SINGAPORE, July 21 — A by-election will not be triggered in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC following the resignation of Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim yesterday, said PAP chairman Desmond Lee.

Lee said that the PAP will unveil further details in due course regarding how it plans to strengthen the team, but emphasised that existing MPs will absorb the responsibilities to ensure Kembangan residents are well served, The Straits Times reported.

Faishal resigned from politics citing a “lapse of judgment” in his interactions with a woman.

In a resignation letter addressed to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Faishal clarified that there was no physical relationship between the two. However, he admitted he failed to establish clear boundaries and that his conduct fell short of the standards expected of his office.

When asked if the departure necessitates a by-election, particularly given the loss of minority representation in the GRC, Lee pointed to historical precedents in the former Jurong and Sengkang GRCs. In 2023, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam stepped down from Jurong GRC to contest the presidential election, and in 2021, Raeesah Khan resigned from Sengkang GRC. In both instances, the remaining team members shared the workload until the end of their terms without a by-election.

Under current laws, a by-election is only mandatory in a single-member seat. In a GRC, a poll is not required unless all MPs in the group step down.

In Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, four MPs will now put in extra effort to support the community: Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming, Diana Pang, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, and Tin Pei Ling. This follows the 2025 General Election, where the PAP team won the GRC in a walkover with 131,820 voters.

Addressing the breach of conduct, Lee stressed that the PAP demands the highest standards of integrity from its political office holders. He noted that any compromise in these standards, whether through a lapse in judgment or a failure to maintain boundaries, requires decisive action.

These expectations are codified in a code of conduct issued by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in May 2025. The rules mandate that MPs must uphold the party’s reputation and avoid personal conduct that could embarrass themselves or the government. PM Wong previously warned that any show of arrogance or indifference would erode public confidence.

While Lee did not disclose the specific nature of Faishal’s interactions with the member of the public, he maintained that Faishal’s decision to resign was the correct one to preserve public trust.

“It is a difficult situation for us, but we think this is necessary in order to uphold these standards and to ensure that public trust in our politics is retained,” Lee said. He added that the party will double down on looking out for residents’ interests to mitigate any damage to public confidence.