（Singapore Aug 2, 2023）Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged today in Parliament that he should have acted earlier on the affair between former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin and former People’s Action Party Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui.
Also during his ministerial statement, he said he had interdicted Minister Iswaran from duty with a reduced pay of $8,500 per month, until further notice regarding the investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) .
According to the Public Service Division (PSD), when the ministerial salaries were last adjusted in 2012, the monthly salary of a minister at benchmark level is $55,000.
Lee said that he had been asked why he took so long, more than 2 years, to act regarding the extra-marital affair between the former speaker and former MP.
“It is a fair question… I should have forced the issue sooner,” the 71-year-old eldest child of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said it twice in the statement.
He said he first learnt of the relationship between Tan Chuan Jin and Cheng Li Hui in November 2020. They were both spoken to, and counselled, separately. They both said they would stop the affair. But as it turned out, they did not.
In February 2023, Lee spoke to them again, separately. Tan admitted that what he did was wrong and offered to resign. Lee accepted.
Lee explained that he would have asked Mr Tan to step down as Speaker some time before the end of the term, but in a way which would reduce the public embarrassment to him and his family.
“By giving the matter some time, I had hoped to give them a softer exit, and save them and their families the pain and embarrassment that they are suffering now,” he said.
“I placed much weight on protecting their families – perhaps too much… Regrettably, in the end Mr Tan and Ms Cheng did not stop the affair, and both had to go.” he added.
In a personal plea, Lee said that while there is no doubt the two persons behaved improperly, there are also innocent family members involved.
“All their families are suffering. I hope that MPs and the public can empathize and have compassion for the families, and give them the privacy and space they need to heal,” he said.
Regarding the Minister Iswaran issue, CPIB alerted Lee on 29 May, and pursued this lead further on their own volition. On 5 July, Director CPIB briefed Lee on the findings he had at that point and CPIB would need to interview Minister Iswaran to take the investigation further.
“… He sought my concurrence to open a formal investigation. I gave my concurrence the next day, 6 July. On 11 July, Minister Iswaran was brought in by CPIB and subsequently released on bail. I instructed him to take leave of absence until the investigations were completed.”
Lee pointed out that CPIB investigations are still ongoing. He is unable to provide more details on the case, so as not to prejudice the investigations in any way.
“I ask Members of this House and the public to refrain from speculation and conjecture. We must allow CPIB to do its work, to investigate the matter fully, thoroughly and independently.”
He said when the investigation is completed, CPIB will submit its findings to the Attorney General’s Chambers, which will decide what to do with them.
“Systems are composed of human beings. In any system, however comprehensive the safeguards, sometimes something will still go wrong,” Lee said, noting that Singapore has seen corruption cases involving political office holders in the past.
Among them: Mr Tan Kia Gan in 1966, then Minister of National Development; Mr Wee Toon Boon in 1975, then Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment; Mr Teh Cheang Wan in 1986, then Minister for National Development and earlier in 1979; Mr Phey Yew Kok, then President of NTUC and also an MP.
“All these cases were handled by Mr Lee Kuan Yew who was then Prime Minister – thoroughly, transparently, and applying the full force of the law,” he said.
“That is still how the PAP Government deals with such cases. It has not changed under my charge; and it won’t change under my successor either.”
