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Singapore: SingaporeThe speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy resigned today, Monday, due to “improper” matterwhich pushed the ruling party into further turmoil after a rare high-profile corruption investigation that included a government minister.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he had accepted the resignation of the Speaker of the House Tan Chuan Jin and MP Cheng Lihui In order to “maintain high standards of decency and personal conduct” for the PAP.
He said they were in an “inappropriate relationship” that continued even after he told them to stop in February.
It was the latest development to rock the People’s Action Party, which has ruled Singapore without interruption for 64 years and prided itself on a corruption-free government.
Last week, the Minister of Transport, S. Eeswaran is arrested by the city’s powerful Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau in a rare investigation into high-level corruption.
He is out on bail and is helping the office with their investigation.
Prior to that, two senior cabinet ministers were investigated for alleged irregularities in their rents of sprawling residential properties in the land-scarce country, but both were later cleared of any wrongdoing.
“If we take into account this political crisis, the most serious for the ruling party since 1986, when the Minister of National Development was investigated on charges of corruption,” said political analyst Eugene Tan.
“I think the public’s trust in the ruling party will be greatly affected. This puts the ruling party very much on the defensive,” added Tan, associate professor of law at Singapore Management University.
Elections must be called no later than November 2025, with a younger generation of leaders expected to take the lead. Lee had earlier said he would hand over leadership to his deputy, Lawrence Wong, though no date was set.
Li told reporters that Speaker Tan, who is married with two children, offered to resign earlier this year when he spoke to him about the issue.
Lee accepted his resignation but it was effective when arrangements were made to replace him for his district.
The prime minister also said he had asked the spokesperson to end the case.
“But recently I came across information that strongly indicates a continuation of the relationship,” he told me.
Tan, in a letter to the prime minister, said he needed to step down from politics to focus on his family.
“I let them down… I need to take responsibility for them and help heal my family,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he had accepted the resignation of the Speaker of the House Tan Chuan Jin and MP Cheng Lihui In order to “maintain high standards of decency and personal conduct” for the PAP.
He said they were in an “inappropriate relationship” that continued even after he told them to stop in February.
It was the latest development to rock the People’s Action Party, which has ruled Singapore without interruption for 64 years and prided itself on a corruption-free government.
Last week, the Minister of Transport, S. Eeswaran is arrested by the city’s powerful Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau in a rare investigation into high-level corruption.
He is out on bail and is helping the office with their investigation.
Prior to that, two senior cabinet ministers were investigated for alleged irregularities in their rents of sprawling residential properties in the land-scarce country, but both were later cleared of any wrongdoing.
“If we take into account this political crisis, the most serious for the ruling party since 1986, when the Minister of National Development was investigated on charges of corruption,” said political analyst Eugene Tan.
“I think the public’s trust in the ruling party will be greatly affected. This puts the ruling party very much on the defensive,” added Tan, associate professor of law at Singapore Management University.
Elections must be called no later than November 2025, with a younger generation of leaders expected to take the lead. Lee had earlier said he would hand over leadership to his deputy, Lawrence Wong, though no date was set.
Li told reporters that Speaker Tan, who is married with two children, offered to resign earlier this year when he spoke to him about the issue.
Lee accepted his resignation but it was effective when arrangements were made to replace him for his district.
The prime minister also said he had asked the spokesperson to end the case.
“But recently I came across information that strongly indicates a continuation of the relationship,” he told me.
Tan, in a letter to the prime minister, said he needed to step down from politics to focus on his family.
“I let them down… I need to take responsibility for them and help heal my family,” he wrote.
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