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Tan Chuan-Jin quits: Other Singapore politicians who resigned after their affairs came to light

2023-07-18 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE – 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.

The Straits Times looks back at the cheating scandals that have tainted local politicians and how the parties dealt with them.

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1. Yaw Shin Leong What happened?

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. Neither Mr Yaw nor the party provided any explanation for his resignation.

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How did the party deal with it?

Mr Yaw was expelled from the WP on Feb 15, with members of the party’s central executive council (CEC) – Mr Low Thia Kiang, Ms Sylvia Lim, Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Gerald Giam – co-chairing a press conference that same day at its Syed Alwi Road headquarters.

During the press conference, the CEC said it had convened a meeting the night before and given Mr Yaw a chance to explain himself, but he failed to show up.

Combined with his repeated refusals to address the allegations, the CEC took a vote, with the majority opting for his expulsion from the party.

2. Michael Palmer What happened?

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.

How did the party deal with it?

Mr Palmer informed the PAP about his extramarital affair on Dec 8, 2012, and offered to resign.

His resignation was accepted by PM Lee, who met him the following day.

On Dec 12, 2012, Mr Palmer tendered his resignation, and attended the press conference chaired by then Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean at the PAP’s headquarters in New Upper Changi Road.