That’s a reputation or claim that’s hard to live up to, but at least one country or rather government, tries to do so. Yes, it’s that pesky little island state, that irritating, constant reminder of how we can do better – Singapore.
According to National University of Singapore’s Assoc Prof Tan Ern Ser, “being squeaky clean is one of the key pillars of the PAP brand,” referring to the People’s Action Party that has ruled Singapore with a super majority right from the nation’s birth.
For a government that has held supreme for decades, one would think it wouldn’t be so harsh on itself. But no, its leadership is as thin-skinned as ever and it imposes that squeaky clean expectation on its members, especially those holding key posts.
PAP leaders even wear white shirts and white trousers during party rallies and parades, serving as a visible reminder of the party’s commitment to integrity and honesty of those in power.
That’s why one of its senior ministers had to leave office when he was caught for having “interactions with a woman”. He had literally dirtied his spotless white uniform in the eyes of his party.
This happened on Monday when acting minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim resigned because his euphemistically described scandal “fell short” of standards required of a political office holder and Member of Parliament, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Faishal, 58, is married and has two children. In his resignation letter, he apologised for his conduct with a female member of the public, adding: “While there was no physical relationship between us, and I did not intend for the interactions to develop into one, there was a lapse of judgment on my part in the way I handled the interactions, and in failing to establish clearer boundaries at an earlier stage.”
Wong said the matter came to light about a month ago when the Prime Minister’s Office received an email from a female member of the public concerning her interactions with Faishal.
This led to Faishal and the woman being spoken to separately, during which both parties made allegations of harassment against each other. That led the case to be referred to the police.
The police investigation and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, however, concluded that no criminal offence was committed by either party and no criminal action would be taken.
One would think that with such a conclusion, the whole thing would be hushed up and Faishal would get a private talking-to by the PM.
But no, this is Singapore, and even this seemingly mild transgression was not acceptable and he had to go. This comes after 20 years in public service and having held posts as Minister of State for Home Affairs and Minister of State for National Development.
In the eyes of his party and leader, Faishal had failed to be morally correct and above reproach.
Mind you, Faishal was no lightweight nor a token politician in Singapore’s government. He was a National University of Singapore graduate with a masters in real estate management and holds a PhD in management science from the University of Manchester. He was an associate professor at the NUS Department of Real Estate before joining politics.
For inappropriate interactions with a woman who was not his wife, he not only lost his Cabinet post but also had to resign as a member of the PAP and as Member of Parliament for Marine Parade-Braddell Height. In short, his political career is over.
I think for many Malaysians who are sick and tired of how morally incorrect politicians remain in our corridors of power, such comeuppance for a tainted politician is nothing short of awesome.
What’s worse, the party and supporters of these tainted politicos are willing to overlook their transgressions as forgivable and forgettable.
Faishal is not the only politician in Singapore who resigned for falling short of personal moral standards.
In July 2023, the speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin and another PAP lawmaker Cheng Li Hui were told to resign by then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong for their “inappropriate relationship” even after they were advised by Lee to end their relationship in February that year.
The resignations had political pundits claiming the government was in crisis, as they came days after Cabinet Minister S. Iswaran and a business leader in Singapore were being probed for corruption by the anti-graft agency.
What was Iswaran’s crime for which he was subsequently found guilty of? Accepting S$400,000 (about RM1.6mil) worth of gifts and luxury items, like private jet flights and tickets for F1 Grand Prix and football matches, from two businessmen involved with him in an official capacity.
Well, for Malaysians, that is really small potatoes compared to what our political leaders have been found guilty of.
What’s more, no politician in Malaysia gets KO’d because of extramarital affairs. Well, there was one but he rebounded pretty quickly. And we do have another who made it all to the way to the very pinnacle of power.
So, what can we expect from many of our politicians who won’t be held accountable for falling short of their personal moral standards?
I would add that this lack of personal moral fibre and integrity is reflected in the kind of politics they practise. Indeed, the recent Johor and the upcoming Negri Sembilan elections showed how disingenuous they can be. Pacts, alliances and promises are made or broken so long as they can win or stay in power. It will surely get worse in the 16th General Election.
One might argue that it’s easy for Singapore to stay squeaky clean because of its tiny size that is in PAP’s iron-clad grip. But the counter-argument is that with total power and little opposition, it would be easy for leaders to line their pockets at the expense of its people.
But that is not the case because, right from its inception, Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) made it clear that no one was above the law.
He famously held a zero-tolerance stance on corruption and is universally credited for making his nation one of the least corrupt countries in the world.
There were doubts as to whether Singapore would remain “uncorrupt” after his death in 2015. But 11 years on, the nation ranks as the third least corrupt country globally in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, behind Denmark and Finland.
It is hailed as “the one corruption-free spot in a region where corruption is endemic”.
Lee believed that this total abhorrence of corruption, effective enforcement and a culture of meritocracy, was key to transforming a nation and essential for its development.
Faishal’s downfall shows that what LKY put in place is still working.
As his son and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said in 2023, “High standards of propriety and personal conduct, together with staying clean and incorrupt, are the fundamental reasons Singaporeans trust and respect the PAP.”
Can we say the same for our political parties and their leaders?
The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
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