PMO: LO office to remain vacant until WP 'ready to nominate someone to take on this responsibility'

The Singapore government accepted the Workers' Party's Jan. 21 decision not to nominate another WP Member of Parliament (MP) as the new Leader of the Opposition (LO).

In a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the same day, it concurred with the WP's reasoning that "the leader of the main opposition party in Parliament is indeed the natural choice to serve as Leader of the Opposition (LO)."

"However, we are in an exceptional situation. Mr Singh has been criminally convicted by the Courts of lying to Parliament, and Parliament has resolved that his conviction and conduct render him unsuitable to continue in the role.

In other jurisdictions, members convicted of crimes involving dishonesty or lying under oath would ordinarily have resigned. This has not happened here."

"The Government accepts that decision," the statement concluded.

It added that the LO's position will remain vacant until such time that the WP is "ready to nominate someone to take on this responsibility."