Workers’ Party looking into video that suggests ‘inappropriate exchange’ between Leon Perera and Nicole Seah
The Workers’ Party is looking into a video clip circulating online that appears to show Member of Parliament Leon Perera sharing an intimate moment with fellow senior party member Nicole Seah.
The 15-second video shows Mr Perera stroking the hand of a woman who seems to be Ms Seah, as the duo have a glass of wine at a restaurant. Cars can be seen going by in the background.
In a statement, the WP said: “The Workers’ Party is aware of a video clip circulating online today that suggests an inappropriate exchange between two senior Party members.”
“The Party is currently looking into the matter and will comment when we have the facts. The Party also expects all its members to fully own and account for their behaviour.”
Both Mr Perera and Ms Seah are married. The duo are also both on the party’s 15-member Central Executive Committee - its top decision making body.
The 53-year-old Mr Perera, who is the MP for Aljunied GRC’s Serangoon Division, has two children. He also heads the party’s media team.
Ms Seah, 36, is the WP’s Youth Wing president, and was one of the party’s candidates that contested in its East Coast GRC team in the 2020 General Election. They eventually lost to the PAP team led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
Ms Seah gave birth to her second child in April 2022. She married her husband in 2015.
The Straits Times has sent queries to WP chief Pritam Singh, Mr Perera and Ms Seah.
While neither the party nor its members involved have confirmed the presence of any “inappropriate” relationship, political watchers say former Hougang MP Yaw Shin Leong’s alleged affair offers an indication of how the WP would deal with the latest incident.
In 2012, Mr Yaw was sacked by the party, with its leaders saying he had refused to explain allegations of extramarital affairs. The WP had said Mr Yaw failed to uphold the party’s standards of accountability and transparency.
Dr Felix Tan, a political analyst and associate lecturer at Nanyang Technological University said: “If these allegations are true, it would be best that these two step down from their positions within the WP to prevent any further fallout that will affect the party membership.”
Singapore Management University associate professor of law Eugene Tan added: “Based on what I observed of the WP’s handling of Mr Yaw’s alleged affair in 2012, it would point that they (WP) too would ask for the MP’s resignation.”
The party then had made it clear that it will not tolerate such “personal indiscretions”, said Prof Tan, pointing out that voters’ confidence in the WP would not be affected if the party deals with the incident fairly.
“If Mr Perera resigns, the party will have to demonstrate that the residents’ interests and concerns will be dealt with by the other four MPs. If there is no resignation, Mr Perera can continue with his MP duties,” said Prof Tan.
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