No by-election in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC after Faishal Ibrahim resignation: Desmond Lee

There will not be a by-election following Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim's resignation, said People's Action Party (PAP) chairman Desmond Lee on Jul. 20.

Faishal, who served as Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, and Member of Parliament for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, had earlier announced his resignation from his political offices, role as an MP, and a member of the People's Action Party.

No by-election

Speaking to the media at the PAP Kembangan branch in Eunos, Lee, who is also the education minister, said the key was whether the residents' needs are adequately provided for.

"In this case, the four other MPs for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC will step up, step forward, put in extra effort to ensure that the residents of Kembangan are taken care of," he said.

He added that further arrangements would be made in due course to strengthen the GRC team.

Have to maintain high standards of integrity

Lee said maintaining high standards of integrity and conduct remained fundamental to the PAP, and that they will continue to hold themselves to those standards.

He also paid tribute to Faishal's contributions:

"Professor Faishal has made significant contributions to Singapore over his two decades of public service... And as an MP, he also served his residents diligently and with commitment."

Lee thanked Faishal for his "many years of dedication, service, and sacrifice to Singapore".

Commitment to Malay-Muslim community remains unchanged

In response to Mothership's question on how Faishal's resignation could affect the Malay-Muslim community and the PAP's relationship with it, Lee said the government's commitment remained unchanged.

The resignation marks the second change to the Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs portfolio in less than a year.

Faishal had taken over as Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs from Masagos Zulkifli after the 2025 General Election (GE).

It was earlier announced that Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability and the Environment Zaqy Mohamad would assume the role of Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs.

Lee acknowledged that the Malay-Muslim community would have concerns.

"Certainly, the Malay and Muslim community will be concerned because the Minister for Muslim Affairs looks after their specific issues, concerns, and aspirations, but our commitment, the PAP government's commitment to the Malay-Muslim community, as well as all communities in Singapore, remains firm and clear."

He added that the government would support Zaqy in representing the community's concerns and aspirations, as well as addressing the concerns they have.

Historical precedent

There is historical precedent for not holding a by-election if an MP steps down with the Parliamentary term still to run, as there is no requirement under the law.

This holds true even if that MP is the designated minority member in that GRC, to fulfill the need for racial representation under Singapore's GRC rules.

Previously, Halimah Yacob resigned as both MP and Speaker of Parliament in order to stand in the 2017 Presidential Election.

Then National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said he and the other MPs in the GRC, Alex Yam and Ong Teng Koon, would fill in to serve residents in her ward.

In 2021, Workers' Party MP for Sengkang Raeesah Khan resigned as an MP following an untruth she told in Parliament and the subsequent fallout.

The other MPs proceeded to split the GRC between them, with Faisal Manap assisting in an advisory capacity.

In 2024, then-Transport Minister S Iswaran resigned his roles, including that of an MP for West Coast GRC after the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau had given him formal notice of charges. Iswaran would later serve a jail term.

Coincidentally, Desmond Lee was also a fellow MP in West Coast GRC then. He said the other MPs would continue to serve the residents and have stepped up to cover Iswaran's duties as MP on the ground.

However, this has not stopped others from calling for a by-election to be held, with Ravi Philemon of RDU advocating for one.

Code of conduct for officeholders and MPs

When asked about the boundaries MPs should observe, given that they frequently communicate with residents through WhatsApp and social media, Lee said the PAP's code of conduct applies across all forms of engagement.

"The code of conduct for all officeholders and MPs applies to our everyday actions, whether it's physical interactions, whether it's online communications, whether it is in the things that we say and do."

"When it comes to online communication, this applies with equal force," he said.

When asked whether the incident had damaged public trust in the PAP, Lee said such situations were "always painful" and "always difficult".

"People, of course, will be concerned... We will double down on looking out for their interests and needs in order to maintain public trust."

"We will work doubly hard": Seah Kian Peng

Separately, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, who led the Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC team at the 2025 GE, said his team will continue look after residents of the constituency.

Seah spoke alongside Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MPs Goh Pei Ming and Diana Pang at the Kembangan branch, adding that Tin Pei Ling was overseas.

"I have known Professor Faishal Ibrahim for over 20 years, and I'm proud to call him my friend," he said. "His departure from the team will be felt very much by, not just us, but this team of volunteers and grassroots leaders, and certainly by his residents."

Seah also revealed that he had spoken to Faishal over the weekend.

"Before I could utter my very first words, he said to me, 'Kian Peng, I am sorry, sorry to the residents, sorry to my team of volunteers, and sorry to the four of us'," he recounted.

"We had a good conversation, and I told him we will miss him and please take care of yourself and your family."

Seah also assured residents that the team's commitments would remain unchanged.

"I want to assure not just residents in Kembangan, but residents in our GRC, as a team, that the commitments we've made to all of you... will not change. We will maintain it, and we will make sure we deliver."

"We will step forward, and we will work doubly hard," he affirmed.

Asked how responsibilities would be redistributed, Seah said community initiatives would continue as planned.

"We have quite a few that we will be announcing in the months ahead. So that will not change."

He added that the team would take a few days to work out the division of responsibilities, but will share the arrangements once they are finalised.

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