From PAP up-and-comer to Speaker: Tan Chuan-Jin's career before resigning over affair

SINGAPORE: Former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin resigned from parliament and the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) on Monday (Jul 17), shortly before news emerged of his extramarital affair with fellow PAP MP Cheng Li Hui.

Just a week before, Mr Tan had already been embroiled in controversy when a video clip of him muttering an expletive in parliament circulated online. 

The former brigadier-general has been in politics since 2011 when he retired from the Singapore Armed Forces after 24 years. From then until Monday, he represented the Kembangan-Chai Chee division of Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency.

CNA looks at the 54-year-old’s political career over the years, from being a rising star in the PAP's fourth-generation leadership to attracting brickbats over comments he made about cardboard collectors.

Mr Tan was part of a five-member team alongside then-Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong that contested Marine Parade GRC in the 2011 General Election (GE) and won 56.65 per cent of the vote. 

When he entered politics, he quickly ascended through the ranks of the PAP and the Cabinet.

Within six months of the GE, he was one of three new faces alongside Mr Chan Chun Sing and Mr Heng Swee Keat to be appointed to the party’s central executive committee – its highest decision-making body.

Mr Tan was also appointed Minister of State at two ministries – Manpower and National Development – after the 2011 GE.

In 2012, he was named Acting Minister for Manpower before becoming a full Minister in 2014. In April 2015, he was appointed Minister for Social and Family Development as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.

During the 2015 GE held in September, his Marine Parade GRC team won once more with 64.07 per cent of the vote. The team also garnered 57.74 per cent of the vote during the 2020 GE.

CARDBOARD COLLECTOR REMARKS

In July 2015, Mr Tan came under fire when he implied that some elderly people who collect discarded cardboard do it as a "form of exercise and activity".

He had penned a Facebook post about what some members of the Youth Corps Singapore team told him when he accompanied them on a visit to cardboard collectors in Jalan Besar.

“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,” Mr 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.”

He then faced backlash on social media, with some slamming him for being delusional and out of touch with people on the ground.

Mr Tan subsequently said the main message he had wanted to convey was that people should not generalise the things they see, and should always speak to the people involved.

"DEMOTION" TO SPEAKER

In 2017, Mr Tan was nominated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to be the 10th Speaker of Parliament. Then-Speaker Halimah Yacob had resigned to contest the presidential election.

Political analysts expressed surprise at the move, given that he was tipped to be a core member of the PAP’s fourth-generation, or 4G, leadership.

One observer said that it was unusual for a Cabinet minister in his prime to be made Speaker, while many online called it a “demotion”.

Mr Lee wrote on Facebook at the time that it was a “very difficult decision” to nominate Mr Tan as Speaker, as it “meant losing an effective activist” at the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

After accepting the nomination, Mr Tan wrote on Facebook: “May God continue to grant me wisdom, courage and love in all that I do. However inadequate as I may be, I hope that I can fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith.”

He was re-nominated as Speaker in 2020.

Last year, he appeared on news podcast Plan B where he was asked why he was not in the running to be Singapore's next Prime Minister.

At the time, three Cabinet ministers were tipped as potential candidates – Mr Chan Chun Sing, Mr Lawrence Wong and Mr Ong Ye Kung. Shortly after, Mr Wong was endorsed as leader of the 4G team, then promoted to Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Tan told the podcast host that he was not in the Cabinet, given that he was Speaker. This effectively ruled him out of the prime ministerial race.

HOT MIC INCIDENT

On Jul 11, Mr Tan apologised for using “unparliamentary language” during a parliament sitting. He had been caught on a hot mic saying "f****** populist” under his breath on Apr 17, following a speech by Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim.

Associate Professor Lim was voicing support for Madam Halimah’s call to improve Singapore’s social compact, and said it was “both puzzling and exasperating” that Singapore has yet to establish an official poverty line.

Video footage of Mr Tan’s remarks then made its rounds on the Reddit website on Jul 10.

In response, Mr Tan said in a Facebook post that he had to listen to the recording as he did not recall the incident.

He added that when he listens to speeches, he forms "views on them", like everyone, and that what was said were his private thoughts which he had muttered to himself and not to anyone.

"However I should not have expressed them aloud or in unparliamentary language, and I apologise for that," the Speaker said.

Political analysts CNA spoke to all said that apart from the issue of formal censure, the incident embarrassed Mr Tan and was inappropriate for the Speaker.

EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR

On Jul 17, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Mr Tan and Ms Cheng, who had been MP for Tampines GRC since 2015, resigned from parliament and PAP after having an affair.

Mr Lee later said at a press conference that the pair had an “inappropriate relationship” and continued with it despite being told to stop. Mr Tan is married with two children, while Ms Cheng is not married.

Mr Lee said he was alerted to the relationship in 2020 after the General Election. The pair was spoken to and counselled, most recently in February, but went on with the affair.

In his letter of resignation to the Prime Minister, Mr Tan said that the recent hot mic incident added to the hurt he has caused his family.

“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.”