Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap (Jawi: محمد فيصل بن عبد المناف; born 6 June 1975)[1][2] is a Singaporean politician. A member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), he has been the vice-chairperson of the party since 2016. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Kaki Bukit division of Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 2011 to 2025 and an advisor for the Compassvale division of Sengkang GRC from 2021 to 2025.[3]
Faisal Manap | |
|---|---|
| فيصل مناف | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Vice-Chairman of the Workers' Party | |
| Assumed office 29 May 2016 | |
| Chairwoman | Sylvia Lim |
| Secretary-General | Low Thia Khiang Pritam Singh |
| Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC | |
| In office 7 May 2011 – 15 April 2025 | |
| Preceded by | PAP held |
| Succeeded by | WP held |
| Majority |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 June 1975[1][2] Singapore |
| Political party | Workers' Party |
| Alma mater | Monash University (BS) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Education
editFaisal attended Eunos Primary School and Telok Kurau Secondary School before graduating from Singapore Polytechnic in 1995 with a diploma in civil and structural engineering.
He subsequently went on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology at Monash University in 2005.[4]
Pre-political career
editBetween 1998 and 2002, Faisal worked as a technical officer in the Housing and Development Board (HDB). From 2006 to 2010, he worked as a freelance marriage and divorce counsellor for couples.[5]
Political career
edit
Faisal joined the WP in February 2006[5] and first entered politics during the 2011 general election as part of a five-member WP team contesting in Aljunied GRC against the governing People's Action Party (PAP). The WP team won with 54.72% of the vote, the first opposition victory in a GRC in Singaporean history.[6][7] He was subsequently assigned to the Kaki Bukit division of the GRC.[8] The WP retained Aljunied GRC in the subsequent general elections.[9][10] Within the Aljunied–Hougang Town Council, Faisal served as chairman of the Estate and Liaison Committee (2013–2018), chairperson (2018–2021), and vice-chairperson (2021–2022).[11][12]
In the 2025 general election, Faisal led a five-member WP team contesting Tampines GRC. They lost to the PAP team with a 47.37% of the vote.[13][14]
Vice-chairperson of the Workers' Party
editFaisal was elected into the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the WP as the party's vice-chairperson on 29 May 2016, taking over the position from Mohammed Rahizan Yaacob.[15][16] He has since retained the position in subsequent CEC elections.[8]
Investigation for conduct before the Committee of Privileges
editIn November 2021, Raeesah Khan, then-MP for the Compassvale division of Sengkang GRC, resigned from the WP and Parliament after admitting that she had fabricated an account, which she had told Parliament, of accompanying a victim of sexual assault to a police station. Her division was divided into three parts, each to be managed by one of the remaining three MPs for Sengkang GRC, while Faisal became a temporary advisor for the original division, as Khan had been the sole minority MP for the GRC.[3]
In February 2022, in relation to Khan's resignation, the Committee of Privileges (COP), on account of Faisal and Pritam Singh's conduct before it, recommended that the two be referred to the Public Prosecutor for review to determine if criminal proceedings ought to be brought against them.
On 19 March 2024, the Public Prosecutor announced that it would not pursue charges against Faisal for his refusal to answer questions asked by the COP, unlike Singh, who pleaded not guilty to the two charges levied against him of lying to a parliamentary committee. However, the previous day, the Singapore Police Force had formally issued an advisory to Faisal after consultation with the Public Prosecutor, advising him to "familiarise himself with the conduct expected of Members of Parliament" and "to refrain from any act that may be in breach of [the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act 1962]".[17][18]
Parliamentary representation
editMaintenance of Religious Harmony Act
editDuring the debate over a parliamentary bill to amend the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, Faisal had a heated exchange with Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam over the separation of religion from politics,[19] in which Faisal stated that he disagreed with the total separation of religion from politics. He argued that the intertwining of religion and politics in the formulation of policies was inevitable, despite saying that people "[should not] use religion for the benefit of politics".[20][21]
Tudung issue
editDuring his parliamentary career, Faisal persistently raised the issue of allowing Muslim nurses and women in uniformed services to don the tudung in the course of their duty. In 2017, he was rebuked by Masagos Zulkifli, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, for "subtly and frequently needling" the Malay-Muslim community. Masagos said that such issues should not be discussed in Parliament, arguing that the matter should be resolved behind closed doors as its publicity was capable of disrupting racial and religious harmony in Singapore.[22] In 2021, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Muslim nurses in Singaporean public healthcare would be allowed to wear a tudung with their uniforms if they wished to.[23]
Repeal of Section 377A
editIn November 2022, Parliament came to a vote on repealing Section 377A of the Penal Code, a law that criminalised sex between consenting adult males. Faisal was absent due to a COVID-19 infection,[24][25] but had conveyed through Singh, on the first day of the parliamentary debate, that he opposed the motion to repeal as "a matter of religion and conscience".[25][26][27][28]
Personal life
editFaisal is married and has three children (two sons and a daughter).[5]
On 24 July 2023, Faisal was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital due to a cardiac condition. The WP stated on Facebook that he was conscious, in a stable condition and being monitored in intensive care, and that the remaining MPs for Aljunied GRC would take over his constituency duties temporarily.[29][30]
Wear White campaign
editIn June 2014, Faisal was seen alongside campaign organisers and supporters at a Wear White campaign, an anti-LGBT movement in Singapore opposing homosexuality and Pink Dot SG. He stated that he backed the movement in his personal capacity "as a Muslim individual", saying, "It has nothing to do with the party stand."[31]
References
edit- ^ a b "MP | Parliament of Singapore".
- ^ a b "Parliament of Singapore : MP Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap's CV". Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ a b "No by-election in Sengkang GRC after Raeesah Khan's resignation: WP". CNA. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap | Parliament Of Singapore". www.parliament.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Straits Times: Ready to take on a bigger role". Workers' Party Singapore News. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "ELD | 2011 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "GE2020: Sengkang GRC a 'major loss' to 4G team, says PM Lee". TODAY. 11 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap". www.wp.sg. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "ELD | 2015 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "ELD | 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ Ang, Matthias; Tan, Martino (25 September 2018). "Faisal Manap succeeds Pritam Singh as chairman of AHTC. Is he destined for bigger things at WP?". Mothership.sg. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ Tham, Yuen-C (17 August 2022). "Workers' Party MP Leon Perera is new AHTC vice-chairman as Faisal Manap steps down". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "GE2025: Tampines GRC sees four-way fight between PAP, WP, NSP and PPP". CNA. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ Lim, Janice (3 May 2025). "GE2025: PAP narrowly retains Tampines GRC with 52.02% of votes; NSP, PPP teams lose their deposits". The Business Times. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ "Office Bearers of the Workers' Party for the Term of 2014 to 2016". The Independent Singapore News. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Office Bearers of The Workers' Party for the Term of 2016 to 2018". The Workers' Party. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "AGC-SPF Joint Statement On Completion Of Investigations Into Conduct Before The Committee Of Privileges". Singapore Police Force. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Zalizan, Taufiq (19 March 2024). "WP chief Pritam Singh charged with two counts of lying to parliamentary committee; pleads not guilty". TODAY. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Tham, Yuen-C (8 October 2019). "Parliament: K. Shanmugam, WP's Faisal face off over separation of religion from politics". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ Ng, Jun Sen. "Workers' Party backs religious harmony law, raises questions on keeping politics, religion separate". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ Lai, Linette (8 October 2019). "Parliament: Workers' Party flags concerns in separation of religion from politics". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "WP's Faisal rebuked for 'divisive' remarks on tudung issue". TODAYonline. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ Osman, Danny (29 August 2021). "Muslim nurses in public sector can wear tudung at work from November: PM Lee".
- ^ "Day 1 of Section 377A debate: Which MPs support or disagree with the repeal, and what they say". TODAY. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ a b Singh, Pritam (28 November 2022). "Parliament: Repeal of Section 377A". Office of the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Faisal disagrees with the repeal of 377A as a matter of religion and conscience [...] All the Workers' Party MPs, apart from Mr Faisal Manap who is down with COVID-19, put their personal positions on the record.
- ^ Yong, Clement (28 November 2022). "WP MPs take differing positions on repeal of S377A". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Pritam Singh lifts whip on Workers' Party MPs on 377A, as 3 oppose repeal". Yahoo News. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Singapore repeals 'humiliating' gay sex ban after years of public debate". South China Morning Post. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Workers' Party MP Faisal Manap hospitalised in intensive care for cardiac condition". CNA. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ Iau, Jean (25 July 2023). "WP MP Faisal Manap in ICU for cardiac condition". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "WP's Faisal supports Wear White". AsiaOne. 5 July 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
Speaking to The Straits Times at his meet-the-people session in Bedok North, he said: 'It has nothing to do with the party stand.'
'I support the movement because it's my responsibility to show concern for my fellow Muslims, asking them to do some introspection on whether what they're doing is in accordance with Islamic values. That's the campaign's main calling.'
His comments came in the wake of three photographs this week showing him wearing a white songkok (traditional headgear) and white jubah (ankle-length robe) alongside the campaign organisers and supporters...