Resignations mark the third scandal to rock the political landscape of Singapore within a week.
Two senior members have quit from the largest opposition party of Singapore after admitting to an inappropriate relationship in the latest scandal to hit an island nation otherwise used to stable and drama-free politics. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/19/opposition-members-quit-in-latest-singapore-political-shake-up
On Wednesday the Workers’ Party (WP) said that Leon Perera, member of parliament and Nicole Seah, its youth wing president had handed in letters of resignation following a video that was circulated on social media earlier this week, showing the pair holding hands.
Singh said that the constitution of the Workers’ Party required candidates to be frank and honest with regard to their dealings with the party and the people of Singapore, adding that Perera had not been truthful when initially asked about the relationship in late 2020 to early 2021. Singh said that Seah had also denied the relationship when asked at that time by party leaders, adding that the pair’s behaviour was ‘unacceptable’.
This is the third scandal to rock the political landscape of Singapore within one week. A graft probe was recently approved by the prime minister into Transport Minister S. Iswaran, who was arrested alongside hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng last week following a corruption investigation. They were both later freed on bail but details of the investigation have not yet been released.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday that the Speaker of parliament and another lawmaker from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) who had refused to end the affair despite being advised, had resigned over their extramarital affair that was years long. The Prime Minister said he had accepted the resignations of lawmaker Cheng Li Hui and Parliament Speaker Tan Chuan Jin as they fell short of the high standards of propriety and personal conduct that were expected of all lawmakers.
In the past, both the PAP and the WP have sacked members over extramarital relationships,
Chong Ja Ian, National University of Singapore Political Scientist said that the PAP had more to lose as the governing party, in light of the scandals engulfing its members and that its actions would be judged by the voters at the polls due by 2025 by how the PAP’s actions have addressed issues of privilege, transparency, authority, oversight, restraint and position to their satisfaction.
Seah and Perera who were part of the top decision-making body of the party apologised to their families, constituents and the party in resignation letters shared by the party with the press.
The WP is down to 8 MPs in Parliament from 10 who were elected in 2020 when the house was formed with a total of ninety-three lawmakers.
