Singapore was rocked by news this week that a cabinet minister and a real estate tycoon were arrested in the biggest crime in nearly four decades.
A pending case involving the Minister of Transport S. Iswaran and It’s Beng Seng it threatens to destroy the image of a country that prides itself on fairness and a clean government. Singapore has consistently ranked in the top 10 most corrupt countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index since its inception in 1995.
Singapore’s civil servants are among the highest paid in the world, with the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong he earns an annual compensation of about S$2.2 million ($1.7 million). This is a strategy that its political leaders say has reduced corruption.
The investigation comes as the People’s Action Party, which has been in power since the island’s independence in 1965, is on the move. The PAP must ensure that any polls found in the survey are available before the general election which is due to be called by November 2025.
Here’s what we know about the case Iswaran and Ong:
Here’s a look at some of PAP’s past political controversies:
2023
July 11
National Assembly Speaker Tan Chuan Jin apologized to the opposition member for using unconstitutional language. Mr Tan said he was thumping his chest but his “secret thoughts” were captured during filming in Parliament.
June
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam were cleared of charges by the anti-corruption agency for renting colonial houses near high-rises. Lee ordered the review after critics questioned whether the ministers paid below-market rates.
2021
Balakrishnan apologized to the opposition member for his “private comments” in the parliament. “I don’t agree with him on this issue, but I shouldn’t have said what I said,” the foreign minister wrote on Facebook.
2020
PAP candidate Ivan Lim pulled out of the 2020 race before Nomination Day following allegations made online about his past actions. Lim said the claims were baseless, The Straits Times reported.
2016
Member of Parliament David Ong has resigned due to “irresponsibility”, according to The Straits Times. Residents of Ong’s single-seat ward voted for the PAP in this election.
2012
Michael Palmer resigned as Speaker of Parliament after admitting to having an extramarital affair. His exit triggered a by-election in a one-seat government. The opposition Workers’ Party won the four-cornered war the following year.
1996
Lee Kuan Yew, the island’s first prime minister, and his son Lee Hsien Loong, who was deputy prime minister, faced charges related to discounts on four luxury apartments developed by Ong’s Hotel Properties. The then Chief Minister Goh Chok Tong said the investigation was needed to protect the government’s reputation. They were challenged in the investigation.
1986
Then National Development Minister Teh Cheang Wan was investigated by the CPIB for accepting bribes. Teh refused to accept the money and died before being charged.
1975
Then-Minister of Environment for Environment Wee Toon Boon was sentenced to 18 months in prison for approving a two-story building and land.
A pending case involving the Minister of Transport S. Iswaran and It’s Beng Seng it threatens to destroy the image of a country that prides itself on fairness and a clean government. Singapore has consistently ranked in the top 10 most corrupt countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index since its inception in 1995.
Singapore’s civil servants are among the highest paid in the world, with the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong he earns an annual compensation of about S$2.2 million ($1.7 million). This is a strategy that its political leaders say has reduced corruption.
The investigation comes as the People’s Action Party, which has been in power since the island’s independence in 1965, is on the move. The PAP must ensure that any polls found in the survey are available before the general election which is due to be called by November 2025.
Here’s what we know about the case Iswaran and Ong:
Here’s a look at some of PAP’s past political controversies:
2023
July 11
National Assembly Speaker Tan Chuan Jin apologized to the opposition member for using unconstitutional language. Mr Tan said he was thumping his chest but his “secret thoughts” were captured during filming in Parliament.
June
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam were cleared of charges by the anti-corruption agency for renting colonial houses near high-rises. Lee ordered the review after critics questioned whether the ministers paid below-market rates.
2021
Balakrishnan apologized to the opposition member for his “private comments” in the parliament. “I don’t agree with him on this issue, but I shouldn’t have said what I said,” the foreign minister wrote on Facebook.
2020
PAP candidate Ivan Lim pulled out of the 2020 race before Nomination Day following allegations made online about his past actions. Lim said the claims were baseless, The Straits Times reported.
2016
Member of Parliament David Ong has resigned due to “irresponsibility”, according to The Straits Times. Residents of Ong’s single-seat ward voted for the PAP in this election.
2012
Michael Palmer resigned as Speaker of Parliament after admitting to having an extramarital affair. His exit triggered a by-election in a one-seat government. The opposition Workers’ Party won the four-cornered war the following year.
1996
Lee Kuan Yew, the island’s first prime minister, and his son Lee Hsien Loong, who was deputy prime minister, faced charges related to discounts on four luxury apartments developed by Ong’s Hotel Properties. The then Chief Minister Goh Chok Tong said the investigation was needed to protect the government’s reputation. They were challenged in the investigation.
1986
Then National Development Minister Teh Cheang Wan was investigated by the CPIB for accepting bribes. Teh refused to accept the money and died before being charged.
1975
Then-Minister of Environment for Environment Wee Toon Boon was sentenced to 18 months in prison for approving a two-story building and land.