Former Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim resigned from political office over a “lapse of judgment” in handling his interactions with a woman, who is a member of the public. Mr Zaqy Mohammad has taken his place as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.
Most of the interactions between Mr Faishal and the woman took place through online messages, and they also met on the sidelines of public events, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in a statement on July 20.
Minister of Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said the former minister’s messages to the woman were “objectively, inappropriate and questionable” in a Facebook post. He added that Faishal had been given a fair hearing and had himself concluded that his position as MP and Minister was untenable.
“Faishal explained that he was worried the lady might react negatively if he abruptly cut her off,” he said.
“Regardless of his intentions, one has to look at the evidence and facts,” Minister Shanmugam said.
