Singapore PM Lawrence Wong removes Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition, citing criminal convictions and Parliament’s view of his unsuitability.
Singapore's Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong has removed the opposition leader, Pritam Singh from his office of Leader of the Opposition owing to his criminal record and the parliament's assessment of his qualification to hold the office. This step has been taken immediately and as a result, the opposition leader has lost his special privileges as a member of parliament in the country's parliament.
Singapore Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong strips Leader of Opposition status from Pritam Singh due to his criminal conviction and his views against his role as expressed by Parliament. Singh loses his privileges accorded to his status and is required to be replaced by his political party, the Workers Party, immediately.
After nearly three hours of debate, the Parliament unanimously voted for the removal of Pritam Singh as the Leader of the Opposition through a motion, with all 11 votes from the Workers’ Party opposing it. The parliament also opted to consider the position of two other lawmakers from the Workers’ Party at a future date. The Leader of the House, Indranee Rajah, argued that Pritam Singh had caused losses of confidence among the people for the parliament through his failures.
With Singh's dismissal, he also loses parliamentary privileges including the right of first reply, additional speaking time and elevated allowance, hence leading the Workers Party to nominate a new Leader of the Opposition.
Born on August 2, 1976, in Singapore, Pritam Singh is an Indian-origin politician, lawyer and author. He began his political journey through involvement with the Workers Party in 2010, winning his maiden parliamentary nomination in the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 2011. This historic win marked the first time opposition members have won a GRC since they were formed in 1988. He would later take on a role as secretary-general of Workers Party in 2018 and was appointed Leader of the Opposition definitively in 2020. Throughout his political journey, Singh has been acknowledged for his eloquence in parliament and for his efforts to promote opposition power on the political horizon of Singapore.
Pritam Singh has attended Woodsville, Belvedere Primary Schools, Saint Thomas Secondary School and then Jurong Junior College. Awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Local Study Award, he attained a Bachelor of Arts in History at National University of Singapore (2000) in this regard, obtaining the Straits Steamship Prize for excellence in historical and political science studies. He continued his studies at King's College London pursuing a Master of Arts in War Studies in 2004, courtesy of a Chevening Scholarship award. He acquired a Juris Doctor at the Singapore Management University in 2011, making him a lawyer in the process by being part of Donaldson & Burkinshaw, who are Singapore's oldest law firm.
Pritam Singh’s professional and political career spans law, military service and politics:
Singh is married to Loveleen Kaur Walia, a theatre practitioner from Singapore in 2012 and have two daughters together.
Pritam Singh’s exact net worth is not publicly known but he earns S$385,000 annually as Leader of the Opposition, plus his MP salary with portions donated to charity, his party, and constituency projects.
