SINGAPORE MINISTER RESIGNS OVER INTERACTIONS WITH WOMAN

Singapore's acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim resigned from cabinet and parliament on Monday following inappropriate interactions with a woman, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced. Both parties made allegations of harassment against each other, and the matter was investigated by police. Wong said no criminal charges would be brought against either party. Wong stated that the question remained whether Faishal's conduct met the standards expected of a political office holder and member of parliament.

Most interactions between Faishal and the woman took place through online messages, with some meetings occurring at public events, according to Wong's statement. The Prime Minister's Office became aware of the matter approximately a month prior when it received an email from a female member of the public concerning her interactions with Faishal. Faishal, who was also senior minister of state for home affairs, handed in his resignation on Monday. He had been a member of parliament since 2006 and became acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs in 2025.

The resignation follows a series of political scandals involving Singapore's ruling People's Action Party. In 2023, then Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran pleaded guilty to receiving more than 380,000 Singapore dollars in gifts from Malaysian billionaire Ong Beng Seng in exchange for advancing Ong's business interests. Two opposition party members also resigned in 2023 after admitting to an affair, whilst two other ministers were investigated and cleared over rental arrangements for state-owned properties. Former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong previously stated that his party's image had been damaged by these scandals.