No 'physical interaction, much less an affair': Ex-NMP Calvin Cheng questions Faishal Ibrahim's resignation

"I do not think Faishal should resign."

That was former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng's response to Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim's resignation as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.

In Facebook post on Monday (July 20), Cheng shared he was of the opinion that Assoc Prof Faishal should not have stepped down, noting that: "There wasn't even any physical interaction, much less an affair."

The post has since garnered more than 830 likes and over 330 comments as at Tuesday afternoon. 

Describing Assoc Prof Faishal as "a great guy, the friendliest, most amiable person you can ever meet", Cheng said it was important to "balance losing a good minister or MP, with small failings that all human beings have".

"To err is human. To forgive, divine," he added.

In a separate Facebook post, Cheng also questioned whether a by-election should be called.

He noted that Assoc Prof Faishal was the minority representative in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Group Representation Constituency (GRC), adding that the GRC system was introduced to ensure minority representation.

"Now the GRC has lost its minority MP. Should there be a by-election?" he questioned.

People's Action Party (PAP) chairman Desmond Lee had said on Monday that there will be no by-election for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC. 

Explaining the considerations, Lee, who is also Minister for Education, stated that existing MPs — Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, Minister of State Goh Pei Ming, four-term MP Tin Pei Ling, and first-term MP Diana Pang — will "step up, step forward".

"We will make sure that all existing MPs step up, step forward, look after the residents of Kembangan, look after all the communities in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, including the Malay/Muslim community," Lee said. 

Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim resigned after acknowledging that his conduct in his interactions with a woman fell short of the standards expected of a political office holder.

His resignation, including as MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, was announced by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a statement on Monday.

While police found no criminal offence had been committed, he said he would step away from politics to focus on his family.

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