Hello friends!
After that exciting new start to the year — I immediately got COVID. In 2024! And it sucked just as bad as it did in 2022. Here’s hoping that’s the worst of it for the year done and dusted, though.
And that unfortunately lined up with Singapore’s BIGGEST story in a long, long time so I’ve got a lot to catch up on here today.
Let’s crack in,
Erin
🇸🇬 Transport Minister resigns as corruption charges laid
It was always going to take something huge to knock the SimplyGo mess off the headlines in Singapore: here’s (now former) transport minister S. Iswaran going down on alleged corruption charges. Not a huge surprise — allegations and arrests came last July, before being smothered out of the news by a couple of salacious but largely benign sex scandals within parliament.
Iswaran is alleged to have accepted SGD$$385,000 worth of bribes, including an ungodly amount of musical tickets, from Malaysian hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng. Ong owns Singapore’s Grand Prix event and, as transport minister, Iswaran was on the steering committee. He is the first sitting lawmaker to ever face charges in Singapore, CNN reports. Ong was also arrested last year but has not yet been charged.
According to the Associated Press, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau has charged Iswaran with two counts of corruption, 24 for receiving gifts as a public servant and a single charge of obstructing the course of justice. Iswaran pled not guilty on Thursday and says he is “innocent and will now focus on clearing my name.”
This definitely sucks for PAP, concedes Deputy Prime Minister and future successor Lawrence Wong in Channel News Asia. But it’s what the party must do: “The PAP stance on corruption is non-negotiable, this is part of our DNA. There can be no compromise, no relaxation, no fudging on this, no matter the political price.”
Don’t expect any delays in the succession or any morale hits for PAP ahead of the next general election. “This plan remains on track,” Wong said last week.
Analysts and watchers are taking Wong at his word. Nydia Ngiow, the managing director of consultancy BowerGroupAsia, told CNA that if anything we could see it all happen a bit sooner than expected. “Noting that this also depends on when the trial is concluded, it is more likely that the transition timeline could be pushed up to build on the momentum following any goodies that Mr Wong may announce in the 2024 Budget that will look to deal with rising costs of living and implement the outcomes arising from his Forward Singapore initiative.”
Gillian Koh, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, isn’t quite as convinced. She notes that while the city has been aware of the allegations for months “the political feeling is one of betrayal.”
Political observer and former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin agreed, telling the Straits Times that the nature of the kickbacks themselves is particularly egregious: “It doesn’t seem to matter even if there was no wrongdoing. When ministers enjoy these luxurious things, the court of public opinion is now making comments about the optics. The PAP should seek to make it very clear that it has not abandoned its origins of serving people at large, especially during times like these when people are worrying about the cost of living.”
While the charges will take a while to work through the court and, PAP hopes, will be resolved well before the next general election, the impact on Iswaran’s home West Coast group representation constituency could be a problem for the party. Opposition force Progress Singapore Party made an excellent showing there in the 2020 vote, almost pipping PAP.
It will be an uphill battle for PAP to keep punters there happy. Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst with business consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore, told CNA that the loss of Iswaran will be felt: “Iswaran was a well-liked and popular MP at West Coast. With him not running, that’s where the PAP would need to strengthen (its lineup of candidates).”
In a region not unaccustomed to outrageous corruption cases, this could seem a little small fry. It certainly lacks a drama we’ve seen in recent years in Vietnam, Malaysia or Indonesia, for instance. But to dismiss it would be folly — this is huge. Singapore’s lawmakers are among the highest paid in the world with the justification that a high salary lessens incentives for corruption.
It also looks a bit dirty for the PAP. It’s fending off a challenge from various opposition forces after the worst-ever electoral showing in 2020 and some voters may reasonably be asking, what’s the point if this is what you get? But, on the other hand, the party has moved decisively. Wong’s words above show how seriously the PAP are taking the charges and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has been reflecting on his father’s legacy in stamping out corruption back in the day.
My nosy dream would be to see more vox pops from regular Singaporeans. Local media has done a great job of reporting this — probably an additional testament to how happy the government is to let Iswaran fry for it all — but I want an eavesdrop on the uncles gathered around tables underneath the HDBs and students sharing news on Instagram.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Dari Mulut ke Mulut to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.