Workers Party Secretary-General Pritam Singh would have recommended that Leon Perera and Nicole Seah be expelled from the party if they did not offer their resignations.

Expulsion if no resignations offered

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (Jul. 19) afternoon, Singh, alongside WP chairman Sylvia Lim, announced that Perera and Seah have resigned from WP after having an extramarital affair.

The Leader of the Opposition said:

"Leon's conduct and not being truthful when asked by the party leadership about the allegations fell short of the standards expected of Workers Party MPs (Members of Parliament). This is unacceptable.

Had he not offered his resignation, I would recommend it to the CEC (Central Executive Committee) that he be expelled from the party."

In a statement after the press conference, WP said that Singh would have also recommended Seah's expulsion from the party if she did not resign.

Here is WP's full statement:

"The Workers’ Party held a press conference today (Jul. 19, 2023) announcing the resignations of Leon Perera and Nicole Seah from the Party, following evidence of their inappropriate relationship surfacing earlier this week.

While the party deeply regrets the loss of these two experienced and effective members, this action was necessary to uphold the high standards that the party believes in. As outlined in the party's constitution, members are required to be honest and frank in their dealings with the party and Singaporeans.

Leon and Nicole were not truthful in accounting for their behaviour and fell short in this regard. Had they not offered their resignations, the party secretary-general would have recommended their expulsion from the party.

The Party is now undertaking steps to ensure that all Serangoon residents in Aljunied GRC will continue to be taken care of, and that we will continue to stand with them and be their voices in parliament."

Being frank and honest is in WP's constitution

During the press conference, Singh was asked if WP took a similar approach in handling Perera and Seah's case after looking at how the People's Action Party (PAP) handled Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui's affair.

Singh replied:

"Now the reasoning is different. I think I would have recommended that Leon be expelled from the party if he didn't offer his resignation.

The reason is not because of what happened, because of the affair. The reason was because the party has an Article in its constitution that it holds very, very close to its heart, and that is being frank and honest as a party member— in this particular case, as a candidate, a former candidate— in your dealings with the party and the people of Singapore.

And if you fall foul of that, then the consequences are severe."

Singh reiterated that Perera was not "being upfront" with the party leadership when he was first confronted about the allegations.

"There was a duty to be to be frank and honest to the party, and this is how we have to convince Singaporeans of their faith and confidence in the Workers Party," said Singh.

Perera is a "highly, highly effective" MP

Singh also said that Perera is a "highly, highly effective" Member of Parliament (MP), who has been effective both in parliament and on the ground.

"The Workers Party in Parliament will lose an important member of our team," he said, and added:

"But there are other things that we cannot ignore. Standards have to be kept and party discipline is incredibly important if we want to be a serious party in advancing the interest of Singapore and Singaporeans. So that's how the decision was made."

@mothershipsg 'Leon is a highly, highly effective MP': Pritam Singh #tiktoksg #singapore #fyp ♬ original sound - Mothership

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Top images via Mothership, Workers' Party/FB & Nicole Seah/FB.