Singapore’s Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim, has resigned from the Cabinet and the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) over what Prime Minister Lawrence Wong described as inappropriate interactions with a woman.
In a statement on Monday, Wong said most of the interactions took place through online messages, although the pair had also met during public events.
The matter came to light after both parties made allegations of harassment against each other, prompting a police investigation.
However, Wong said police found that no criminal offence had been committed by either party and no criminal action would be taken.
Despite this, the Prime Minister said a separate issue remained over whether Faishal’s conduct met the standards expected of a political office holder and Member of Parliament.
Faishal subsequently resigned from both his ministerial position and the PAP.
In his resignation letter, published by the Prime Minister’s Office, Faishal admitted he had exercised poor judgment in handling the interactions.
“While there was no physical relationship between us, and I did not intend for the interactions to develop into one, there was a lapse of judgment on my part in the way I handled the interactions and in failing to establish clearer boundaries at an earlier stage,” he wrote.
Wong said he was saddened by Faishal’s decision to leave politics under such circumstances.
Faishal has served as a Member of Parliament since 2006 and was appointed Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in 2025.
The resignation comes as Singapore’s long-ruling PAP continues to face heightened scrutiny over the conduct of its political leaders following several high-profile controversies in recent years.
In 2024, former Transport Minister S. Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice and receiving more than S$300,000 worth of gifts.
Last year, two Cabinet ministers and a PAP lawmaker also came under public scrutiny after attending dinners with a convicted money launderer, while two ministers were separately investigated and later cleared over their rental of state-owned properties in 2023.
