates for Aljunied GRC, and was eventually voted into parliament as a full-fledged MP.
In December 2020, he was also elected to the WP's central executive committee and was re-elected to it once more in November 2022.
Who is Nicole Seah?
Was the youngest candidate for the NSP in the 2011 General Election
Seah contested in the 2011 General Election as the National Solidarity Party's (NSP) youngest candidate at the age of 24.
She became the party's second assistant secretary-general in 2013, according to The Straits Times.
In 2014, she resigned from the NSP after moving to Bangkok for work.
She also did not run in GE2015, and said she would not be rejoining the NSP.
Seen with the WP in 2017
Following GE2015, Seah started volunteering with the WP's media team and also wrote parts of the WP 60th anniversary book launched in November 2017.
The WP also confirmed her status as a volunteer but did not elaborate at that time.
During the 2020 General Election (GE2020), Seah was unveiled as one of the WP's candidates for East Coast GRC.
She described the unexpected fielding of Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat to East Coast GRC on Nomination Day as a "curveball thrown our way 15 minutes before closing".
Following the election, she was also elected to the WP CEC in December 2020, and was re-elected to it once again in November 2022.
Left image via Leon Perera/Facebook, right image via Nicole Seah/Facebook