GE2025
He added that Noor Deros made a surprise appearance at the meeting between WP members and religious leaders.
Daniel Seow
April 26, 2025, 02:20 PM
Workers' Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh said former Islamic religious teacher Noor Deros is "sadly mistaken" to think that the WP will push forth his agenda in Parliament, after he made a surprise appearance at a meeting between WP members and religious leaders with a list of demands in exchange for political support.
On Apr. 26, Singh provided more details at a media doorstop about the meeting with Noor Deros, which was attended by WP Vice Chair and Tampines GRC candidate Faisal Manap.
No indication Noor Deros would be at the meeting: Pritam Singh
According to Singh, a Muslim committee member at one of the mosques in Aljunied wanted to speak to member of parliament Faisal and other Malay-Muslim members of the party.
The meeting was supposed to take place with some ustazes(religious teachers) and senior Malay-Muslim religious leaders.
"There was no indication that this individual would be joining the meeting. So when the meeting started, he was there. My understanding is he had this list of demands," Singh said of Noor Deros.
Noor Deros is a former religious teacher and isnot an accredited ustaz in Singapore.
Singh then reiterated WP's statement issued on Apr. 26, that WP did not make any promises or commitments to Noor Deros in exchange for political support.
"I'm sorry. We don't work politics like that in Singapore. We don't work politics like that in the Workers' Party.
People have views. I think government officials, even ministers, meet with various members of religious groups in Singapore. So do we.
And if this gentleman thinks that his advocacy will lead to the issues being brought up by the Workers' Party, I think he is sadly mistaken."
Who is Noor Deros?
Noor Deros is a former religious teacher from Singapore who now resides in Malaysia, reportedly in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Noor Deros' Facebook post, he had listed demands to political parties competing in GE2025 in exchange for his vote, but supposedly only WP had "taken his concerns seriously" and he attended a meeting with them along with other religious scholars.
These demands include criminalising adultery, protecting the family institution from "wokeism", particularly "LGBT advocacy" and "radical feminist enculturation" and severing Singapore's diplomatic ties with Israel.
WP subsequently clarified that at the meeting with Noor Deros, there were no promises, commitments or agreements made with him or any other individual in exchange for political support for their candidates.
Despite Noor Deros's apparent endorsement of WP on his social media, Singh said that if he thinks that endorsement would mean that WP will carry his views and share his sentiments, he is "sadly mistaken."
Impact on Tampines contest
When asked whether the incident could affect sentiment towards Faisal in Tampines GRC, a Malay-Muslim WP candidate contesting Tampines which has a significant amount of Malay-Muslim voters, Singh stressed that neither Faisal or any of their Malay-Muslim candidates will be "for only their community."
"This is Singapore, it's a multi-racial society, every candidate has to represent all Singaporeans equally and fairly."
Singh also made the point that it is WP's prerogative to put forward "the team with the highest chance of success" in Tampines, in line with their approach to fielding candidates.
"If the allusion is we've put Faisal there, and there is something wrong that we've done, I don't accept that," said Singh.
WP's stance on mixing religion and politics
Singh also highlighted that WP stands behind the message from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Elections Department (ELD) about preventing foreign interference, such as by Malaysian politicians, in Singapore politics.
"Our political scene is for our people," he said.
WP also does not want an "unnecessary politicisation of the public space" as it's not healthy for Singapore, Singh explained.
He made the point that such issues have to be handled sensitively, thoughtfully and with a care for one another, and Singaporeans are reminded themselves that we live in a multi-racial society.
"We persuade Singaporeans of our value proposition, and we urge all Singaporeans, regardless of race, language or religion, to judge us on our manifesto and our proposals and what we do in Parliament for all Singaporeans, not specific communities only."
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Top image by Mothership
