SINGAPORE — Singapore's Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has resigned from political office after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said his interactions with a female member of the public fell short of the standards expected of a political office holder and member of parliament.
Wong said in a statement that most of the interactions took place through online messages and that the pair also met on the sidelines of public events. The Prime Minister's Office said it became aware of the matter about a month earlier after receiving an email from the woman.
According to Wong, both Faishal and the woman later made allegations of harassment against each other. The police investigated the matter and concluded that no criminal offence had been committed by either party and that no criminal action would be taken.
Wong said the absence of criminal wrongdoing did not resolve the separate question of whether Faishal's conduct met the standards required of political office holders. He said he accepted Faishal's resignation as acting minister, member of parliament and member of the ruling People's Action Party.
In his resignation letter, Faishal said there had been no physical relationship between him and the woman and that he had not intended for the interactions to develop into one. He acknowledged what he described as a lapse of judgment in the way he handled the interactions and said he had failed to establish clearer boundaries at an earlier stage.
Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad was appointed acting minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs with immediate effect.
The resignation comes as the governing People's Action Party continues to face scrutiny following a series of high-profile political conduct cases in recent years. Authorities have not announced any further investigations, and no additional details about the interactions have been released.
