scandals galore Gussy causes Singapore's Speaker of the House to resign, even after the Prime Minister told him to stop being such a simp

wtf is happening!?! A cabinet minister was arrested and under investigation for corruption last week and now this hahahaha

If you were ever in doubt of the here in Singapore, leaks of the main opposition party members behaving inappropriately dropped very coincidentally at the same time

Workers' Party looking into video of 'inappropriate exchange' between Leon Perera and Nicole Seah

The PM sounds mad lmfao

SINGAPORE: Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui have resigned from parliament and the People's Action Party (PAP) after having an affair.

Their resignations were announced by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Monday (Jul 17), although it did not specify in its statements the reasons behind the resignations.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later said at a press conference that Mr Tan and Ms Cheng had an "inappropriate relationship" and continued with it despite being told to stop.

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

Mr Tan, 54, is married with two children.

In his letter of resignation, Mr Tan said the recent incident involving his use of unparliamentary language in the House has added to the hurt he has caused his family.

"I have let them down. We have spoken about my personal conduct before," he wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister, dated Jul 17.

"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," he added.

Ms Cheng, 47, is not married.

The MP for Tampines GRC, said in her letter to the Prime Minister that she is "very sorry to be resigning in these circumstances".

"(I) would like to apologise to the party, as well as to my residents and volunteers."

Ms Cheng has been MP for Tampines GRC since 2015 when she made her political debut.

Replying to their resignation letters, Mr Lee wrote that the decisions were necessary to "maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years".

TAN CHUAN-JIN'S RESIGNATION

Mr Tan entered politics in 2011 when he was part of a five-member PAP team contesting Marine Parade GRC.

Before he became Speaker of Parliament in 2017, he was Minister for Manpower from 2014 to 2014, as well as Minister for Social and Family Development from 2015 to 2017.

Mr Tan made headlines last week when he apologised for using "unparliamentary language" during a parliament sitting in April. According to a Reddit thread, he muttered "f****** populist" after he called for MP Vikram Nair (PAP-Sembawang) to speak, following a speech by Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim.

Mr Tan said in his letter to the Prime Minister that he should have known better and held himself to higher standards.

"The issue at hand isn't just about the mistake itself. My mistake raised broader questions over my neutrality and impartiality as Speaker. The credibility of Parliament and the Chair is critical and cannot be compromised," he added.

The Prime Minister noted in his reply that Mr Tan had apologised both publicly and to Assoc Prof Lim.

"But your uttering them as Speaker in the Chair made this a more serious matter," Mr Lee said.

"I am saddened that you are not leaving politics in happier circumstances. But your resignation is necessary, to maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years," he added.

"I thank you for having been a member of my PAP team, and wish you and your family all the best in your next phase of life."

Mr Lee said at a press conference on Monday that he will nominate a new Speaker by the next sitting of parliament on Aug 1.

Mr Edwin Tong - who is Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Second Minister for Law and MP for Marine Parade GRC - will take charge of residents in the Kembangan‐Chai Chee ward in Marine Parade GRC where Mr Tan was MP.

In place of Ms Cheng, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health and MP for Tampines GRC will take care of the residents in Tampines East ward.

The profiles of Mr Tan and Ms Cheng have been removed from the PAP's website. Their Facebook pages were also no longer available online on Monday.

CHENG LI HUI'S RESIGNATION

According to her previous profile on the PAP website, Ms Cheng started volunteering in the community in 2003 before she was elected as an MP in 2015.

During her political career, she advocated for active ageing and better support for seniors as well as for stronger community-based support for children from lower-income families. She has also spoken in parliament about in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing.

In her brief letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Cheng apologised to the PAP and to her residents and volunteers.

Mr Lee said: "I regret the circumstances in which you are resigning from your positions. But your resignation is necessary, to maintain the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years.

"I thank you for having been a member of my PAP team, and wish you well in your future endeavours."