Workers' Party members Leon Perera, Nicole Seah resign following online video clip

SINGAPORE — Workers' Party (WP) MP Leon Perera and senior party leader Nicole Seah have resigned from the party following their admission of an extramarital affair.

Party chief Pritam Singh addressed the media during a press conference on Wednesday (19 July), disclosing the sequence of events that led to the resignations.

Singh revealed that between late 2020 and early 2021, he was informed via WhatsApp by Perera's driver that Perera and Seah had been frequently meeting at restaurants and hotels, often engaging in displays of affection such as hugging and holding hands.

Workers' Party members denied and later admitted to affair

Initially, both Perera and Seah vehemently denied the allegations, citing a lack of evidence and dismissing the claims as baseless. Perera also claimed to be embroiled in a dispute with his driver, further muddying the waters.

Perera said then he was in an ongoing dispute with his driver, and was about to terminate his services. He said had also sought legal advice on the allegations of his driver, explained Singh.

However, over the next few months, the driver approached other members of the WP, who sought to verify the allegations with Perera. Each time, Perera continued to deny any truth to the claims.

Similarly, when other Central Executive Committee members confronted Seah with the allegations, she also refuted them outright, according to Singh.

The party members were unaware of any concrete evidence until the emergence of a video on Monday (17 July), which featured Perera and Seah together in a "inappropriate exchange between two senior Party members".

Upon discovering the video, Singh said he wasted no time in contacting Perera and arranging a meeting to address the matter. A separate meeting was also scheduled with Seah. During these discussions, both Perera and Seah finally admitted to their affair, which reportedly began after the 2020 general election but had already ended by that point, according to Singh's account.

Following the revelations, the WP received Seah's letter of resignation on Tuesday, while Perera submitted his resignation on Wednesday and also informed the acting Speaker of Parliament.

Singh emphasised that the party's constitution mandates honesty and transparency among its candidates, asserting that Perera's lack of forthrightness when initially approached about the allegations fell short of the standards expected of WP MPs. Had Perera not resigned, Singh would have recommended his expulsion from the party.

"The Constitution of the Workers’ Party requires candidates to be honest and frank in their dealings with the party and the people of Singapore," Singh stated firmly.

"Leon’s conduct and not being truthful when asked by the party leadership about the allegations fell short of the standards expected of WP MPs. This is unacceptable. Had he not offered his resignation, I would have recommended to the CEC that he be expelled from the party," he added.

Party assures continuity in Aljunied GRC amidst scandal

Regarding the handover arrangements in Aljunied GRC, WP chairman Sylvia Lim assured the public that Meet-the-People sessions would continue as scheduled.

Alternate MPs have already been assigned to cover the sessions in Serangoon until the end of the year, and the MPs will soon meet with the Serangoon team of volunteers to plan their other duties and groundwork.

Both Perera and Seah are separately married with children. They sat on WP’s 15-member central executive committee - Perera headed the party's media team, while 36-year-old Seah, who contested during the 2020 general election, was its Youth Wing president.

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