Why Singapore's recent spate of scandals have rocked the country
A series of recent scandals — including allegations of serious corruption — have rocked the Singaporean government and tarnished the city state's squeaky-clean image.
Last week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conceded the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) had "taken a hit" but said incidents involving ministers were rare and the government had "zero tolerance" for corruption.
"We will show Singaporeans that we will uphold standards and do the right thing, so that trust is maintained," he said.
Most commentators agree that the ruling party has been wounded by the scandals, but nowhere near fatally.
But does this episode show that the system is working as it should, or that without independent checks and balances more corruption is inevitable?
Corruption allegations and inappropriate relationships
In the space of a few days last month Singaporeans were shocked to learn that the Transport Minister, S Iswaran, had been arrested in connection with a corruption investigation, and then that two politicians — House Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui — were stepping down because of an inappropriate relationship.
Few details have been released about the case against Mr Iswaran, who was arrested along with billionaire Singapore Formula One GP promoter and hotel magnate Ong Beng Seng before both were released on bail.
Mr Lee said the MP had also been stood down and given reduced pay of S$8,500 ($9,640) a month until further notice.
Two other cabinet ministers had only just been cleared by the corruption watchdog in June, ending what was labelled the "Ridout Road Saga".
The pair were accused of misusing their positions to secure premium state-owned property at below market rates.
Meanwhile on the other side of the political divide, the opposition Workers' Party (WP) also lost two senior members, who also admitted last month to an inappropriate relationship despite earlier denials.
The WP said MP Leon Perera and youth wing president Nicole Seah handed in letters of resignation after a video circulated on social media showing them holding hands.
The flurry of misconduct is surprising because government scandals are rare in Singapore.
The repudiation of corruption has been a core principle since founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew took office in 1959 dressed with his team in white and vowing that leaders must be "whiter than white".
Ministers are paid more than S$1 million ($1.13 million) a year to discourage corruption and attract the best and brightest.
The last criminal corruption investigation was in 1986 — the accused MP took his own life before he could be charged — and the most recent resignations of members of parliament were in 2012 and 2016.
Government's handling questioned
In the wake of the scandals, the ruling PAP's leaders have promised transparency.
Still, many Singaporeans have been poring over the details and raising questions on social media.
During a press conference, Mr Lee said he knew about the relationship between the two parliamentarians in 2020, leaving many wondering why they were stepping down now.
He last week admitted he "should have forced the issue earlier".
Questions have also been raised about why it took a number of days for it to be revealed that Mr Iswaran had been arrested.
What will be the fallout for the ruling party?
National University of Singapore (NUS) political scientist Chong Ja Ian told Reuters that voters would judge the ruling party's actions at the polls, due by 2025.
"The unknown is how many voters find [the PAP's] actions have addressed issues of authority, restraint, position, privilege, oversight, and transparency to their satisfaction," he said.
"These events appear to have created some public speculation about the PAP's approach to privilege, restraint, and authority."
He added there was a danger Mr Lee's legacy could become associated with these events as he neared the end of his term.
Why Singapore's recent spate of scandals have rocked the country
A series of recent scandals — including allegations of serious corruption — have rocked the Singaporean government and tarnished the city state's squeaky-clean image.
Last week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong conceded the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) had "taken a hit" but said incidents involving ministers were rare and the government had "zero tolerance" for corruption.
"We will show Singaporeans that we will uphold standards and do the right thing, so that trust is maintained," he said.
Most commentators agree that the ruling party has been wounded by the scandals, but nowhere near fatally.
But does this episode show that the system is working as it should, or that without independent checks and balances more corruption is inevitable?
Corruption allegations and inappropriate relationships
In the space of a few days last month Singaporeans were shocked to learn that the Transport Minister, S Iswaran, had been arrested in connection with a corruption investigation, and then that two politicians — House Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui — were stepping down because of an inappropriate relationship.
Few details have been released about the case against Mr Iswaran, who was arrested along with billionaire Singapore Formula One GP promoter and hotel magnate Ong Beng Seng before both were released on bail.
Mr Lee said the MP had also been stood down and given reduced pay of S$8,500 ($9,640) a month until further notice.
Two other cabinet ministers had only just been cleared by the corruption watchdog in June, ending what was labelled the "Ridout Road Saga".
The pair were accused of misusing their positions to secure premium state-owned property at below market rates.
Meanwhile on the other side of the political divide, the opposition Workers' Party (WP) also lost two senior members, who also admitted last month to an inappropriate relationship despite earlier denials.
The WP said MP Leon Perera and youth wing president Nicole Seah handed in letters of resignation after a video circulated on social media showing them holding hands.
The flurry of misconduct is surprising because government scandals are rare in Singapore.
The repudiation of corruption has been a core principle since founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew took office in 1959 dressed with his team in white and vowing that leaders must be "whiter than white".
Ministers are paid more than S$1 million ($1.13 million) a year to discourage corruption and attract the best and brightest.
The last criminal corruption investigation was in 1986 — the accused MP took his own life before he could be charged — and the most recent resignations of members of parliament were in 2012 and 2016.
Government's handling questioned
In the wake of the scandals, the ruling PAP's leaders have promised transparency.
Still, many Singaporeans have been poring over the details and raising questions on social media.
During a press conference, Mr Lee said he knew about the relationship between the two parliamentarians in 2020, leaving many wondering why they were stepping down now.
He last week admitted he "should have forced the issue earlier".
Questions have also been raised about why it took a number of days for it to be revealed that Mr Iswaran had been arrested.
What will be the fallout for the ruling party?
National University of Singapore (NUS) political scientist Chong Ja Ian told Reuters that voters would judge the ruling party's actions at the polls, due by 2025.
"The unknown is how many voters find [the PAP's] actions have addressed issues of authority, restraint, position, privilege, oversight, and transparency to their satisfaction," he said.
"These events appear to have created some public speculation about the PAP's approach to privilege, restraint, and authority."
He added there was a danger Mr Lee's legacy could become associated with these events as he neared the end of his term.
More at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-08/corruption-allegations-affairs-rock-singaporean-government/102686612