Star Millennium Advanced Toastmasters Club

Former Transport Minister S Iswaran has resigned as a Cabinet minister and a member of the People's Action Party (PAP), said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a statement on 18 January 2024. According to PM Lee, Iswaran is also resigning as Member of Parliament for the West Coast Group Representation Constituency.

The announcement came after Iswaran was charged in the State Courts on 18 January 2024 with 27 offences, including corruption, obtaining a valuable thing as a public servant and obstructing justice.

In the exchange of letters, PM Lee said: "I am disappointed and saddened that you are leaving politics in these circumstances."

But it is essential that he deal with such matters rigorously in accordance with the law, he added.

Speaking to media after Iswaran was charged, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who is set to take over the leadership from PM Lee this year said the PAP corruption is non-negotiable as this is part of the Party's DNA. "There can be no compromise, no relaxation, no fudging on this, no matter the political price,” he added.

While the PAP is disappointed by what happened and no doubt that Iswaran's corruption case will have an impact on the Party's morale, the Finance Minister said that it will not affect the succession timeline and the leadership transition "remains on track".

𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Regardless of the person’s rank, seniority and political affiliations, no one is exempted from the law – not even the ministers.

Here’s a list of known members of parliament or ministers who have been exposed and charged with criminal corruption in Singapore’s history.

𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟔: 𝐓𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐧, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

In 1966, Tan Kia Gan, then-Minister for National Development, came under investigation for attempting to help a close businessman friend Lim Tjin Hauw and his son William Lim to clinch the sale of a Boeing aircraft to Malaysian Airways. He also acted as an intermediary for his brother-in-law in the sale of a tin mine to the same friend. In return, he was given 70,000 shares worth $1 each. As the witnesses did not want to implicate him, Tan was administratively stripped of all his public appointments by the Government. He was subsequently charged and convicted.

𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟓: 𝐖𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐧, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Wee Toon Boon, then-Minister of State for Environment, was charged with corruption involving over $800,000 in April 1975. He had used his ministerial status to make representation on behalf of a property developer in return for gratifications, which included a bungalow and free air travel tickets for his family. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and also ordered to pay a penalty.

𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟗: 𝐏𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐰 𝐊𝐨𝐤, 𝐏𝐀𝐏 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Phey Yew Kok was the People’s Action Party Member of Parliament for the Boon Teck constituency from 1972 to 1980 and the President of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) from 1970 to 1980. He was convicted in 2016 for charges of misuse of union funds laid against him in 1979. He was on the run for 35 years before surrendering to Singapore authorities in 2015.

𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟔: 𝐓𝐞𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐚𝐧, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Teh Cheang Wan, one of the most powerful and important ministers in the cabinet, was investigated for accepting two bribes totalling $1 million in return for helping two property developers to retain and acquire pieces of land for development. However, Teh committed su***de before he could be formally charged in Court.

𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏: 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐞 𝐊𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠, 𝐏𝐀𝐏 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Choo Wee Khiang, a former People’s Action Party Member of Parliament and ex-President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA). In 1999, he was sentenced to two weeks' jail and fined $10,000 for helping a family friend to use false invoices to cheat a finance company into granting an $830,000 loan. In 2011, he was charged with three counts of corruption and one of criminal breach of trust during his tenure as President of the STTA.

Picture of our final farewell chapter meeting on 29th April 2023!
Thank you for all the support over the years!

Reindeer under the Northern lights

by Ignacio Palacios

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