Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap

Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap ( Jawi: ; born 6 June 1975) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Vice-Chairman of the Workers' Party (WP) since 2016 and an advisor for Sengkang GRC from 2021 to 2025. A member of the opposition Workers' Party (WP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) who represented the Kaki Bukit division of Aljunied GRC from 2011 to 2025.

In the 2025 general election, Faisal moved from Aljunied GRC and was part of the WP team contesting Tampines GRC. They lost to the incumbent PAP team with a vote share of 47.37%.

Education

Faisal 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.

Career

Between 1998 and 2002, Faisal worked as a technical officer in the Housing and Development Board of Singapore. From 2006 to 2010, Faisal worked as a freelance counselor and counseled couples on marriage and divorce.

Political career

Faisal joined the Workers' Party in February 2006 and first entered politics during the 2011 general election as the ethnic minority candidate in a five-member Workers' Party team along with Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Low Thia Kiang and Chen Show Mao contesting in Aljunied GRC against the governing People's Action Party (PAP). The Workers' Party team won with 54.72% of the vote, making it the first time in Singapore's electoral history an opposition party had won a general election in a GRC. Faisal thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Kaki Bukit ward of Aljunied GRC in the 12th Parliament on 9 May 2011. The Workers' Party has since retained its parliamentary seats in Aljunied GRC in the subsequent general elections and Faisal has continued serving as the Member of Parliament representing Kaki Bukit. Within the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, Faisal has served as chairman of the Estate and Liaison Committee (2013—2018), overall Council chairman (2018—2021), and Council vice-chairman (2021—2022).

Faisal was one of the party's five-member Workers' Party team along with Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Gerald Giam and Leon Perera contesting the Aljunied GRC in the 2020 general election, retaining the seats with 59.95% of the vote. Faisal is an elected member of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council from 2011 to 2025.

In the 2025 general election, Faisal was part of the WP team contesting Tampines GRC. They lost to the incumbent PAP team with a vote share of 47.37%.

Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party

Faisal was elected Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party central executive committee (CEC) on 29 May 2016, taking over the position from Mohammed Rahizan Yaacob. His two-year term has been continuously renewed in subsequent CEC elections, with the last election held on 27 December 2020.

Investigation for conduct before the Committee of Privileges

Following Raeesah Khan's admission to lying to Parliament in November 2021, in February 2022 the Committee of Privileges (COP) recommended that Faisal (as well as Pritam Singh) be referred to the Public Prosecutor for review so as to determine if criminal proceedings ought to be brought against them for their conduct before the COP.

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. That said, the Police (following consultation with the Public Prosecutor) formally issued an advisory to Faisal on 18 March 2024, 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 he Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act 1962.

Parliamentary representation

Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act

During 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. Faisal stated that he did not fully agree with the principle of the separation of religion from politics. He argued that while people "shouldn't use religion for the benefit of politics", it is inevitable that religion and politics are intertwined in the formulation of policies.

Tudung issue

Since he was elected to Parliament in 2011, Faisal had 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, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli rebuked Faisal for "subtly and frequently needling" the Malay-Muslim community with this issue. Masagos said that such issues should not be discussed in Parliament, arguing that it could disrupt Singapore’s racial and religious harmony and the matter should be resolved behind closed doors instead. In 2021, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Muslim nurses in Singapore's public healthcare sector will be allowed to wear a tudung with their uniforms if they wish to.

Repeal of Section 377A

In November 2022, the Parliament came to a vote on repealing Section 377A of the Penal Code, a law that criminalised sex between consenting adult males. Faisal, though was absent due to a COVID-19 infection, had conveyed through his party leader, Pritam Singh, on the first day of the parliamentary debate that he was in opposition of a repeal of the law as "a matter of religion and conscience".

Personal life

Faisal is married and has three children (two sons and a daughter).

On 24 July 2023, Faisal was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital due to a cardiac condition. The Workers' Party stated that "His condition is stable and he is being monitored and cared for in the intensive care unit. Mr Faisal is conscious" and that other party members from the Aljunied GRC would step in to take over his constituency duties for the time being.

Wear White campaign

In June 2014, Faisal was seen alongside campaign organisers and supporters at a Wear White campaign, an anti-LGBT movement in Singapore that opposes homosexuality and Pink Dot SG. Faisal clarified that he backed the movement in his personal capacity "as a Muslim individual", saying, "It has nothing to do with the party stand."

References

External links

Muhamad Faisal Manap
on Parliament of Singapore
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Members of the Parliament of Singapore
Workers' Party (Singapore) politicians
Monash University alumni
Living people
1975 births
Singaporean politicians of Malay descent
Singaporean Muslims