I was quite stunned to hear the Leader of the Opposition in Singapore quite openly dismiss the value of court rulings in his first public interview in the country, during CNA's Assembly.
In response to a question about the Raeesah Khan scandal and its consequences, he observed that his party did well in the election and that:
"The court of public opinion can be a bigger court than any court in the world."
Quite plainly, then, he's suggesting that the court rulings don't matter as long as he has public support. Apparently it's irrelevant if he ends up being convicted of a crime if people still vote for him and his party.
Let me remind you – Pritam Singh is a lawyer.
It's one thing to recruit MPs who later say silly things, like Raeesah or his recent signing, Kenneth Tiong. But how can the party's very leader question the value of the rule of law, effectively stating that you can get away with a crime if you have enough public backing?
He and his people may not be in charge of Singapore but as parliamentarians their job is to discuss and debate the laws of the country.
How suitable are they for that task if they believe that the courts which enforce these laws can be overruled by the "court of public opinion"?
This may have just been the most controversial statement of his entire political career, bordering on being a mockery of the justice system.
Does Pritam Singh believe he's untouchable, because he's the most popular opposition politician in Singapore?
The only reason he and his party have done decently well in the last GE is because the alternatives among other critics of the PAP are even worse.
Being relatively literate among a collection of frothing lunatics is hardly an accomplishment but, as it now turns out, it's apparently a ticket to legal immunity.
I guess it's pretty clear that even if his appeal fails Pritam Singh isn't going anywhere, because criminal conviction for lying under oath in the very parliament you swore to honestly represent can be completely ignored.
People often ask me why my opinion of Singapore's opposition is so low. I think its most prominent member has just provided the answer.
