Responding to questions about whether the consequences were too harsh, Mr Wong said during the press conference that Assoc Prof Faishal himself had concluded that it was “not tenable” for him to continue serving as a political office holder and MP.
“He also accepts that his responses, his interactions with her, objectively speaking, were questionable and inappropriate,” Mr Wong said. “That’s why he asked to step down.”
Mr Wong added that Assoc Prof Faishal had requested privacy for himself and his family, and that the government had sought to respect that request as much as possible.
The prime minister said he had tried “his very best” to see whether there was a way for Assoc Prof Faishal to continue in office, but concluded that this was no longer a private matter.
“A complaint has been made against him; it has entered the public arena, and that’s why we have to undertake this objectively, undergo a process where we listen to both parties, and we certainly took pains to listen to Faishal’s explanations as well,” he said.
“But after doing all that, we also have to look at the evidence and the facts.â
Mr Wong said it was clear that Assoc Prof Faishalâs conduct had fallen short of the standards that were expected of him, adding that he had asked several senior colleagues to independently review the evidence, and they reached the same conclusion.
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