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SINGAPORE – Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim has resigned from political office over a “lapse of judgment” in handling his interactions with a woman, who is a member of the public.
Most of their interactions 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.
Zaqy Mohamad, who is currently Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment and Defence, will take over as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.
Faishal, in a letter of resignation to PM Wong on July 20, said there was no physical relationship between him and the woman, and that he had not intended for the interactions to develop into one.
But he said on reflection, he recognised that his conduct “fell short of the standards expected of me and was not consistent with the responsibilities entrusted to me”.
“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,” said Faishal, who also resigned as an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC and from the PAP.
“I have therefore decided it is right for me to step away from politics so that I can devote my time and attention to my family.”
In his statement, PM Wong said the matter had come to his attention about a month ago when his office received an e-mail from the woman involved concerning her interactions with the minister.
PM Wong said he asked for the matter to be looked into immediately, and both Faishal and the woman were spoken to separately.
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