Former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and fellow MP Cheng Li Hui announced their resignations due to an extramarital affair.
Following news of the affair, netizens discovered that there was an overseas trip in Cambodia in November 2022 that both MPs attended.
Leader of the House Indranee Rajah clarified that out of five official overseas trips that Tan Chuan Jin attended, Cheng Li Hui was only present on one trip.
Source: Parliament of Singapore on Facebook
For that trip, Ms Cheng was nominated by a staffing officer and the nomination was approved.
On Wednesday (1 Aug), Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh asked the Prime Minister several questions in Parliament, including one regarding an overseas trip that both Mr Tan and Ms Cheng attended.
In comparing the hot mic issue with the relationship, the relationship was the more serious matter, according to PM Lee.
Mr Singh asked why, if the PM knew of the affair in 2020, they were allowed to travel together on the trip in November 2022.
“To this end, has he checked, how many trips they’ve been on at the taxpayers’ expense and was he not aware of them?” Mr Singh also asked.
Ms Indranee answered the question regarding the overseas trips.
“Since the last general election, Tan Chuan-Jin had gone on five official overseas trips and three working trips. Working trips include, for example, the Olympic games,” she said.
Of the five, she noted that Cheng Li Hui was present at only one of these trips.
That was the 43rd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-43) in November 2022.
Source: Parliament of Singapore on Facebook
In total, there were 15 MP delegates for that trip to Cambodia.
Since 2020, the Parliamentary Secretary has organised at least 18 official overseas trips — 60 MPs have participated in these visits since 2020.
Of the 18, Ms Cheng Li Hui only participated in one trip.
She did not attend other overseas trips with other MPs.
In regard to her selection, Ms Indranee her name was put up by the staffing officer and approved.
The question of whether PM Lee was aware of this wasn’t addressed by either him or Ms Indranee.
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Featured image adapted from Parliament of Singapore on Facebook.
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