5 GRCs Now Have A Missing MP After Recent Resignations Of Speaker & Tampines MP
On Monday (17 July), Singaporeans were told the shocking news that Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and Tampines MP Cheng Li Hui had both resigned on the same day.
Their resignations have put Singapore’s Parliament in the unusual position of having a total of five missing MPs.
That means five Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) are currently short of a member.
Source: govsg on YouTube, Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Facebook, S Iswaran on Facebook and Tan Chuan-Jin on Facebook via Lianhe Zaobao.
However, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has no plans to call for an early General Election (GE).
Let’s take a look at how we got to this point.
Resignation of Sengkang MP Raeesah Khan
Ms Raeesah made history when she was elected as a Workers’ Party (WP) MP for Sengkang GRC during GE2020.
At the time, she was the youngest person to become an MP and the first Malay female opposition MP.
However, almost two years ago, on 3 Aug 2021, Ms Khan gave a speech in Parliament that contained falsehoods.
She apologised and resigned, bringing her time as an MP to a premature end.
Resignation of Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also resigned from all his positions in Government, effective on 7 July, but for a totally different reason.
In June, he announced his intention to run for President of Singapore.
Source: Lim Li Hsien on Facebook
After bidding farewell to his Jurong GRC constituents, the veteran politician was seen on a walkabout at Tech Whye on Saturday (15 July).
With his 22 years of political experience, many consider him the frontrunner for the job.
Transport Minister S. Iswaran takes Leave of Absence
Just days after Mr Tharman left office, Transport Minister S. Iswaran was revealed to be involved in a Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB) investigation.
Though the CPIB disclosed no details about the probe, they later said the minister was arrested on 11 July, the same day as tycoon Ong Beng Seng.
Source: S Iswaran on Facebook
PM Lee has instructed him to take a Leave of Absence (LOA).
This means he won’t have access to Government buildings and can’t carry out his duties as an MP for West Coast GRC.
2 MPs resign over inappropriate relationship
Lastly, PM Lee said at a press conference on Monday (17 July) that Mr Tan and Ms Cheng were engaged in an “inappropriate relationship”.
This continued even when they were told to stop in February.
A recent meeting between Mr Lee and Mr Tan took place after footage of the latter’s unparliamentary language circulated online.
During that meeting, Mr Tan, also an MP for Marine Parade GRC, agreed to resign over both incidents.
Ms Cheng also resigned, apologising to the People’s Action Party (PAP), Tampines residents and volunteers.
‘Missing MP’ GRCs will be covered by remaining MPs
When Ms Khan resigned, the WP said the remaining three MPs in Sengkang GRC would look after her Compassvale ward.
No by-election was called as, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act, a by-election can only be called if all MPs of a GRC vacate their seats.
This rule was also followed in 2017 when Madam Halimah Yacob resigned as MP of Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC to contest the Presidential Election.
Similarly, Mr Tharman also confirmed that the remaining four MPs in Jurong GRC will serve the residents in his Taman Jurong ward.
After the news of Mr Iswaran’s LOA was released, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee posted on Facebook. He said that the four other members of West Coast GRC will “step up and cover” his duties on the ground. This includes Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS).
In Marine Parade GRC, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong will take over Mr Tan’s ward of Kembangan-Chai Chee.
Source: PAP
Over at Tampines GRC, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli will take over Ms Cheng’s vacated Tampines East ward.
Source: PAP
No plans to call GE despite GRCs missing an MP: PM
During the press conference, PM Lee was asked whether the missing MPs would affect when the next GE is called, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
The election must be held by November 2025 — more than two years away.
To that, the PM said he had no plans to call for a GE immediately.
Source: Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
He’d noted that arrangements had been made for other members of the GRC to step up, adding,
That’s one of the advantages of having a GRC.
Besides, he stated, the Government is already in the second half of its term and opened Parliament recently.
Thus, they have “a full agenda” that they’re working on, and “that’s what we will focus on”, he maintained.
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Featured image adapted from govsg on YouTube, Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Facebook, S Iswaran on Facebook and Tan Chuan-Jin on Facebook via Lianhe Zaobao.
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