SINGAPORE — Once touted as an up-and-coming member of the ruling party's fourth generation (4G) of leaders, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin has resigned as Speaker of Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) and member of the People's Action Party (PAP) over his personal conduct.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday that he had accepted Mr Tan's resignation in February, but had wanted to ensure that Mr Tan's Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) residents were taken care of.

In a letter to Mr Tan, Mr Lee said: "I appreciate your admission that you have fallen short in the matter of your personal conduct, and understand your desire to step away from politics and help heal your family."

Before the latest controversy became public, Mr Tan had apologised to a Workers' Party MP for using unparliamentary language during an April sitting of Parliament.

Mr Tan's resignation came together with that of fellow PAP member Cheng Li Hui, Tampines GRC MP. Mr Lee said the pair had been involved in an "inappropriate relationship".

Mr Lee said that it "saddens me" that the two MPs had fallen short of the high standard of propriety and personal conduct that we expect from all MPs" but that it was necessary to maintain these high party standards.

"This means to counsel, to correct, to admonish, and ultimately, if necessary, to remove the MP from the party and Parliament."

Here is a look back at the careers of Mr Tan, 54, and Ms Cheng, 46.

FROM CAREER SOLDIER TO FAST-TRACK MINISTER

Prior to joining politics in 2011, Mr Tan was a career soldier for about 24 years in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), where he rose to the rank of Brigadier-General.

One of his notable achievements was leading the relief efforts to Aceh, Indonesia in the wake of the 2004 tsunami. The relief mission remains one of the SAF's largest military operations to date, according to Mr Tan’s curriculum vitae on the Parliament website.

In May 2011, he was elected as an MP as part of the Marine Parade GRC team led by party stalwart Mr Goh Chok Tong. Mr Tan has remained MP for the Kembangan-Chai Chee ward since then.

Two weeks after the 2011 General Election, he was appointed a Minister of State at the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of National Development. 

He became Acting Manpower Minister in 2012, and a full minister in 2014. About a year later, he became Minister for Social and Family Development.

APPOINTMENT AS SPEAKER 

Mr Tan was nominated by the Prime Minister to be the 10th Speaker of Parliament in 2017, after the incumbent Halimah Yacob resigned from the post to contest the Presidential Election.

Madam Halimah first became Speaker of Parliament in 2013, after her predecessor Michael Palmer resigned from the post and as an MP after admitting to an extramarital affair with a People's Association employee.

In a Facebook post in 2017, Mr Lee described his nomination of Mr Tan as Speaker as a "very difficult decision... as it meant losing an effective and activist minister at MSF” (Ministry of Social and Family Development).

Political pundits were taken aback by the move, as Mr Tan had once been tipped as one of the core members of the 4G leadership.

He was among three new faces who were at the time appointed to the PAP’s highest decision-making body within six months after the 2011 GE, alongside Mr Chan Chun Sing and Mr Heng Swee Keat. 

The analysts had noted his rapid rise through the ranks in Cabinet and thought he was earmarked for greater responsibilities.

The decision to appoint Mr Tan as Speaker “suggests he might not feature prominently in the leadership succession plan”, one analyst opined at that time.

Mr Tan was only the second Speaker since Singapore’s independence to be appointed to the position after serving as a Cabinet minister.

Before him, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi became Speaker of Parliament in 2002 after an eight-year stint in the Cabinet. 

BEYOND POLITICS

Mr Tan has served as the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council since 2014, taking over from then Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

He was most recently re-elected unanimously for his third term in September 2022.

Other positions that he has held outside Parliament include chairman of the advisory board of Healthway Medical Corporation and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum advisory committee, and deputy chairman of Mandai Park Holdings.

In 2021, Mr Tan was also appointed as a member of the Climate Governance Singapore Advisory Board.

Mr Tan is married with one son and one daughter.