SINGAPORE: Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim’s online interactions with a female member of the public were "objectively inappropriate and questionable", and came across as engaging with her, Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said on Wednesday (Jul 22).Assoc Prof Faishal resigned from politics on Monday. His interactions with the woman fell short of standards required of a political office holder and a Member of Parliament, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said. His resignation has since prompted questions online about whether Assoc Prof Faishal's conduct warranted such action, with some calling for greater clarity on the case.In a Facebook post, Mr Shanmugam acknowledged that "many are wondering what happened; what were the standards of conduct that were applied; why Faishal decided to resign".
He explained that there had been a series of online exchanges between Assoc Prof Faishal and the woman where "his responses were, objectively, inappropriate and questionable"."Faishal explained that he was worried the lady might react negatively if he abruptly cut her off", and the woman interpreted his interactions as engaging with her, Mr Shanmugam said, adding that she said "she was encouraged to continue"."The standards governing personal conduct in these sorts of situations have been set out previously by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, and more recently by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as PM," Mr Shanmugam added."The principle is straightforward. Where a matter remains entirely private and inappropriate conduct stops after counselling, it can remain a private matter. "But when the matter enters the public domain through a complaint or otherwise, it must be examined and if there has been impropriety appropriate action must follow."Mr Shanmugam noted that the woman escalated the matter when she "emailed PM, sent some of the messages and pictures and alleged harassment by Faishal"."Once the lady emailed to PM, to complain about Faishal, it ceased being a purely private, consensual matter between two individuals."The complaint lodged by the woman against Assoc Prof Faishal, as a public office holder, made it necessary for the Prime Minister's Office to consider the appropriateness of his interactions."Faishal was given a fair hearing," Mr Shanmugam said. "Regardless of his intentions, one has to look at the evidence and facts. Faishal himself reflected on the matter and acknowledged that he should not have allowed his exchanges with the lady to carry on, and he should have established clear boundaries from the start."FAISHAL STILL HAS "MUCH TO CONTRIBUTE", SAYS SHANMUGAMReflecting on more than 20 years of knowing Assoc Prof Faishal, Mr Shanmugam described him as a "friend and comrade" who had "always been focused on making a difference to the lives of others".Mr Shanmugam had worked closely with Assoc Prof Faishal in Nee Soon GRC for 15 years, as well as in the Ministry of Home Affairs more recently. Assoc Prof Faishal had moved from Nee Soon to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC for GE2025, while he was also Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs before his resignation."I haven’t come across many people, in or out of government, better than Faishal,” said Mr Shanmugam, adding that “he was hardworking, humble, honest, sincere".He listed some of Assoc Prof Faishal’s contributions to Nee Soon GRC, such as the creation of the 100=50 initiative in Nee Soon Central to help lower-income residents purchase groceries affordably, embracing Chinese calligraphy to celebrate diversity and personally visiting a block in Nee Soon Central that had multiple infections during the COVID-19 pandemic to "reassure residents".Residents in Kembangan, the ward that Assoc Prof Faishal used to oversee in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, as well as Muslim community leaders have expressed shock over his resignation, calling him a sincere, approachable leader who championed community initiatives.Mr Ahmed Meeran Mohamed Bilal, president of the Federation of Singapore Indian Muslims, said Assoc Prof Faishal was "very involved ... and close to the Indian-Muslim community", while Mdm Fatimah Abdul Rahim, a Kembangan resident, recalled how he was "very sincere and very helpful".Ustaz Muslim Amad, senior executive for community outreach at Masjid Abdul Gafoor, also cited Assoc Prof Faishal's support for initiatives and collaborations with organisations during his tenure as acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs. This included the anti-drug Dadah Itu Haram campaign, which was launched in April 2017 in consultation with community leaders, to raise awareness within the Malay community about the harms of drugs and the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), which works to counter extremist ideologies and rehabilitate detainees.Calling it "a very sad situation" that Assoc Prof Faishal "has had to go", Mr Shanmugam expressed hope that the former acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs could still find other ways to contribute to the community and Singapore as he still has "much to contribute".
