Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters reported this story.

This resignation adds to a string of recent controversies affecting Singapore's political landscape.

Published On 20 Jul 202620 Jul 2026

Singapore’s acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim has resigned ⁠over his interactions with a woman, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said.

“Most of their interactions took place through online messages,” Wong said in a statement on Monday. “⁠They also met on the sidelines of public events.”

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Both parties made allegations of harassment against each other, and the matter is being investigated by ⁠the police, he added.

In recent years, the People's Action Party, renowned for its 'whiter than white' image, has been shaken by multiple political scandals.

In 2023, then Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran was put under investigation for corruption alongside Malaysian billionaire hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng. A year later, Iswaran pleaded guilty to receiving more than 380,000 Singapore dollars ($294,000) worth of gifts from Ong, including tickets for West End shows and football matches, some of them in exchange for advancing Ong’s business interests.

Two senior members of Singapore’s largest opposition party also resigned in 2023 after they admitted to having an affair, while two ministers were investigated and cleared of wrongdoing over their rental of state-owned properties. This prompted former Prime Minister Lee ‌Hsien Loong to say that his party’s image was damaged by a series of scandals.

Wong said no criminal offence had been committed by either party in Faishal’s case, and no criminal action would be taken, but “there was a separate question of whether Associate Professor Faishal’s conduct met the standards expected of a political office holder and member of parliament”.

Faishal, a parliament member since 2006, assumed the role of acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs in 2025. He has since resigned from both his cabinet post and the ruling People's Action Party.

In his resignation letter posted on the website of the prime minister’s office, Faishal said: “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.”

Wong said he was saddened Faishal was leaving politics under such circumstances.

Faishal's resignation underscores the stringent ethical standards expected of political office holders in Singapore. The police investigation, though clearing criminal wrongdoing, raises questions about conduct and judgment. Observers will watch how the ruling party manages its image ahead of future elections.