Shanmugam says WP’s ‘delay’ in response to Noor Deros during GE2025 ‘begs many questions’
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam called the Workers’ Party (WP) out in Parliament on Tuesday (14 Oct), criticising its two-day delay in responding to remarks made by Singaporean Islamic preacher Noor Deros during the 2025 General Election (GE2025).
Mr Shanmugam said Deros’ comments — which urged Muslims to vote for WP’s Faisal Manap over Masagos Zulkifli — were “reckless” and risked dividing voters along racial and religious lines.
He added that WP’s delayed and “ambiguous” statement could have confused the ground.
Source: Ministry of Digital Development and Information on YouTube
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh defended WP’s actions, highlighting Deros’ comments earlier might have amplified them unnecessarily.
Source: Ministry of Digital Development and Information on YouTube
Shanmugam: WP’s ‘delay on such an important matter begs many questions’
Delivering a ministerial statement on race and religion, Mr Shanmugam said Deros publicised his meeting with WP on 23 April 2025, nomination day.
In two Facebook posts, the Malaysia-based preacher claimed that WP was the only party “who took him seriously” and urged Muslims to vote for WP if they agreed with his demands.
This includes changing Singapore’s financial system to be more Islamic.
Deros added that he had met all of WP’s Malay candidates and asked Tampines voters to back Mr Faisal over Mr Masagos.
“Only on 26 April did WP issue its statement,” said Mr Shanmugam.
“That was more than two days after Deros publicised his meeting and after statements by MHA and ELD. This delay on such an important matter begs many questions.”
Source: Ministry of Digital Development and Information on YouTube
He warned that the silence could have misled voters into thinking WP was considering Deros’ demands.
“Deros was saying all these things, and the WP was silent,” he added.
Mr Shanmugam said the WP’s eventual statement did not clearly reject Deros’ calls to vote along religious lines or his endorsement of Mr Faisal.
He called the statement “ambiguous” and said a “clearer and more immediate” response was needed.
Pritam Singh: ‘In the heat of an election, attention is all over the place’
In response, Mr Singh said it was unfair to claim that the WP did not take the issue seriously.
He argued that the government could have reached out directly if it believed the matter risked crossing a line.
Mr Singh also said the party had to weigh the Streisand effect, warning that addressing the issue too soon might have drawn more attention to Noor, a “nobody” he had never heard of.
“By raising the matter, are you actually in the heat of an election, bringing the issue to greater focus?” he asked.
Source: Ministry of Digital Development and Information on YouTube
“During the heat of elections, attention is all over the place,” added Mr Singh.
“Even the PAP had to move candidates last minute. Your attention is all over the place.”
Mr Singh also clarified that the WP party members never set up a meeting with Deros.
Source: Ministry of Digital Development and Information on YouTube
“I mentioned quite clearly during the elections that he gatecrashed the meeting that Mr Faisal was having with someone else,” he said.
He acknowledged WP could have “made certain things clearer”, but said there were “many ways” to safeguard national interest without amplifying divisive remarks.
WP’s Facebook post outlines timeline & clarifies meeting
Later on Tuesday (14 Oct), WP published a Facebook post titled ‘Timeline of WP GE2025 Response on Noor Deros’, detailing how events unfolded.
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
According to the post:
- 25 April (late evening): MHA-ELD issued a joint statement on foreign interference.
- 26 April (9.07am): WP issued its statement confirming no promises or agreements were made with Noor Deros and reaffirming its commitment to keeping religion and politics separate.
At a subsequent doorstop interview seen in the post, Mr Singh explained that Deros’ appearance at the meeting had been unexpected.
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
“There was no indication that this individual would be joining the meeting,” he said.
“We don’t work politics like that in the Workers’ Party.”
WP’s statement also emphasised that it remains “firmly committed to Singapore’s secular, multi-racial, multi-religious society”.
Also read: PAP questions Pritam Singh’s M’sian podcast interview, WP says it ‘had no detrimental impact’
PAP questions Pritam Singh’s M’sian podcast interview, WP says it ‘had no detrimental impact’
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Featured image adapted from Ministry of Digital Development and Information on YouTube.
