Former Singapore Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin: From entry in politics to an affair & resignation

Tan Chuan-Jin, the former Singapore Speaker, resigned from his position in parliament and also from the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) on Monday (July 17). This decision came shortly before news surfaced about his extramarital affair with Cheng Li Hui, a fellow PAP MP.

On Monday, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the resignations of Tan and Cheng. The reason behind their resignation was their yearslong extramarital affair. Despite receiving advice to end the affair, both individuals chose not to do so, leading to their decision to step down from their positions.

Just a week prior to this, Tan was already involved in another controversy when a video clip of him muttering an expletive during an April parliamentary session circulated online. He acknowledged the use of "unparliamentary language" to describe the incident.

After retiring from the Singapore Armed Forces with 24 years of service as a brigadier-general, Tan Chuan-Jin entered politics in 2011. He represented the Kembangan-Chai Chee division of the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency from that time until Monday.

Tan Chuan-Jin's political journey

In the 2011 General Election (GE), Tan was a member of a five-person team, which included then-Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, contesting the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC). The team secured victory with 56.65 per cent of the vote.

Upon entering politics, Tan demonstrated rapid advancement within the ranks of the People's Action Party (PAP) and the Cabinet.

Within a mere six months after the GE, he was among the three new faces, alongside Chan Chun Sing and Heng Swee Keat, to be appointed to the PAP's central executive committee, which stands as its highest decision-making body.

After the 2011 General Election (GE), Tan was assigned the role of Minister of State at two ministries: Manpower and National Development.

In 2013, he took on the position of acting Minister for Manpower and was later promoted to a full Minister the following year. Subsequently, in April 2015, he was appointed Minister for Social and Family Development as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.

In both the 2015 and 2020 GEs, his Marine Parade GRC team achieved electoral success. In the 2015 GE, they secured victory once more with 64.07 per cent of the vote, while in the 2020 GE, the team garnered 57.74 per cent of the vote.

Incidents & controversial remarks around Tan Chuan-Jin

Cardboard remarks

In July 2015, Tan faced criticism for making a statement that implied some elderly individuals who collect discarded cardboard do so as a "form of exercise and activity," reported Channel News Asia.

The controversy arose when he shared a Facebook post detailing his experience during a visit to cardboard collectors in Jalan Besar, accompanied by members of the Youth Corps Singapore team.

“The normal perception that all cardboard collectors are people who are unable to take care of themselves financially is not really true. There will be some who do this as their main source of income,” Tan wrote.

“Some do so to supplement what they have. Some prefer to earn extra monies, treat it as a form of exercise and activity rather than being cooped up at home. They do this to remain independent, so that they can have dignity and not have to ask their families for help.”

Unparliamentary language

On July 11, Tan issued an apology for his use of "unparliamentary language" during a parliamentary sitting. The incident occurred on April 17 when a hot mic captured him muttering "f****** populist" under his breath after a speech by Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim, reported Channel News Asia.

During the speech, Associate Professor Lim expressed support for Madam Halimah's call to enhance Singapore's social compact and highlighted his frustration that the country had not established an official poverty line, which he found puzzling and exasperating.

The video footage of Tan's remark gained traction on the Reddit website on July 10.

The extramarital affair

On July 17, the Singapore Prime Minister's Office officially announced the resignations of Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui from parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP) due to their involvement in an extramarital affair.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later addressed the matter in a press conference, stating that the pair had engaged in an "inappropriate relationship" and continued despite being advised to end it. Tan, who is married and has two children, was involved in the affair with Cheng, who was the Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC since 2015 and is not married.

The Prime Minister became aware of the relationship in 2020 after the General Election. Following the revelation, both individuals were spoken to and received counseling, most recently in February, yet they persisted with the affair.

In his letter of resignation addressed to the PM, Tan expressed that the recent hot mic incident compounded the hurt he caused his family due to his actions.

“I have let them down. We have spoken about my personal conduct before,” he wrote.

"There are areas where I have fallen short. I need to take responsibility for them and help heal my family. We need space to recover and work through the issues. I have discussed the matter with my wife and agreed I must step away from politics and devote myself to my family.”