SINGAPORE: Former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin had been found to have been in an “inappropriate relationship” with fellow People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui, which continued even after they were asked to stop, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (Jul 17).
Both Tan and Cheng resigned on Monday.
PM Lee said he had spoken to Tan about his affair with Cheng in February this year. The latter admitted his mistake and offered his resignation at the time.
“I had accepted his resignation,” said Mr Lee. “Meanwhile his relationship with Ms Cheng had to stop”, PM Lee added. However, PM Lee said he “very recently” came across information that “strongly suggested” that Mr Tan and Ms Cheng’s relationship had continued.
Mr Lee had also counselled Ms Cheng in February but “nevertheless … continued the relationship with Mr Tan”.
Tan is married with two children. He has been serving as the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council since 2014. He was also the Speaker of Parliament and an MP for Marine Parade GRC (Kembangan – Chai Chee). As Speaker of Parliament, Mr Tan oversaw the House and enforced the rules of the Standing Orders. He also chaired the Committee of Privileges, which looks into complaints alleging breaches of parliamentary privilege.
Cheng is unmarried.
Cheng was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Tampines East division of Tampines GRC since 2015.
While Tan has taken down both his Facebook and Instagram pages, Cheng’s Instagram page remains accessible at the time of writing.
Netizens on Reddit also speculated about their affair after Tan and Cheng submitted their resignation letters to PM Lee around the same time.
Here’s what they said:
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui for comment. /TISG