Comment: The PLB affair is a tragedy, not a meme

Most people in Singapore would, by now, have heard of the PropertyLimBrothers (PLB) scandal.

In videos sent to Mothership and later circulated online, the co-founder and CEO of the real estate firm was alleged to be in an extramarital affair with its vice-president of strategy.

While no official confirmation of the affair was ever given, the parties involved — Melvin Lim and Grayce Tan — resigned from their roles in a matter of days.

Lim also reportedly sent a message to his colleagues, apologising for the matter:

"I made a personal mistake and crossed boundaries I should not have crossed. I want to take full responsibility for that, and I want to apologise sincerely for the disappointment and distraction this has caused the team."

Tan, a content creator with almost 200,000 followers, made private and later deactivated her Instagram account.

Public uproar

A public uproar soon followed.

News and meme sites were quick to jump on the bandwagon. Jokes were made, AI-generated memes and videos were circulated. Some made use of photos and videos featuring Tan and Lim's family members.

A few companies even posted parodies, promoting their products along the way.

On Reddit, netizens claiming to be former or current PLB employees shared further details of Tan and Lim's relationship. Screenshots of their Google Calendar were shared — showing the significant amount of time they spent together — and alleged payroll details were leaked.

Meanwhile, Tan became Singapore's most-searched person overnight, with people digging up details about her university life, her side hustles, and her marriage.

There's even a megathread on Reddit now, compiling all the different allegations.

Public figures

In boring-ass Singapore, it's hard to fault the thirst for drama. Dirty laundry sells, and both Tan and Lim are public figures.

Resignations aside, they are almost certainly getting their just deserts.

But there is a line for everything. Infidelity happens, it is wrong, play stupid games win stupid prizes.

That said, is their cheating so much worse just because they're public figures?

And do they deserve to have their consequences amplified, made public, aired out for the world to see? It's a tough call.

Choose kindness

There is plenty more to be dissected here.

Some have called for more attention on certain industries, including property and insurance, where infidelity seems unsettlingly common.

Others have drawn attention to the power dynamic between the two: Tan reportedly joined PLB as an intern, only to rise to VP within three years.

But there's space to do this in a way that shows restraint, without finger-pointing, witch-hunts, and involving their families.

Lim, on his end, has said that he intends to “focus on restoring and protecting [his] family”. He requested that people respect the privacy of both families involved.

I don't think it's an unfair ask. (After all, we can't help who we're related to.)

But maybe we can go a step further. Be the bigger person.

Choose kindness, even when it's tough to do so.

Top image from PLB/Google Maps and PLB website