A petition calling for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to reject the resignation of Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, former Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, has appeared online.

The petition, titled "Urge the Prime Minister of Singapore to reject Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim's resignation", has accumulated 390 signatures within a day after Faishal resigned from public office.

He relinquished his roles as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, and People's Action Party member, as a result of resigning from political office.

Resignation

In his Jul. 20 resignation letter to PM Wong, Faishal said his decision followed a situation involving his conduct with a female member of the public.

He also said there was no physical relationship between them and that he had not intended for their interactions to develop into one.

Petition

The petition called on disallowing Faishal's resignation so that he can continue serving the people of Singapore.

“His work matters because Singapore needs experienced, steady public leaders who understand the realities people face and can keep serving without disruption,” the petition read.

The petition starter also argued that Faishal was a capable leader whose departure would result in the loss of the relationships and ongoing work that Singapore residents rely on.

The goal is 10,000 signatures.

It does not appear that those who log in and sign the petition need to verify that they are from Singapore.

Support after resignation

After Faishal resigned, former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng defended the former MP in a Jul. 20 Facebook post, saying the public can decide on how to deal with Faishal's admission.

Cheng wrote:

“A good man should not have his whole career and life destroyed for something like this. How should this be handled?

Let him apologise and be transparent.

Then for his Muslim affairs position, let the community leaders decide.

For his MP position, carve his ward out as an SMC. Call a by-election. Let the people decide.

We don’t live in 17th century Puritan England. The people will understand.”

Faishal's work has also been lauded following his resignation.

Zaqy Mohamad, who is appointed Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, said in a Jul. 20 Facebook post that he has "great respect" for Faishal as a colleague.

Zaqy added that he had seen firsthand Faishal's dedication to the development of the Muslim community.

Former local actor Edmund Chen, who was previously sentenced to five days' jail for careless driving, had his jail term reduced to one day on Jul. 20, after a partially successful appeal.

According to a report by The Straits Times, Chen began his jail term immediately, and was released from prison at around 9pm later that night.

Chen, who is named in court documents as Tan Kai Yuan, was also disqualified from driving for five years.

He had injured a motorcyclist in March 2025 after colliding with the two-wheeler while changing lanes on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).

Released from prison at 9:40pm

Chen was released from Changi Prison Complex at about 9:40pm on Jul. 20, ST reported.

Speaking to the media after his release, Chen said in Mandarin: “I regret what I did, and fortunately the motorcyclist is recovering."

He added: "This experience has taught me that traffic safety cannot be taken lightly. I would like to tell other road users to be careful on the roads, because a single choice not only affects you, but also others."

He then thanked the media before leaving with his son, Chen Xi.

He is married to veteran actress Xiang Yun, and the couple also have a daughter, Chen Yixin.

His case

The court previously heard that Chen was driving along the leftmost lane of the four-lane AYE towards Central Expressway (CTE) in the afternoon of Mar. 4, 2025.

The first and second lanes led to the CTE, while the third and fourth lanes led to Keppel Road.

Intending to continue onto the CTE, Chen failed to position his car in time and instead tried to go into the second lane by braking abruptly and attempting to crossing the chevron markings in between.

Among other things, he allowed a car to pass him in the third lane before filtering sharply across the third lane.

In doing so, he collided with a motorcycle that was overtaking his car, causing grievous hurt to the rider.

Chen stopped immediately after the collision and rendered assistance.

The victim was subsequently sent to the hospital, where he underwent surgery and was found to have sustained multiple right-hand wrist fractures.

He was given 99 days of hospitalisation leave, but did not suffer any permanent disability.

District judge may have overstated number of relevant harm and culpability factors

It was previously reported that Justice Hri Kumar Nair had found that the five-day jail term was manifestly excessive.

He said the district judge may have overstated the number of relevant harm and culpability factors, while giving insufficient weight to mitigating factors.

He also noted that Chen had done all he reasonably could do after the collision by stopping promptly, assisting the victim and cooperating with the authorities.

Chen had previously pleaded guilty in court on Jan. 29 to one count of driving without reasonable consideration for other road users, resulting in an accident.

At the time, the prosecution had asked for a fine of between S$3,000 and S$5,000.

During the hearing on Jul. 20, Chen's new lawyer argued that the custodial threshold had not been crossed and sought the maximum fine of S$5,000 instead.

Dashcam footage of the incident was played in court, and Chen's lawyer noted that his client had turned his indicator lights on, and that the motorcycle had been temporarily obscured by a passing car as the road curved.

He also argued that the footage showed Chen had crossed the chevron markings only after the collision, challenging one of the district judge's sentencing considerations.

The defence further submitted that the victim's injuries were at the less severe end of the spectrum as they were confined to the wrist and the surgery was done under local anaesthesia.

Counsel said the maximum fine and five-year driving ban would be sufficient punishment, adding that Chen had been deeply traumatised by the incident and was unlikely to drive again.

The prosecution, on the other hand, said the case lay on the borderline between a high fine and a short custodial sentence.

It argued that while the district judge had imposed a sentence at the higher end of the range, there was no error warranting appellate intervention.

The prosecution also said the dashcam footage had shown Chen persisting with the manoeuvre despite being warned by the horns of two passing cars.

This demonstrated an intention to flout traffic rules, they said.

Related stories

A 26-year-old Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) captain was charged in court on Jul. 15 for the possession of sexually explicit child abuse materials and obscene films.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the captain, Dylan Yoon Ker Tern, had at least eight sexually explicit child abuse materials and 20 obscene films.

He is accused of committing the offences in a Geylang East flat on Aug. 21, 2025.

The court documents did not disclose if the sexually explicit child abuse materials were pictures or videos.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Ministry of Defence's spokesperson said that it is aware of Yoon's charges in the State Courts and that he has been suspended from all duties.

"The SAF holds its service personnel to high standards of discipline and integrity. Service personnel found to have committed offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law," its spokesperson said.

They added, "As court proceedings are ongoing, Mindef/SAF is unable to comment further on the case at this juncture."

Yoon's case will be heard again in court on Aug. 12, according to information on the Singapore Courts website.

Yoon could face up to five years' jail and a fine or caning for being in possession of sexually explicit child abuse materials.

For possessing obscene films, he can face up to six months' jail, up to S$20,000 fine, or both.

A man died after neighbours apparently fought at Block 55 Lengkok Bahru on Jul. 20.

The police told Mothership that they were alerted to the incident in Redhill at about 4:45pm on Monday.

Police found a 59-year-old man lying motionless at the 16th floor lift lobby.

The man died after he was taken to the hospital.

Another 59-year-old man was arrested at the scene.

Preliminary investigations revealed both men knew each other.

Lianhe Zaobao reported that the man who died was apparently stabbed in the abdomen.

The victim had allegedly retrieved a stick from his home and his neighbour apparently got hold of a knife before the fight, it was reported.

Photos from the scene showed hand print blood stains on the corridor wall.

A town council cleaner was subsequently seen cleaning up the bloodstains.

Both the perpetrator and victim lived about four to five units away from each other.

The victim allegedly would get drunk and used the corridor as a toilet, and was told by residents not to do so, a neighbour claimed.

The Straits Times reported that a resident said a knife was thrown from the 16th floor and it landed in front of a coffee shop.

The neighbours involved allegedly had a long-standing feud, another resident said.

They would apparently argue in the mornings from 7:30am.

A Singapore content creator, Kasey Avarielle Low, 28, recently shared her experience confronting a man at a HDB void deck.

He was allegedly taking photos of her butt while she was playing pickleball with friends, she said.

Her video has since racked up more than 500,000 views on Instagram.

Speaking to Mothership, Low said she decided to confront the man because she did not want to "leave it to chance" and let him get away with it.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kasey Avarielle Low (@kaseyavariellelow)

Noticed man taking photos

Low said she was playing pickleball with her friends at a public court in the Northeast area on Jul. 18, something she does every week.

Halfway through their game, one of her friends noticed a man "hiding" in a corner and seemingly taking photos of her.

The friend alerted her husband, and the pair observed the man holding his phone vertically and leaning to one side, as though he was zooming in.

A male friend approached the man to ask if he had been filming, but he denied it.

Although they were not completely certain the man had been taking photos, Low said she did not want to leave it to chance and decided to confront him herself.

"If I confronted and was wrong I would sincerely apologise, but if I wasn’t wrong, some random creep will get away with it again," she said.

Low said this was not the first time she had experienced such an incident, but that she had been too stunned to speak up on previous occasions.

This time, however, she said it was an easy decision to confront the man and clarify the situation calmly.

Found photos in 'recently deleted' gallery

In her video, Low approached the man and asked to see his photo gallery.

He readily showed her the gallery, which did not contain any photos of her. However, Low also asked to check the "recently deleted" folder.

There, she said she found three rows of "zoomed-in" photos of her bottoms.

As the man "buffered for excuses", Low deleted all the photos herself.

Continued to lie

According to Low, the man continued making excuses even after she confronted him.

He claimed the angle made it appear otherwise and said he had only been trying to take photos of the game.

Low rejected his explanation, pointing out that the images were focused on her.

"He just kept giving excuses and changing his statement, from saying he didn’t take any photos to saying it’s accidental, it’s not on purpose, to saying he only wanted to take the game bc it’s interesting.

"But I’ve seen the photos and it’s very clearly zoomed in," Low told Mothership.

The man only left after Low's boyfriend, whom she described as muscular and tattooed, walked over and asked him to leave.

Why she's speaking up

In the caption of her video, Low wrote:

"Past me would’ve not posted this or just kept quiet, but I know there’ll be other girls that’ll be afraid/ don’t want to cause trouble and just keep quiet and let it go because I used to be like that."

She told Mothership that she hopes to encourage other girls to speak up, while acknowledging how difficult it can be to do so in such situations.

"It’s never your fault. It’s not how you dress, how you act, if the perpetrator wants to do this kind of act, they’d do it anyway," she said.

Since posting the video, Low said she has received an influx of comments accusing her of overreacting and claiming she had "asked for it" because of what she was wearing.

She said she had been wearing running shorts.

Low emphasised that regardless of what someone is wearing, such behaviour is never acceptable.

She has personally been harassed even while in long pants and long sleeved-shirts, she said.

"It’s never about what you wear. But if you don’t speak up, don’t shout out, this will always keep happening, to you and to the other girls around you," she said.

"They only do it bc they think we’re easy/ not scary/ won’t speak up. The only person who is at a disadvantage is you if you don’t learn to stand up for yourself.

If you’re scared, at least tell your friend/ your boyfriend/ your family, so they can help you. Don’t suffer alone."

Did not make police report

Low shared that she did not make a police report as she deleted the evidence and was not sure if the report would still go through.

But she added that she regrets not having done so.

"Honestly I was wrong, even if it took three to four hours to file a report and even if he just got a warning, it would’ve probably been best so he wouldn’t attempt this with anyone else," she said.

Voyeurism in Singapore

According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), voyeurism is the act of observing or filming another person who is engaged in a private act without his or her permission.

The majority of voyeurism cases involve perpetrators taking upskirt photographs or videos, as well as “Peeping Tom” cases where perpetrators intentionally observe or record another person engaging in a private act without his or her consent.

According to Singapore Legal Advice, acts of voyeurism are criminalised under section 377BB of the Penal Code.

This includes recording an image of the victim’s private parts, namely genitals, breasts (where the victim is a female), or buttocks (whether exposed or covered) that would not usually be visible, without the victim’s consent and with the knowledge or belief that the victim does not consent to being recorded.

One example is taking upskirt pictures on the escalator.

A 72-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 23 years' jail for sexually abusing his step-granddaughter on multiple occasions over five years since she was nine years old.

The man pleaded guilty to three charges of aggravated statutory rape and was sentenced on Jul. 20, CNA reported.

A total of 18 other charges were considered during sentencing.

The man was in his 60s when the offences were committed, while the victim was aged between nine and 13.

He cannot be identified due to a gag order to protect the victim.

The man cannot be caned as he is above 50.

Grandfather

The victim referred to the man as “grandfather”.

Between 2018 and July 2023, he sexually abused the victim in his car and at a flat on multiple occasions.

In 2018, the victim routinely visited the man once or twice a month.

He would get her to go with him to a mall and promise to buy whatever she liked.

He only treated her this way as he wanted to be with her alone for sexual acts.

The man did not do this to any of his other grandchildren.

He would drive the victim to a multi-storey car park and sexually abuse her.

The victim would be rewarded with art supplies or other items she liked after each occasion.

Sometimes when the girl tried to resist, the man would tell her he would buy her an item she chose if she complied.

The victim would then give in reluctantly, even though she was uncomfortable.

The man also requested that she kept their sexual encounters a secret.

Art project

In April 2024, the victim was working on an art project related to the theme of “struggle”.

She drew the back of a human body with hands wrapped around it for the project and the art teacher asked her about the story behind the work.

The girl revealed she was sexually abused by the man.

The teacher then alerted the victim’s mother, who then lodged a police report.

Totality principle

The prosecution sought 23 years’ jail for the man.

They did not request imprisonment instead of caning due to the “totality principle”, which requires the court to take a last look at all the facts to assess if a sentence is justified or too excessive for there to be a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

The prosecution pointed out that the sexual acts escalated from molestation to rape, and he was emboldened after each occasion.

He had attempted to rape the victim when she was 11 to 12.

There was also evidence of premeditation, such as grooming the victim and getting her to be alone with him away from others.

Sometime between 2020 and 2021, the man even took her to his flat alone when other family members had gathered elsewhere for dinner.

The prosecution said the victim was traumatised and experienced frequent flashbacks.

A strain has developed between the victim’s immediate family and her extended family after the authorities were alerted.

Her extended family members, including her cousins, have ceased communications with her.

For each count of aggravated statutory rape, the man could have been liable to a jail term of between eight and 20 years.

A commuter's power bank caught fire and emitted smoke at Woodlands MRT station on the morning of Jul. 20, 2026.

According to a video seen by Mothership, a bag on the station floor near the platform screen doors was emitting smoke.

Commuters could be seen boarding the train and the train doors closed shortly after.

Power bank emitted smoke

Responding to Mothership's queries, SMRT Trains' president Lam Sheau Kai said a commuter was waiting for a train at Woodlands station on the Thomson-East Coast Line at about 9am on Jul. 20 when the power bank in her bag started emitting smoke.

"Another commuter on the platform alerted our station staff," he said.

A station staff responded to the fire quickly by extinguishing it.

The staff also assisted the affected commuter, who suffered minor blisters on her fingers. No other injuries were reported.

Safety precaution

"As a safety precaution, the station's exhaust ventilation system was activated to clear the smoke and maintain a safe environment for commuters," Lam said.

During the incident, trains bypassed Woodlands station for about 20 minutes while station staff managed the incident safely.

In addition, announcements were made in trains and at stations to keep commuters informed.

"We would like to remind commuters to use only power banks with built-in safety features. This helps reduce the risk of overheating and other battery-related incidents."

Metro will be shutting its remaining two department stores in Paragon and Causeway Point when their current leases end.

The decision comes after "a strategic review of its retail business amidst the operating challenges faced by Singapore’s retail sector", Metro Holdings said in a Jul. 20 news release.

"Metro has been a trusted retail name in Singapore for more than six decades. As the retail landscape continues to transform, it is important that we evolve alongside it," the company chairman Tan Soo Khoon said.

The news release did not state when the leases will expire.

Shift to concept stores

The homegrown retailer explained that it intends to progressively transit from operating traditional large-format department stores towards "specialised retail concepts".

It has been discussing with the landlords of the two malls and more to roll out such concept stores.

"[Metro] has expressed interest in remaining at Paragon under new retail concept stores, and discussions are ongoing," the manager of CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT), who operates Paragon, said on Jul. 20, as quoted by The Business Times.

Improve competitiveness

Currently, Metro Holdings is still assessing the financial implications of the transition, and cannot yet quantify the full financial impact on the company's earnings.

However, its board believes this repositioning "will strengthen the long-term competitiveness of its retail business and enhance its ability to respond to changing market conditions".

The company previously reported that weaker sales at their Paragon and Causeway Point stores dragged down group revenue and contributed to another year of losses, according to The Straits Times.

The United Kingdom has a new prime minister, its sixth in the last 10 years, after Andy Burnham met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Jul. 20.

He succeeds Keir Starmer, who leaves his post after two years in the role.

Addressing the media as prime minister for the first time, the 56-year-old Burnham characterised his appointment as a "circuit breaker" moment for Britain, reported The Guardian.

According to the BBC, Burnham also used his speech — delivered somewhat unorthodoxly without notes or a teleprompter — to stress the importance of regaining stability in the country.

He mentioned addressing the rising cost-of-living as among his government's top priorities, adding that he would announce measures on Jul. 21 to give those feeling the pressure "some breathing space now".

His first instruction, however, would be to end rough sleeping in the UK.

Congratulations from PM Wong

In a congratulatory letter, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong wished Burnham "every success" in leading the UK through "this period of profound geopolitical and economic change".

"I am confident that we will continue to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of areas, including in innovation, science and technology, and defence."

On Facebook, PM Wong noted the "close and enduring partnership" between Singapore and the UK, "built on decades of trust and cooperation".

"Man of the People"

Burnham's seemingly rapid rise to 10 Downing Street was preceded by his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester, which lasted from 2017 to 2026.

Before that, he had served in various Labour government cabinet positions between 2007 and 2010, and twice unsuccessfully challenged for the role of party leader.

He has now built a reputation as a folksy, relaxed, "man of the people" and will hope to stem the rising popularity of Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform Party.

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).

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".

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".

"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. 

"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.

SMU's 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.