Inappropriate relationship between Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui continued despite counselling: PM Lee
SINGAPORE – An affair between Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and fellow People’s Action Party (PAP) MP Cheng Li Hui continued despite their being counselled by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in February.
PM Lee said he had learnt about the relationship some time after the 2020 General Election, but did not know when it began.
He was speaking at a press conference at the Istana on Monday afternoon following his announcement of Mr Tan’s and Ms Cheng’s resignations from the PAP.
PM Lee said he spoke to both of them most recently in February, and counselled them.
However, in July, he came across information that “strongly suggested” that the relationship had continued.
“I decided then that Mr Tan had to go forthwith, whether or not the arrangements were ready. It could not wait any longer,” he said.
“I think it’s simply inappropriate to have a Speaker having a relationship with one of the MPs... It is not appropriate, it’s not acceptable.”
In February, Mr Tan had admitted to PM Lee that what he did was wrong. He offered his resignation, which PM Lee said he accepted.
But, added PM Lee, he had to first make sure that residents in his Kembangan-Chai Chee ward and Marine Parade GRC continued to be taken care of. Meanwhile, Mr Tan’s relationship with Ms Cheng had to stop.
Earlier in July, when a video clip of Mr Tan’s unparliamentary language circulated, Mr Tan was away. PM Lee asked to see him when he was back.
During the discussion, Mr Tan agreed to leave immediately, due to both his unparliamentary conduct as well as his inappropriate relationship with Ms Cheng.
The latter was something which Mr Tan had told PM Lee he would break off, but did not.
Ms Cheng had also been counselled, including by PM Lee in February, but “nevertheless she had continued the relationship with Mr Tan”, said the Prime Minister.
“It saddens me to discover that these two PAP MPs have fallen short of the high standards of propriety and personal conduct that we expect of all PAP MPs,” he said.
“When such a situation arises, it is my duty as secretary-general of the party to deal with them and put things right. This means to counsel, to correct, to admonish and ultimately, if necessary, to remove the MP from the party and Parliament.”
He said it was painful to do this to “our friends and comrades-in-arms”, and it can also be politically embarrassing and costly.
“But the PAP has to maintain party discipline and standards of conduct. Our duty is to Parliament and the people of Singapore, and that is paramount.”
PM Lee said high standards of propriety and personal conduct, together with staying clean and incorrupt, are the fundamental reasons Singaporeans trust and respect the PAP.
Singaporeans give the PAP the mandate to form the government and work together with the party to improve the lives of Singaporeans, he said.
“PAP MPs, whether you’re ministers or backbenchers, must uphold these cardinal values at all times. Without party discipline, without integrity, we are nothing. This is an absolute requirement,” he added.
Kindly take note
TLDR: Tan Chuan Jin is a fucking moron.
Heartiest congratulations to TCJ and CLH for being featured an Aussie reality show!
It appears TCJ has reactivated his FB page:
Awww what a "nice" guy this Mr Tan is
"WE NEED TO INCULATE GOOD HABITS AND MANNERS IN CHILDREN. THEY ARE OUR FUTURE LEADERS."
Did Tan Chuan-Jin & Cheng Li Hui’s affair start as early as 2018? Netizens dig up old photo from Baey Yam Keng’s FB post
SINGAPORE: A photo from 2018 of Mr Tan Chuan-Jin and Ms Cheng Li Hui found on Mr Baey Yam Keng’s Facebook led to new speculation as to whether the former Speaker of Parliament’s affair started years earlier.
Going as far back as 2018 into Mr Baey’s Facebook page, netizens dug up an old photo of running buddies Baey, Grace Fu, Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui.
“What’s a good way to end two weeks of parliament sittings? A run with Speaker of Parliament and Leader of the House!” posted Mr Baey on March 8, 2018. He also tagged Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Ms Grace Fu and Ms Cheng Li Hui in the image. Netizens were quick to point out and speculate that the body language of Mr Tan and Ms Cheng was telling.
Mr Baey and Ms Fu were in the foreground of the photo and did not appear to stand as close together as Ms Tan and Ms Cheng, who were in the background.
Another netizen pointed out that since Prime Minister Lee said in his speech that other ministers also tried to counsel Mr Tan and Ms Cheng against the relationship, it was likely that a number of others were also aware of the affair.
PM Lee said he was first alerted to the relationship between Mr Tan and Ms Cheng after the last general election in 2020. “I do not know when it began, but they were spoken to, counselled. Unfortunately, the matter didn’t close and so it came to the hard conversation we had in February this year.”
Mr Tan, 54, is married with two children while Ms Cheng, 47, is not married. Mr Tan was the Speaker of Parliament while Ms Cheng was an MP for Tampines East.
https://theindependent.sg/did-tan-chuan-jin-cheng-li-huis-affair-start-as-early-as-2018-netizens-dig-up-old-photo-from-baey-yam-kengs-fb/
The resignation letters by TCJ and CLH scored an A- and F respectively, courtesy of mkbdnews lol
Many questions in Tan Chuan-Jin-Cheng Li Hui saga
Dear Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,
Ms Cheng might have been extremely satisfied with Mr Tan's performance over the last 3 years but I don't think the majority of Singaporeans were with yours at yesterday's press conference.
As law-abiding, tax-paying Singaporeans, may we request that you very kindly answer the following questions:
1. You said you found out about Tan and Cheng's "inappropriate relationship" (IR) "some time after GE2020" - roughly 3 years ago. You said as well that you don't know when the IR began.
Were you not naturally curious when the IR began?
Did you not at all ask them when the whole thing started? And how it started?
These are questions a leader would have asked. Not just that, but they would have been among the first questions asked. Are you not a leader?
The length - not to mention the intensity - of the IR would surely have figured in a natural leader's decision as to what to do with the amorous couple - whether to demand their resignation forthright (as you chose not to), whether to counsel them (as you did in February 2023), and whether to keep quiet publicly about the whole affair (pun unintended) for 3 long years until things burst into the open yesterday.
If you thought something was wrong or "inappropriate" (the term that is used), wouldn't you want to know how long it's been going on? Unless you didn't really think it was wrong or "inappropriate" so you didn't care when it started, or you did think it was wrong or "inappropriate" but you thought you could sweep it under the carpet. Either way, not knowing when it started doesn't reflect well on you, does it?
2. You said it was "simply inappropriate" for Tan as Speaker to have a (sexual) relationship with Cheng as MP. Why and how was it inappropriate? Please elaborate.
Further, are you implying that if Tan wasn't Speaker but an ordinary MP that then it would have been OK for him to be involved with Cheng? In other words, it's OK for 2 ordinary PAP MPs to be having an affair, but not if 1 is Parliamentary Speaker?
3. If it was so wrong for Tan as Speaker and Cheng as MP to be having an affair, why did you allow it to go on for 3 years?
4. Michael Palmer was literally sacked in a day while Tan was allowed 3 years to "mend his ways" because the "circumstances were different". How were the circumstances different?
5. Palmer wasn't given a second chance and time to mend his ways because PAP have such high standards of propriety. Are PAP standards now not only slipping but shattering? Is the boast of high PAP standards empty patter?
6. Is your exhortation to "all Singaporeans and the press" to give the lovebirds "time and space to heal from this episode" just a cunning attempt at getting everyone to shut up and not talk about this (to put it mildly) prolonged indiscretion any more lest it stay long in the public's mind and cost PAP seats at the next GE?
7. Has Tan and Cheng's departure been strategically timed by you to co-incide with the revelation of Leon Perera stroking Nicole Seah's hand in a public restaurant?
8. If the answer to the previous question is yes (as it appears suspiciously to be), was their departure timed to transfer the heat and shift the spotlight from you (PAP) to them (WP), with the bonus of distracting from Iswarangate, so you can claim PAP have acted decisively (when in fact you have dallied for 3 years) to clean house while WP take time to "investigate" Leon showing outward affection for Nicole?
9. Did your actions result in Mrs Tan being kept in the dark about her husband's affair? If the answer is yes, how does it comport with your desperate plea to give the Tan family time and space to heal?
10. You said you accepted Tan's offer of resignation in February - a good 5 months ago - and that you told him to hang on for the time being so his constituents could be well looked after in the interim. How long did you expect this process to take? Why was it necessary for this process to take more than 5 months to complete? Why so long? Why didn't it apply in Michael Palmer's case? Anticipating that you would say the circumstances of Palmer's case were different, how different were they?
11. You appeared to be reading from notes when you answered the second journo's question. Was the second journo's question scripted? Did you read from notes a prepared answer to the second journo's question?
12. The third journo's question was obviously unscripted and you were taken aback. You were nervous in answering. Why were you nervous?
13. The fourth journo pointedly asked, "Was there any abuse of power or conflict of interest [between the 2 parties: Speaker and MP]?" You answered by saying a Speaker-MP relationship was inappropriate and unacceptable. That's not answering the question. Could you answer the question please?
Dear Prime Minister, the above questions are very fair and top of every Singaporean's mind. You always tell the opposition to "come clean" on this matter and that. Now we would love to see you practise what you constantly preach. We patiently await your answers. Do take your time, but not 3 years please, that's a bit too long.
https://www.change.org/p/many-questions-in-tan-chuan-jin-cheng-li-hui-saga
I find it most befuddling that Raffles Institution would choose to keep the status quo insofar as TCJ is concerned:
Aiseh the Speaker's office is sibei spacious and makes for the perfect place for lots of piaking!
A complete failure and embarrassment is what he is, Tan Chuan Jin admits himself 👈