The deputy secretary-general of the People's Action Party (PAP), Lawrence Wong, said that the ruling party never adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards extramarital affairs.

In an interview with BBC Newsday, Wong, who is also Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister, said that in matters relating to personal conduct, "every case is different".

"We have to look at the circumstances of the case, the individuals concerned, and we have to also consider the parties involved, including many innocent parties."

Wong said that cases of improper conduct are handled by the party with compassion and sensitivity, and at the same time, upholding Singaporeans' trust.

The BBC Newsday interview covered the recent scandal involving former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and PAP Member of Parliament (MP) Cheng Li Hui as well as the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB) probe into Minister for Transport S Iswaran.

"We do not police the private lives of all our MPs": Wong

As to why Tan was allowed to continue performing his duty as Speaker of Parliament for years even though PM Lee found out about his "inappropriate relationship" with Cheng, Wong replied that the case was "different from corruption", and one had to exercise judgement.

"To be clear, we set high standards for propriety and personal conduct, but in dealing with such cases – which are cases of human frailties – we are also very cognisant of the impact that our actions have on innocent parties, including families, especially the spouses and their children. We have to find the right balance between exercising compassion and sensitivity, while upholding the fundamental requirement of our responsibilities and trust with Singaporeans."

When further pressed by BBC Newsday on why it took PM Lee so long to reveal Tan and Cheng's affair to the public, Wong replied that the PAP does not "police the private lives" of its MPs.

PM Lee shared in his press conference that Tan and Cheng began their relationship after the 2020 General Election. Tan and Cheng were counselled but the relationship did not end.

Operational considerations in announcing Iswaran's arrest

Wong said that he understood why Singaporeans were wondering if the government was upfront about Iswaran's CPIB case.

Still, he pointed out that there were "operational considerations" and that it was up to CPIB to announce Iswaran's arrest.

On Jul. 12, it was made public that Iswaran was assisting CPIB with an investigation into a case uncovered by the agency, which also involved billionaire Ong Beng Seng.

However, on Jul. 14, CPIB announced that Iswaran and Ong were arrested on Jul. 11, 2023.

"On the corruption case, we have clarified, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) is an independent agency. They have legal powers enshrined in the Constitution to do thorough investigations, and it is up to them, their operational prerogative, what information to put up at every stage of the investigation. So when the Prime Minister and I talked about the Minister assisting with investigations at the start, that was based on the CPIB statement on that day. We did not want to go beyond what CPIB was prepared to say on that day...

They decided not to say it at the start, but a few days later, they were prepared to reveal the fact that the Minister was arrested. After all, bear in mind, on this case, there was no public information about it. No one knew about it. We discovered it, we have put the facts out proactively, and we are determined to do a thorough investigation. When the findings are ready, we will make the findings available to the public."

Wong will work "doubly hard" to win and earn the trust of Singaporeans

On the lesson learned from the recent spate of scandals, Wong said that the trust between the government and Singaporeans is "very critical".

"I am determined to make sure we continue to uphold this trust," he said.

"Eventually, if I do have a chance to take over – if I do – I know that it is not just about me taking over because I also have to earn that trust with Singaporeans myself. I have to win their confidence and mandate to lead the country, and so I will work doubly hard to make sure that I will be able to win and earn the trust of Singaporeans."

Top photo via PMO