Singapore’s Leader of the Opposition debate draws comparisons with Westminster system

Singapore's Leader of the Opposition (LO) position is currently vacant after Pritam Singh was removed from the role by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong following a parliamentary vote deeming him unfit due to a conviction for lying to a committee. The LO position, created in 2020, is a non-statutory role unlike the Westminster system where the position is held by the leader of the largest opposition party. Wong has invited Singh's Workers' Party to nominate a replacement, excluding anyone involved in Singh's court case. The situation has sparked debate about the constitutional basis of the LO role and its divergence from the Westminster model, from which Singapore's parliamentary system draws reference. Singh was fined in February 2023 for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee in 2021, a conviction that was upheld in December 2023.

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