Singapore in a mess as PM admits politics not as clean as country’s image
Singapore: Singapore has placed as much stock in the cleanliness of its politics as it does in that of its famously spotless streets.
A series of government scandals, however, have rocked the city-state and the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled it since independence.
Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong admits he should have acted sooner against two MPs who refused to end their affair.Credit: Getty
Most damagingly, a senior minister has been arrested over a corruption probe while two governing-party MPs – one of them the speaker of parliament – were forced to resign after failing to end their extramarital affair.
The revelations have delivered a rare dent to the image of political stability in the financial hub, where integrity in government has been assiduously guarded as it bids to attract foreign capital, and where family values are also paramount.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong admitted the party had “taken a hit” but pledged it would do the right thing to uphold standards and maintain public trust.
“Let me assure Singaporeans that we will protect the integrity of our system of government,” he told parliament. “For the good of our country, we will carry through what needs to be done in accordance with the law, even if it may be politically embarrassing or painful to the party. I will not flinch or hesitate to do my duty to keep our system robust and clean.”
Transport and Trade Relations Minister S Iswaran has been stood down on reduced pay while he is the subject of a corruption investigation.Credit: Bloomberg
Lee said there was zero tolerance when it came to corruption and any official found guilty of it would be dealt with the full force of the law.
The senior government figure being investigated by the country’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau is Transport and Trade Relations Minister S Iswaran.
The investigation is the first corruption probe involving a cabinet member since 1986 in Singapore, whose politicians are among the best paid in the world. The prime minister collects an annual salary of $SGD2.2 million ($2.5 million), according to the Public Service Division, while entry-level ministers are paid $SGD1.1 million ($1.25 million) annually.
Remuneration levels are set to such high levels in part to discourage wrongdoing in a nation with Asia’s largest proportion of millionaires per capita.
Workers clean the exterior of an office building in Singapore. The island-nation is well-known for its strict regulations regarding cleanliness and crime.Credit: Bloomberg
The anti-corruption watchdog hasn’t detailed the allegations against Iswaran, but last month it said it had arrested him along with billionaire hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Both were later released on bail.
The Malaysian businessman owns the rights to the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, which was first held in 2008 and which Iswaran was also reported to have played a role in bringing to the country.
Lee also addressed the controversy over a relationship between speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and fellow MP Cheng Li Hui that resulted in them having to stand aside.
Lee said he first became aware of the affair in November 2020 and asked Tan to end it, and in February urged both parties to end the relationship. He said he had learnt last month that his instructions had been ignored and the pair were still in a relationship.
“I have been asked why did I take so long, more than two years to act. In retrospect, and certainly now knowing how things eventually turned out, I agree. I should have forced the issue sooner,” Lee said.
The Singaporean leader maintained there was no catch-all rule against politicians having extramarital affairs and each one had to be judged on its particular circumstance, how inappropriate and scandalous it was and its impact and the family situation surrounding it.
He told parliament that an affair between the speaker and another MP was problematic and “just not proper”, but he had hoped to protect their respective families by counselling them privately.
“Regrettably, in the end, Mr Tan and Ms Cheng did not stop the affair and both had to go.”
Two members of the main opposition party also resigned last month after vision of them holding hands at dinner came to light.
In a 20-minute address, Lee also referred to another recent case in which two ministers were alleged to have received preferable treatment in renting luxury, state-owned bungalows but were ultimately cleared after an investigation.
“The way we have handled these incidents shows how seriously the PAP takes our responsibility of governing Singapore and being accountable to parliament and Singaporeans,” he said.
Singapore is due to hold an election next year and the PAP has been planning for Lee’s transfer of power. Lee has led since 2004 and his father, Lee Kuan Yew, was Singapore’s founding father and first prime minister, from 1959 to 1990.
Lee’s deputy, Lawrence Wong, has been anointed as the next in line, although the timing of the handover has not been made clear.
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