Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party was dealt a fresh blow on Monday when the parliament speaker resigned in an “inappropriate relationship” with a member of parliament.
The scandal may further sway voter support from the long-ruling party after last week’s arrest of Transport Minister S. Iswaran and property tycoon Ong Beng Seng in a graft probe. PAP has governed Singapore since independence in 1965.
“High standards of propriety and personal conduct, together with staying clean and incorrupt, are the fundamental reasons Singaporeans trust and respect the PAP,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement. “Without party discipline, without integrity, we are nothing.”
Here’s a look at past scandals that have engulfed politicians from the ruling party:
2023
July
Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin and lawmaker Cheng Li Hui resigned on July 17. Both had continued the affair despite being counseled by the premier in February. Tan was also involved in a fracas where he had to apologize to an opposition lawmaker for using “unparliamentary language.”
June
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam were cleared of wrongdoing by the anti-corruption bureau for their rental of colonial houses in an upscale neighborhood. Lee ordered the review after the opposition asked if the ministers had paid below-market rates.
February
Tin Pei Ling, a PAP lawmaker, was moved to a different role within Grab Holdings Ltd. following public backlash over potential conflicts of interest after she was first hired to be director of public affairs and policy. That role would have required her to engage with the Singapore government.
2022
Lawyer Christopher de Souza was found guilty of professional misconduct by a disciplinary tribunal, according to the Straits Times. He denied the charge. He remains Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
2021
Balakrishnan apologized to an opposition member for his “private comments” in parliament. “I disagree with him on the issue, but I should not have said what I said,” the foreign minister wrote in a Facebook post.
2020
PAP election candidate Ivan Lim withdrew from the 2020 race ahead of Nomination Day following online allegations about his past conduct at work and military service. Lim said the claims were baseless, The Straits Times reported.
2016
Member of Parliament David Ong resigned due to a “personal indiscretion,” according to The Straits Times. Residents in Ong’s single-seat ward voted to stay with the PAP in the by-election.
2012
Michael Palmer stepped down as Speaker of Parliament after admitting to an extramarital affair. His exit triggered a by-election in the single-seat district. The opposition Workers’ Party won in the four-cornered fight the year after.
1996
Lee Kuan Yew, the island’s first prime minister, and his son Lee Hsien Loong, then-deputy prime minister, faced allegations of impropriety related to discounts on four luxury apartments developed by Ong’s Hotel Properties. Then-prime minister Goh Chok Tong said the investigation was needed to protect the government’s reputation. They were cleared in an inquiry.
1986
Then-Minister for National Development Teh Cheang Wan was investigated by the CPIB for accepting bribes. Teh denied receiving the money and died before he could be formally charged.
1975
Then-Minister of State for Environment Wee Toon Boon was sentenced to 18 months in jail for accepting a two-story house and land.
Author: Faris Mokhtar and Philip J. Heijmans
