While local furore regarding the recent scandals involving Singapore’s politicians has died down, the news has since gotten international attention.
For example, Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui’s affair was mentioned on the Australian show ‘Have You Been Paying Attention?’.
In an interview with BBC Newsday on 26 July 2023, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Lawrence Wong spoke about the recent affairs.
DPM Wong addressed the extramarital relationships between MPs and also Minister Iswaran’s corruption probe.
While the government has “zero tolerance” for corruption and criminal wrongdoing, he stated that it exercises judgment for conduct.
Moreover, the government does not police the MPs’ private lives.
DPM Wong expressed that “it is very unfortunate” that the string of incidents occurred around the same time.
He said these incidents were admittedly a setback for the ruling party and the government.
However, DPM Wong stands by the way that the government handled the situation — such as being upfront about the cases, investigating thoroughly, and being accountable to the public regarding the findings.
Source: BBC
He then affirms his belief that the government will be able to uphold the trust of Singaporeans.
When questioned about why the former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin had been allowed to continue to perform his duties despite knowledge of his affair, DPM Wong said the following:
The Prime Minister has set out the facts behind this case – it is different from corruption. With corruption and criminal wrongdoing, we have zero tolerance. When it comes to conduct, you have to exercise judgment.
He then describes these cases as “human frailties” and said that the government is very aware of their impact on “innocent parties”.
This includes the families of the accused, especially their spouses and children.
However, DPM Wong clarified that the government still sets high standards for propriety and personal conduct.
“We do not police the private lives of all our MPs,” he said when quizzed about why the government took so long to take action.
DPM Wong reiterated that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had already counselled the pair and “asked them to stop” when he first heard about the affair.
Source: Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
That said, the government “did not know what was going on” until the PM found out a second time.
That was when he accepted the Speaker’s resignation.
Later in the interview, DPM Wong also stated that the government has never adopted a zero-tolerance approach to extramarital affairs.
As every case differs, the government considers the circumstances and the parties involved. He then said:
We exercise compassion and sensitivity where necessary, but we want to uphold the trust that we have with Singaporeans at the same time.
DPM Wong acknowledged that its critical to uphold and win the trust of Singaporeans after the recent events.
Should he have the chance to take over as PM, he’s “determined” to earn their trust and “win their confidence”.
“We do not sweep anything under the carpet, even if it may be potentially embarrassing to the party or the government,” said DPM Wong in his last notes.
“And we will continue to do that.”
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Featured image courtesy of BBC.
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