I resign: Faishal Ibrahim and 4 other MPs who left office before completing their term

Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim has resigned as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, just over a year after taking on the role. He said his conduct had fallen short of the standards expected of a political office holder and Member of Parliament (MP).

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced on Monday (July 20) that Assoc Prof Faishal had stepped down as a political office holder, MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC and member of the People's Action Party (PAP).

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

The PMO said it received an email from a female member of the public regarding her interactions with Assoc Prof Faishal, most of which took place online. Both parties subsequently made allegations of harassment against each other, and the matter was referred to the police.

In his letter to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Assoc Prof Faishal, who has been in politics for 20 years, said he recognised that his conduct had fallen short of the standards expected of him and had decided to step away from politics to "devote my time and attention to my family".

He also said there had been no physical relationship between him and the woman, and that he had not intended for their interactions to develop into one.

Zaqy Mohamad, who is currently Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability and the Environment, will take over as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs with immediate effect.

Although most Singaporean politicians complete their terms before stepping down for various reasons, Assoc Prof Faishal is not the first politician to resign prematurely.

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Here are four other politicians who also resigned from their positions before completing their terms.

1. S. Iswaran

Former transport minister S. Iswaran resigned as a Cabinet member and from the People's Action Party (PAP) in January 2024 after he was charged with multiple offences, including corruption and receiving gratification as a public servant.

The 64-year-old pleaded not guilty to 27 charges in court on Jan 18, 2024, adding that he would "now focus on clearing my name".

The ex-minister, who was also MP for West Coast GRC, said that he submitted a letter of resignation to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Jan 16.

In the letter to PM Lee, Iswaran wrote that he and his family decided to return the monies because they believed it was the right thing to do.

2. Tan Chuan-Jin

Former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin resigned in July 2023 after it emerged that he had been involved in an extramarital affair with former PAP MP Cheng Li Hui.

The pair's resignations were announced by the PMO July 17, 2023, although it did not specify in its statements the reasons behind them.

Former PM Lee Hsien Loong revealed in a press conference later that day that the pair were involved in an "inappropriate relationship" and had continued the affair despite being told to stop.

Tan, 57, was the MP for Marine Parade GRC and married with two children at the time. Meanwhile, Cheng, 50, was not married.

3. Leon Perera

Former Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera and former senior Workers' Party (WP) member Nicole Seah resigned from their posts after admitting to having an extramarital affair.

WP chief Pritam Singh said the pair had allegedly started the affair after the 2020 General Election and ended it some time later.

Both initially denied the allegations before later admitting to the affair. Perera and Seah were seen meeting often at hostels and restaurants around late 2020 and early 2021.

Perera was the MP for Aljunied GRC's Serangoon division and headed the party's media team. He is married with two children.

Meanwhile, Seah was the president of WP's Youth Wing. She is also married with two children.

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4. Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Not all departures from politics stem from controversy.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced in 2023 that he would be resigning from the PAP to contest in the upcoming Presidential Election.

Tharman had been serving as Senior Minister since May 2019 and was also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies at the time.

Besides serving as Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC since 2001, Tharman had also served in various capacities in the government.

His portfolio included serving as the Minister for Finance (2007-2015), and Minister for Education (2003-2008).

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