SINGAPORE: At the press conference, which had been called to address the resignations of then-Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and then-MP for Tampines Cheng Li Hui, Prime Minister Lee said that Tan and Cheng had been in an “inappropriate relationship”.
PM Lee said that despite the two of them being counselled on multiple occasions separately, it came to light that the relationship was still ongoing.
Here’s a timeline of the relationship between Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui:
In 2020, after the General Elections: PM Lee found out about the relationship between Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui. The relationship could have begun earlier. Mr Lee spoke to both Tan and Cheng and counselled them.
Feb 2023: PM Lee spoke to both Tan and Cheng again about their relationship separately. Tan admitted his wrongdoing and offered his resignation.
Tan Chuan-Jin was a former brigadier-general and has been in politics since 2011, when he retired from the Singapore Armed Forces after 24 years. He represented the Kembangan-Chai Chee division of the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency.
Tan was part of a five-member team alongside then-Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong that contested Marine Parade GRC in the 2011 General Election (GE) and won 56.65 per cent of the vote.
Within six months of the GE, he was to be appointed to the party’s central executive committee – its highest decision-making body. Tan was also appointed Minister of State at two ministries – Manpower and National Development – after the 2011 GE.
In 2013, he was named acting Minister for Manpower before becoming a full Minister the following year. In April 2015, he was appointed Minister for Social and Family Development as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.
During the 2015 GE held in September, his Marine Parade GRC team won again with 64.07 per cent of the vote. The team also garnered 57.74 per cent of the vote during the 2020 GE.
In 2017, Mr Tan was nominated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to be the 10th Speaker of Parliament. /TISG