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Bukit Batok seat officially vacated, Parliament confirms and accepts David Ong’s resignation

SINGAPORE – The Bukit Batok seat has been officially vacated, after Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said on Monday that she has received and accepted the resignation of Mr David Ong, the ex-MP for the Single Member Constituency.

Mr David Ong's resignation has been confirmed and accepted by Parliament. Photo: Wee Teck Hian/TODAY

Mr David Ong's resignation has been confirmed and accepted by Parliament. Photo: Wee Teck Hian/TODAY

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SINGAPORE – The Bukit Batok seat has been officially vacated, after Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said on Monday that she has received and accepted the resignation of Mr David Ong, the ex-MP for the Single Member Constituency.

Mr Ong resigned abruptly on Saturday, citing “personal indiscretions”. In his official resignation letter to Madam Halimah, the 54-year-old wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I am tendering my resignation as Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok SMC, with immediate effect, for personal reasons.”

Multiple reports have linked Mr Ong’s resignation to an alleged extramarital affair with Ms Wendy Lim, a grassroots volunteer and a fellow People’s Action Party (PAP) member. Mr Ong and Ms Lim have not responded to multiple attempts by TODAY to contact them for clarifications.

In response to queries from TODAY as to whether Ms Lim is still a party member, a PAP spokesman wrote: “As the matter is undergoing investigations, we are unable to provide further details at the moment.”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement on Saturday that a by-election would be held for Bukit Batok “in due course”. Experts say the earliest date for fresh polls is May, in what is likely to to be a multi-cornered fight. A number of Opposition candidates have already indicated their interest in contesting the seat, including Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan.

The PAP won Bukit Batok by a landslide in last year’s election, securing 73.02 per cent of the vote.

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