'Better' if Pritam Singh & Faisal Manap had clarified much sooner: Goh Pei Ming on previous claims that Noor Deros 'gatecrashed' WP event

Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming said on Nov. 4 that Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh had admitted in parliament that he had made inaccurate statements about religious teacher Noor Deros, both during the General Election campaign and in parliament.

Responding to Singh's explanation in parliament on Nov. 4, the MOS for Social and Family Development also said it was inaccurate for Singh to claim that there was "no indication" that Deros would be joining WP's meeting or that he had "gatecrashed" the event.

"It would have been better if Mr Singh and Mr Faisal Manap had cleared the air much sooner and not allowed Singaporeans to be misled for so long," Goh said in a statement issued by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Parliamentary exchange between Indranee and Singh on Deros' invitation

During their exchange, Indranee had also questioned Singh's use of the phrase "nobody whom no one really knows" to describe Deros, noting that it gives the impression Deros was unfamiliar to the WP, Faisal, or the other candidates at the April 2025 meeting.

She added that it was "quite clear" that he only learned on Oct. 21 that Deros had been invited.

However, she asked what prompted Singh to use the term "gatecrash" before that date.

Singh said that he had the impression that no WP member had specifically sought out Deros, which led him to use the term "gatecrash".

Indranee noted the difference between saying someone was "not specifically sought out" and calling them a "gatecrash", suggesting they were not supposed to be there.

Not "gatecrashing" as Deros was invited: Goh

In his statement, Goh said that Deros was invited, noting that WP Vice Chair Faisal Manap was "informed beforehand" that Deros would be in attendance.

"That is not 'gatecrashing'," he said.

Goh also said it was inaccurate for Singh to describe Deros as someone "who really no one knows", as Faisal did know him.

"These inaccurate statements were conveyed to voters during the GE and were repeated in Parliament," he said, adding that it had taken "many months" for the clarifications to surface.

"They might not have done so if Mr Deros himself had not publicly refuted Mr Singh's account of what happened, calling it 'irresponsible',” Goh added.

Glad that Singh clarified matter

Goh also said that he is glad that Singh has now clarified the matter.

However, he added that it "would have been better" if Singh and Faisal had "cleared the air much sooner" so that Singaporeans will not be "misled for so long".

He also noted that Faisal is "not an ordinary WP member", but the party's vice-chairman and a member of its central executive committee.

"All parliamentarians, and all political parties, have a responsibility to uphold high standards of integrity in our politics and political discourse."

Top images via & Global Anti-Scam Alliance & MDDI/YouTube