Faishal Ibrahim's sudden resignation a loss to Malay-Muslim community, big shoes to fill for Zaqy Mohamad: Analysts

Just slightly over a year after taking over the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs portfolio, Faishal Ibrahim has resigned from political office, as well as from Parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP), over his "interactions" with a female member of the public.

According to a Jul. 20 statement by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Faishal and the woman had interacted through online messages and met on the sidelines of public events.

In his resignation letter, Faishal wrote that there was neither a physical relationship between them nor the intention to develop one on his part, but acknowledged that he failed to "establish clearer boundaries at an earlier stage".

The Attorney-General's Chambers assessed that no criminal offence was committed, but the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs accepted that his conduct "fell short" of what is expected of a political office holder and Member of Parliament (MP).

Zaqy Mohamad, who entered politics at the same time as Faishal in 2006, is now Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.

The resignation of Faishal, who did well to connect and engage with the Malay-Muslim community, is a loss to the community.

This was also acknowledged by former President Halimah Yacob.

She said that Faishal "was, frankly, everywhere in his effort to personally reach out and assuage the (Malay-Muslim) community that he heard them and was trying to address their concerns".

Faishal leaves Zaqy with big shoes to fill, and the PAP with some gaps in leadership.

The gap Faishal leaves behind

Faishal's sudden resignation leaves in its wake significant gaps, analysts told Mothership.

The Muslim Affairs ministerial appointment is a crucial cabinet portfolio, with the office holder playing a central role in shaping laws and policies that affect the welfare of the Malay-Muslim community.

Walid Jumblatt Bin Abdullah, Associate Professor at the Nanyang Technological University School of Social Sciences, explained that the office comes with "serious powers".

For instance, he recommends council members to Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), the Muslim religious authority of Singapore.

The significance of Faishal's resignation lies in losing him as Muslim affairs minister, owing to the good work he has done during his tenure to "repair" the goodwill with the Malay-Muslim community, Walid commented.

"I think he did a really good job in the past year, also trying to engage different people within the Muslim community and really trying to have a big-tent approach towards embracing the Muslims," Walid commented.

"He was someone who was really able to bridge the relationship between the government and the people," the professor also said.

Eugene Tan, political analyst and Professor of Law at Singapore Management University (SMU), echoed this sentiment, saying, "Faishal was popular on the ground with his unassuming ways and ease of connecting with people."

His resignation is a "significant setback" for the PAP's 4G leadership.

Tan also pointed out that Faishal was appointed to the Muslim Affairs office "to shore up support of the Malay-Muslim ground" after the 2025 General Election.

With Faishal's departure, the PAP government will have to "beef up the representation and leadership" within the Malay-Muslim community.

Apart from Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, there is no other Malay MP who is a full minister, Tan observed.

Zaqy is a Senior Minister of State (SMS).

Rahayu Mazham and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim are Ministers of State (MOS), while Syed Harun is a Senior Parliamentary Secretary.

"This is a gap that will take some time to plug," Tan remarked.

He also said that the PAP will have to pay "even more attention" to the Malay-Muslim ground, in a variety of other ways.

Big shoes to fill for Zaqy

This also means the new Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs will have big shoes to fill.

Zaqy's appointment is "at least the first step" being taken by the PAP to ensure someone is taking over, Teo Kay Key, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said.

The PAP's quick response also indicates that there are people who will be taking up the work in Faishal's absence.

"But it still means that the community will need to get used to a new minister," Teo added.

She opined that Zaqy has cycled through multiple political office holder appointments and has been SMS since 2020, putting him on comparable footing with Faishal in terms of experience.

Tan pointed out that, for Zaqy, there will be a "steep learning curve" and "building trust and confidence will be even more demanding".

However, Tan also said that the acting minister will "step up even as this role is thrust upon him".

Walid made the observation that when Faishal was made Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, he was promoted from Minister of State to SMS. At that point, Zaqy had already been SMS.

Zaqy is not starting from zero, however.

Under Faishal, there was a "division of labour", in which Faishal oversaw MUIS while Zaqy oversaw Mendaki, Walid said.

At a media doorstop, Zaqy expressed sadness at Faishal's departure and noted that he had worked closely with him for close to 20 years, most recently on the Mendaki 2030 and the Tunas programme.

"I'm sorry that this has happened, but I can assure the community that I will continue to engage and better understand the needs of the Muslim community," Zaqy said.

He noted in a separate Facebook post that many in the community are "disappointed and saddened".

"I will do my best to serve the community as the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, working closely with all our stakeholders and community leaders in the days ahead," he also said.

Independent political analyst Felix Tan, on the other hand, thinks that the changes will not have a "major impact" on the Malay-Muslim community, noting that the circumstances of this change in office holder are "quite different" from the previous one.

When Faishal was picked to take over the Muslim Affairs portfolio from Masagos, the debate was largely "about representation and public confidence in the role", he elaborated.

In Faishal's case, it was a matter of personal conduct. "There was no comparable public backlash over his ability to discharge his official responsibilities," Tan said.

"Whoever takes over the portfolio will inevitably have their own style and priorities, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a major shift in policy or engagement," he remarked.

He also commented that the broader relationship between the PAP and the Malay-Muslim community is "unlikely to hinge on the appointment of any single minister".

Did it warrant a resignation?

Faishal's resignation over his interactions with a female member of the public is the latest in several similar departures from the PAP camp in the past.

Based on what is publicly known about the circumstances surrounding his resignation, Walid asked if it was warranted.

"The standards are getting higher and higher in terms of what disqualifies an MP," he commented.

While he does not object to such heightened standards when it comes to competence or fiduciary duties, Walid noted that Faishal's case was a "personal" matter.

"I don't think he should have resigned," he opined, reiterating that he found Faishal to be a good minister.

This is also echoed by former NMP Calvin Cheng, saying that "one has to balance losing a good minister/MP , with small failings that all human beings have".

For Teo, the way the PAP has handled indiscretions by its members suggests that the party has "certain expectations" of its members' behaviour.

"And when they fall short, they will need to face consequences," Teo said.

Tan commented that both the PAP and the Workers' Party have set "varying benchmarks of sorts, and they cannot and do not want to be seen to be soft on them".

"Ultimately, the PAP is not prepared to have an individual MP or political office holder get in the way of its political messaging and becoming a political distraction or even a political liability. It’s an albatross around its neck that it would rather not have," he continued.

However, with the number of similar cases from its camp, Tan said that it will be a political setback as the PAP prides itself on "integrity in governance and virtue in its leadership".

Independent political analyst Felix Tan differed on this, finding that the political backlash on the PAP is "likely to be fairly limited".

He also said, "At this stage, it remains unclear whether the matter involved personal misconduct or simply a lapse in judgment, and it would be premature to draw firm conclusions."

Cabinet reshuffle?

It is now more than one year since GE2025, and a cabinet reshuffle may already be on the horizon.

Faishal's resignation comes about two months after then-Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon stepped down from political office.

These movements may hasten the process for a reshuffle, Teo said.

Meanwhile, Tan doesn't see the business of government being "materially affected", but it's "a loss all the same".

"It may also point to unevenness in its bench strength and political renewal and succession for the Indian and Malay representation," he said, agreeing that the Prime Minister might bring forward cabinet reshuffle plans.

Notably, Faishal's role in the Ministry of Home Affairs and work on the fight against drugs and radicalisation "will have to be addressed".

Faishal's role in lowering recidivism was acknowledged by Minister Masagos Zulkifli. 

Independent political analyst Tan said there appears to be "no pressing need" for a broader cabinet reshuffle, repeating the point that it is "premature to read too much into these developments".

"Particularly when there are still many unanswered questions and the broader picture has yet to emerge," he added.

No by-election

In a Jul. 20 media doorstop with Minister for Education and Chairman of the PAP Desmond Lee, it was announced that Faishal's resignation will not lead to a by-election for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, which went uncontested in GE2025.

However, Faishal was the minority representative for the GRC.

Tan explained that the law does not require it, referencing the Court of Appeal's 2019 decision which concerned the minority seat vacated by Halimah Yacob to contest in the 2017 Presidential Election.

When President Tharman Shanmugaratnam vacated his Jurong GRC seat to run for the 2023 Presidential Election, no by-election was called either.

"It’s more a political choice, bearing in mind the political imperatives and context," he continued.

In this case, Parliament is "not even one year into its five-year term".

Teo also commented that there had been past cases in which a by-election was not called, despite a vacant minority representative GRC seat.

Other examples include when Raeesah Khan resigned from her seat in Sengkang GRC in 2020 and when Minister S Iswaran vacated his in West Coast GRC in 2024, both of which did not result in by-elections.

Closing the gaps

Fellow GRC MP and Minister of State Goh Pei Ming assured residents in a Facebook post that Faishal's MP duties will be picked up and covered by the rest of the team, which also includes Tin Pei Ling, Diana Pang, and Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng.

"Our immediate priority now is to continue our care and support for Kembangan residents, as we continue to care for and support our respective divisions in the GRC," Tin also said.

At a media doorstop held in Faishal's Kembangan ward at Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, Lee said, "Maintaining high standards of integrity and conduct is fundamental to the PAP, and we will continue to hold ourselves to those standards."

He was later seen speaking to residents at a meet-the-people session, alongside the four other GRC MPs.

Lee also told the media that the team will serve all residents, and further arrangements to strengthen the team will be made in due course.

Zaqy had also hit the ground running, attending a MUIS scholarship event in his new capacity the same evening his appointment was announced.

Faishal's resignation is a loss owing to his performance, and the gap he leaves behind needs to be filled.

The PAP MPs and the new office holder appear to be making sure that this is as seamless as can be.