Blow for Progress Singapore Party as party member Ravi Philemon resigns

SiNGAPORE — Opposition politician Ravi Philemon has confirmed on Thursday (14 May) that he has resigned from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

In a post put up on his Facebook page, the 52-year-old said that he has left the party with effect from Tuesday.

“Singapore is still very important to me. I promise to stay engaged and contribute in other ways. Thanks for your support,” he wrote in the post.

PSP also confirmed that Philemon had left the party. According to The Straits Times, the party declined to disclose the reasons for his resignation “out of respect for the privacy of our ex-members”.

Unhappiness over party’s handling of video

While Philemon also did not provide any reasons for his resignation in his Facebook post, he was believed to be unhappy at the party’s handling of a video that accused him of being funded by foreign sources.

Philemon – who contested in the Hong Kah North single-member constituency in the 2015 general election under the Singapore People's Party banner – was one of 10 individuals named in a video last month claiming that the PSP had been infiltrated and funded by foreign sources.

The video was later revealed to have been made by PSP member Daniel Teo, and Teo was expelled from the party on 1 May. PSP subsequently said in a statement that it is “satisfied that the members implicated in this libellous accusation are all exonerated and are innocent”.

PSP has been beset by departures and expulsions in recent months. Besides Philemon’s departure and Teo’s expulsion, former vice-chairman Michelle Lee also resigned in March citing family commitments, while party member Jan Chan was expelled in March for writing a controversial Facebook post.

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