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Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore Tan Chuan-Jin and the Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui resigned from their respective posts and as the members of the People’s Action Party or PAP (the ruling party of Singapore) after reports of their alleged affair came out in the open.
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien announced their resignation on Monday, July 17. However, the exact reasons behind their resignation have not been disclosed. Later, the Prime Minister said at a press conference that Mr. Tan and Ms. Cheng were involved in an “inappropriate relationship” and continued with it, despite repeated warnings.
While the 54-year-old Tan Chuan-Jin is married, 47-year-old Cheng Li Hui is not. This means the former was engaged in an alleged extra-marital affair with the latter.
Tan Chuan-Jin is married with two kids
Not only is Tan Chuan-Jin married to his longtime girlfriend, but the couple also has two children. While it is unknown how long Mr. Tan has been married or how old his kids are, his alleged affair with fellow parliamentarian Cheng Li Hui was first reported in 2020. Since then, the duo has been counseled separately and together, most recently in February, so that they stop their relationship.
In his letter of resignation, Tan Chuan-Jin cited that the reason behind his exit was his recent use of unparliamentary language during a session that, once released, hurt his family deeply. In his letter to the Prime Minister dated July 17, he wrote:
“I have let them down. We have spoken about my personal conduct before. There are areas where I have fallen short. I need to take responsibility for them and help heal my family. We need space to recover and work through the issues. I have discussed the matter with my wife and agreed I must step away from politics and devote myself to my family.”
Tan Chuan-Jin made headlines last week when his use of unparliamentary language became viral on Reddit, and he was forced to apologize publicly. As per Channel News Asia, during a parliamentary session in April, Mr. Tan called opposition party (Worker’s Party) MP Jamus Lim a “f**king populist” after the latter’s speech.
In his resignation letter, Tan Chuan-Jin mentioned how he should have acted better, held himself to higher standards, and remained neutral and impartial as the Speaker. While Prime Minister Lee Hsien noted in his reply that Mr. Tan’s apology to Mr. Lim and the public was necessary, his resignation was required “to maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years.”
He also added how “saddened” he was that Tan Chuan-Jin was leaving politics and wished it was under “happier circumstances.”
“I thank you for having been a member of my PAP team, and wish you and your family all the best in your next phase of life,” he added.
In Monday’s press conference, the Prime Minister said he would nominate a new Speaker by August 1.
In brief, the career of Tan Chuan-Jin
Born and raised in Singapore, Tan Chuan-Jin entered politics in 2011 as a member of the People’s Action Party. Since then, he has been representing the Kembangan-Chai Chee division of the Marine Parade GRC as an MP. In 2017, he was appointed Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore. Besides this honor, he has also served as the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council since 2014.
Before joining politics, Tan Chuan-Jin had a glorious military career in the Singapore Armed Forces from 1987 to 2011. He rose through the ranks and retired as a Brigadier General.
A few of his notable roles include: being Army Attache at the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Assistant Chief of the General Staff, Commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, and Head of the Singapore Armed Forces Humanitarian Task Force in Meulaboh in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
Besides being the Speaker and an MP, Mr. Tan also served as the Senior Minister of State for National Development, Minister for Manpower, and Minister for Social and Family Development. Since 2011, he has been re-elected several times as the MP representing Kembangan-Chai Chee.
For now, Mr. Edwin Tong, the Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth; Second Minister for Law; and MP for Marine Parade GRC, will fill in as interim Speaker and MP of Kembangan-Chai Chee until the positions are filled.
Interestingly, the profiles of Mr. Tan and Ms. Cheng have been removed from the official website of the People’s Action Party as of Monday. Their social media handles also seemed to have been deactivated/deleted.
