Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, MP Cheng Li Hui resign over 'propriety and personal conduct'
File photo of Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui, posted on Mr Tan's Facebook page in February 2016. Mr Tan was elected Speaker in September 2017. (Photo: Facebook/Tan Chuan-Jin)
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui have resigned from parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP). Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has accepted the resignations, said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Monday (Jul 17), although it did not specify or elaborate on the reasons behind the resignations.
In his letter of resignation, Mr Tan said the recent incident involving his use of unparliamentary language in the House has added to the hurt he has caused his family. "I have let them down. We have spoken about my personal conduct before," he wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister, dated Jul 17.
Ms Cheng, MP for Tampines GRC, said in her letter to the Prime Minister that she is "very sorry to be resigning in these circumstances". "(I) would like to apologise to the party, as well as to my residents and volunteers." Ms Cheng, 47, has been MP for Tampines GRC since 2015 when she made her political debut. She is not married.
related:
Inappropriate relationship between Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui continued despite counselling: PM Lee
PM Lee said he had learnt about the relationship sometime after the 2020 general election, but did not know when it began. PHOTOS: GOV.SG, MCI
The affair between Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and fellow People’s Action Party MP Cheng Li Hui continued, despite them being counselled by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in February. PM Lee said he had learnt about the relationship some time after the 2020 general election, but did not know when it began. He was speaking at a press conference at the Istana on Monday afternoon following his announcement of Mr Tan’s and Ms Cheng’s resignations from the PAP.
PM Lee said he spoke to both of them most recently in February and counselled them. However, in July, he came across information that “strongly suggested” that the relationship had continued. “I decided then that Mr Tan had to go forthwith, whether or not the arrangements were ready. It could not wait any longer,” he said. “I think it’s simply inappropriate to have a Speaker having a relationship with one of the MPs. It is not appropriate, it’s not acceptable.”
In February, Mr Tan had admitted to PM Lee that what he did was wrong. He offered his resignation, which PM Lee said he accepted. But, added PM Lee, he had to first make sure that residents in his Kembangan-Chai Chee ward and Marine Parade GRC continued to be taken care of. Meanwhile, Mr Tan’s relationship with Ms Cheng had to stop. In July, when the video clip of Mr Tan’s unparliamentary language circulated, Mr Tan was away. PM Lee asked to see him when he was back. During the discussion, Mr Tan agreed to leave immediately both due to his unparliamentary conduct, as well as his inappropriate relationship with Ms Cheng. The latter was something which Mr Tan had told PM Lee he would break off, but did not. Ms Cheng had also been counselled, including by PM Lee in February, but “nevertheless she had continued the relationship with Mr Tan”, said the Prime Minister.
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Did Tan Chuan-Jin & Cheng Li Hui’s affair start as early as 2018? Netizens dig up old photo from Baey Yam Keng’s FB
Mr Baey and Ms Fu were in the foreground of the photo and did not appear to stand as close together as Ms Tan and Ms Cheng, who were in the background
A photo from 2018 of Mr Tan Chuan-Jin and Ms Cheng Li Hui found on Mr Baey Yam Keng’s Facebook led to new speculation as to whether the former Speaker of Parliament’s affair started years earlier.
Going as far back as 2018 into Mr Baey’s Facebook page, netizens dug up an old photo of running buddies Baey, Grace Fu, Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui.
“What’s a good way to end two weeks of parliament sittings? A run with Speaker of Parliament and Leader of the House!” posted Mr Baey on March 8, 2018. He also tagged Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Ms Grace Fu and Ms Cheng Li Hui in the image. Netizens were quick to point out and speculate that the body language of Mr Tan and Ms Cheng was telling.
Singaporean Speaker of Parliament and Singapore National Olympic Council President Tan Chuan-Jin speaks during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Esports Week at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on June 22, 2023. Yong Teck Lim—Getty Images
Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party was rocked by two unexpected resignations, including that of parliament speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, further fueling one of the biggest political crises in the city-state’s history.
Once seen as a potential prime ministerial candidate by political observers, Tan, 54, stepped down from positions in government and the party, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement Monday. He is the second parliament speaker to resign for having an inappropriate relationship in just over a decade. His resignation is the latest in a series of scandals to send shockwaves through Singapore, including a graft probe on a cabinet minister and investigations into pricey rentals by two other members of Lee’s administration. This comes at a precarious time for the PAP, which is navigating a leadership succession in its nearly six decades of power and battling voter unhappiness over rising living costs.
Political analysts are describing the developments as a shock and a crisis for the PAP, which has been laying the ground work for a new generation of politicians to take over, led by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The PAP is heading for a national vote by 2025 and there’s a presidential election by September. “This would mean that Lawrence Wong will have his hands full as he mitigates this political minefield,” said Felix Tan, political analyst at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “Just when we thought we had about enough political intrigue, we now have yet another slew of political kerfuffle that is seemingly going to engulf Singapore.”
Singapore lawmakers quit over 'inappropriate relationship'
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attends the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Feline Lim/File Photo
Two senior lawmakers from Singapore's ruling party have resigned over their "inappropriate relationship", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday, the latest high-profile scandal in a city-state otherwise known for its political stability. Lee said the resignations of house speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and lawmaker, Cheng Li Hui, were necessary to uphold the standards of his People's Action Party (PAP).
Resignations of senior PAP members are rare in Singapore, where the party has been in power since 1959, before the country's independence in 1965. Tan's personal conduct had "fallen short", Lee said in a statement, and he understood the speaker's desire to step away from politics and "help heal (his) family". Lawmaker Cheng has been in parliament since 2015. Cheng could not immediately be reached for comment and her Facebook page had been taken down at the time of the announcement.
The political upheaval follows a high-level graft probe into transport minister S Iswaran and hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who were arrested last week before being released on bail. They have yet to comment on the investigations. In June, two heavyweight cabinet ministers were cleared of wrongdoing after public scrutiny of their renting state-owned bungalows at exorbitant rates. Separately, the opposition Workers' Party (WP) said on Monday it was looking into an "inappropriate exchange" between two of its senior members after a video surfaced online that appeared to show them holding hands in a restaurant. The WP said it was investigating the video and will hold a media conference over ‘inappropriate exchange’.
Singapore’s political sagas prompt memes but won’t hurt stability: ‘dark clouds will pass’
Prime Minister Lee, for his part, acknowledged in a press conference on Monday that the PAP was dealing with “a series of high-profile issues”. Photo: via Reuters
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s PAP is facing what observers say is a major internal crisis, following last week’s arrest of Transport Minister S. Iswaran in relation to a corruption probe, and Monday’s effective termination of two MPs, including the parliamentary speaker Tan Chuan-jin, for being involved in an extramarital affair.
The PAP’s biggest rival, the WP, was battling drama of its own on Tuesday, as details continued emerging in the local media of an alleged affair between two of its most popular figures, MP Leon Perera and youth chief Nicole Seah. The WP said it was investigating the video and will hold a media conference over ‘inappropriate exchange’.
Two of Singapore's ruling party lawmakers including the house speaker have resigned, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday, calling the moves necessary to uphold the party's standards. Resignations of senior People's Action Party (PAP) members are rare in Singapore, where the party has been in power since 1959, before the city-state's independence in 1965.
Lee in a statement said speaker Tan Chuan-Jin had "fallen short" in the matter of his personal conduct and he understood his desire to step away from politics and "help heal your family". Lee did not elaborate. The office gave no reason for the resignation of the other lawmaker, Cheng Li Hui, who has been in parliament since 2015. Cheng could not immediately be reached for comment and her Facebook page had been taken down at the time of the announcement. The resignations were necessary to "maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years," Lee's statements said.
Singapore has been hit by a series of political fallouts of late. last week, transport minister S Iswaran and hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng were arrested in a rare high-level graft probe. They have yet to give comment on the investigations. Speaker Tan's resignation comes after a video clip appeared on social media for several hours during which he is heard insulting another lawmaker, apparently unaware his microphone was still on. In his resignation letter, which was cited by Lee's office, Tan said: "I had made a mistake in parliament when I uttered words which were rude and unparliamentary."
PAP faces a severe crisis after string of incidents including Tan Chuan-Jin's affair
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaking at a press conference on the resignations of Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui on Jul 17, 2023. (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
The People's Action Party (PAP) faces its most severe crisis of public confidence in recent times after a spate of incidents involving its office-holders, political observers said. On Monday (Jul 17), Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin - who recently had to apologise for the use of unparliamentary language - and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui resigned from parliament and the PAP after it was revealed the pair had an affair.
Last week, Transport Minister S Iswaran was arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) over a graft probe. He is out on bail and has been placed on a leave of absence. Earlier in July, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan faced scrutiny over the rental of colonial bungalows at Ridout Road. No wrongdoing was found in investigations by CPIB and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean.
This is not the first time MPs have resigned from political parties after an extramarital affair:
- In 2012, the Workers’ Party (WP) expelled then-Hougang MP Yaw Shin Leong after he failed to present himself to the party’s central executive committee to “explain and discuss” allegations of an affair.
- Later that year, then-Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer resigned after admitting to an affair.
- In 2016, PAP MP David Ong resigned, acknowledging a “personal indiscretion”. All three of these men were MPs of Single Member Constituencies, and each of these cases resulted in a by-election.
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, MP Cheng Li Hui resign from Parliament and PAP
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui resign from Parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP). Their resignations were announced by the Prime Minister's Office on Monday (17 July) (PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore/PAP website)
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui have stepped down from their positions in Parliament as well as the People's Action Party (PAP).
According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Monday (17 July), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has accepted their resignations. This comes after a recent controversy surrounding a comment Tan made on a hot mic during a Parliament session. The comment came to light last week and sparked public criticism.
The Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, confirmed their resignations in an official statement on Monday. PM Lee emphasised that these resignations are essential to uphold the PAP's longstanding commitment to maintaining high standards of propriety and personal conduct.
2 MPs quit Singapore’s PAP over ‘personal conduct’ matters as crisis deepens for ruling party
Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), reeling from its highest-profile corruption case in decades, was plunged into further crisis on Monday after two of its MPs, including the speaker of parliament, resigned over supposed “personal conduct” matters.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he had accepted the resignations of speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, a former army brigadier general, and Cheng Li Hui, another member of the PAP.
Local media quoted Lee as saying that the two MPs’ resignations were necessary “to maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years”.
11 years ago, Michael Palmer, also a Speaker of the House, resigned over an affair
This is not the first time a Speaker of the House has stepped down after being involved in an affair.
In 2012, then Speaker of the House, Michael Palmer, resigned from his positions and as a MP when a member of the public exposed his relationship with a People’s Association (PA) staff member. The PA staff was reported to be Laura Ong, then a constituency director of Pasir Ris West Constituency Office.
According to The New Paper on Dec. 13, 2012, the scandal first reached the public’s consciousness when an anonymous source leaked screengrabs of messages and emails from Ong’s smartphone to the paper on Dec. 8, 2012. They included intimate messages between Palmer and Ong:
“Hello darling I hope you’re having a good massage…I love you and miss you loads. XOXO.”“every time we meet on monday, the kisses are lesser…the time we spend getting intimate is also lesser.”
Tan Chuan-Jin quits: Other Singapore politicians who resigned after their affairs came to light
(Clockwise from top left) Ms Cheng Li Hui and Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Mr Yaw Shin Leong, Mr Michael Palmer and Mr David Ong. PHOTOS: TAN CHUAN-JIN/FACEBOOK, THE NEW PAPER FILE, ST FILE
The spotlight has been cast on the private lives of politicians after Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and fellow People’s Action Party (PAP) MP Cheng Li Hui stepped down from their positions following an extramarital affair.
The two resigned from the party on Monday after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong found out in July that the pair had continued their relationship despite being counselled earlier. That same day, the Workers’ Party (WP) faced a potential scandal of its own after a video that purportedly showed MP Leon Perera and senior party member Nicole Seah sharing an intimate moment was circulated online. The WP said it was investigating the video and will hold a media conference over ‘inappropriate exchange’.
The Straits Times looks back at the cheating scandals that have tainted local politicians and how the parties dealt with them:
- Yaw Shin Leong - Rumours began circulating in January 2012 that Mr Yaw, then the WP MP for Hougang, had an affair with a married WP member. He was accused of having an illicit relationship with a married Chinese national who helped him in translation work for parliamentary speeches. On Feb 7, 2012, Mr Yaw, then 35, quit his post as WP’s treasurer, but stayed on as a party member and MP.
- Michael Palmer - As the first Eurasian to become Speaker of Parliament since independence, as well as being the second-youngest person to hold the post, it seemed that Mr Palmer’s political career was on the up and up. But the then 44-year-old quit all his posts – including his Punggol East single-member constituency seat – because of an extramarital affair with a People’s Association constituency director in late 2012. Mr Palmer, who is married with one son, was the first known PAP MP to resign because of an affair. For more than a year, he was in a relationship with Madam Laura Ong, who worked in Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC and is 11 years younger. She had married in March 2006, but separated from her husband two years later.
- David Ong - The father of three entered politics in 2011 as the PAP’s oldest new face at 49 in that year’s general election, contesting in Jurong group representation constituency, where he was subsequently elected. In 2016, the businessman, who was then the MP for Bukit Batok SMC, resigned from his role and the party over his “personal indiscretion”. He was believed to have been in an extramarital affair with a grassroots activist in his ward, with the affair having gone on for at least six months. The woman was 13 years his junior and the relationship was exposed only after her husband complained about it. He resigned on March 12, via a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, although no details were given about the alleged affair. More information emerged only in a news report by Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao that night.
- Tan Chuan-Jin - Barely a week after a video emerged of the former Speaker muttering the words “****ing populist” following WP MP Jamus Lim’s April speech on helping lower-income groups, the former brigadier-general, 54, found himself embroiled in another scandal. PM Lee revealed that the former Marine Parade GRC MP had been in a relationship with former Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui, 47, for some years, and that they had carried on despite both being counselled by the PM in February. It is unclear when the relationship between Mr Tan, who is married with two children, and Ms Cheng, who is single, started, but PM Lee discovered it some time after the 2020 General Election.
WP’s Leon Perera & Nicole Seah resign over affair
Workers’ Party MP Leon Perera and senior party leader Nicole Seah have resigned from the party over an extramarital affair, in the latest incident to rock the country’s political scene.
WP chief Pritam Singh announced this at a press conference on Wednesday.
He spoke to members of the press to address a video circulating online of Mr Perera and Ms Seah touching hands.
Parliament Speaker's ‘Unparliamentary Language’ caught on Hot Mic
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin said the recording of the session had been circulating, and he had to listen to it as he did not recall the occasion. PHOTO: GOV.SG
Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin has apologised to Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim for using “unparliamentary language” that was caught on a hot mic during a Parliament sitting in April.
Mr Tan said in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning that the recording of the session had been circulating, and he had to listen to it as he “did not recall the occasion”.
Mr Tan is heard muttering “****ing populist” on the microphone during the first day of debate on the President’s Address on April 17, after Associate Professor Lim finished a speech of about 20 minutes on doing more to help the lower-income groups here. The opposition politician suggested in his speech the establishment of an official poverty line.
related: Vivian Balakrishnan apologises to PSP's Leong Mun Wai after ‘illiterate’ comment circulates online
A good Speaker gained but a good Minister lost?
Tan Chuan-Jin became 10th Speaker of Parliament on Monday (11 Sept 2017) after he stepped down as Minister for Social and Family Development.
Tan, 48, was nominated for the role by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Previous Speaker Halimah Yacob resigned from her political and party posts on 7 August to contest in the upcoming Presidential Election this month. A Speaker of Parliament cannot be elected from members who are office holders.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Tan said, “In a Parliamentary democracy, the legitimacy of the laws we enact rests on the scrupulous attention we – on both sides of this House – pay to the reasoned debate which accompanies the passing of each law. No one doubts that our goal in these sittings must be to advance the interests of all Singaporeans.
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Parliament appoints New Speaker 2 Aug 2023
Recent events are a reminder to members of the House of their own mortality and fragility. They have shown that members are “all too human”, with not only physical but also spiritual and moral weaknesses, said newly elected Speaker Seah Kian Peng on Wednesday.
“I say this not to join with the chorus of sanctimony, but to reflect first on the need for us all to be vigilant in our personal conduct,” he added in Parliament. He said members should be vigilant with themselves first, but also with colleagues, to hold one another to account without fear and to tell truth to power. “I say this to point to the rules and codes of conduct which govern us all, as members of the highest rulemaking body in the land, and equally, as members of political parties,” the 61-year-old added.
Mr Seah was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as his nominee for the post on July 21. Mr Seah is the 11th Speaker to preside over the sittings of the House. His proposer was Leader of the House Ms Indranee Rajah, and his seconder Ms Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC).
PM Lee addresses CPIB investigation and Speaker/MP resignations: 5 key takeaways
He reveals key points on Iswaran's pay, anti-graft agency's approach and handling Tan Chuan Jin/Cheng Li Hui affair
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a ministerial statement to the Parliament on Wednesday (2 August), shedding light on the ongoing investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on Transport Minister S Iswaran.
He also addressed the resignations of former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Member of Parliament (MP) Cheng Li Hui, who stepped down due to their involvement in an affair.
Here are the five key points to take away from the session:
- Iswaran's pay cut and MP allowance - PM Lee revealing that Iswaran had been interdicted from his ministerial duty with a reduced pay of S$8,500 a month until further notice.
- Minister clarifies anti-graft agency's approach - Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, Chan Chun Sing, clarified that the reason that the anti-graft agency did not immediately announce Iswaran's arrest was to gather more facts and to hear his side of the story.
- PM Lee affirms zero tolerance for wrongdoing - PM Lee emphasised the PAP government's stance on zero tolerance for suspicions or allegations of wrongdoing in the discharge of official duties, especially possible corruption. While many rise to the occasion, some may fall short or even breach established norms of conduct. He cited past corruption cases involving political officeholders. Such as Tan Kia Gan in 1966, then former Minister for National Development; Wee Toon Boon in 1975, then a Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment; Phey Yew Kok in 1979, then president of NTUC and also an MP; and Teh Cheang Wan in 1986, who was Minister for National Development.
- Opposition leader calls for ethics adviser - Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh called for the consideration of appointing an ethics adviser and questioned the arrangement of Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui being on the same House committee.
- PM Lee outlines the approach to handling affair - PM Lee explained his approach after learning about the affair between former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui, over two years ago.
First prize for President hopeful Ng Kok Song
Mr Ng Kok Song aged 75 accompanied by his fiancee Sybil Lau aged 45 at the Elections Department on July 19, 2023. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
The combined ages of Mr Ng Kok Song aged 75 and his fiancee Sybil Lau aged 45, won the First Price drawn by Singapore Pools on 2 Aug 2023.
