The Real Reason Behind Political Resignation

The month of July in 2023 was a busy period for Singapore politics. There was a hot mic incident, a corruption scandal and not one, but two extramarital affairs uncovered. It's the latter that I will be covering today, after I've had a while to mull over what happened. My friends from Malaysia, in particular, have been having a field day remarking that Singapore politics has become, for once, more dramatic than Malaysian politics.

Till death do us part?

The first couple were members of the People's Action Party (PAP) and the second couple were from opposition party Worker's Party (WP). All four have resigned from their roles since.

This being Singapore, while not as ridiculously extreme as the USA (not yet, at least) taking sides was par for the course. On Social Media, I saw plenty of amusingly vapid comments from party fanboys trying to defend their side while decrying the other side for pretty much the same thing. Gotta love partisan politics. eh?

While I'm of the opinion that comments on Social Media are largely made by people trying desperately to sound clever and failing miserably, some of these comments are worth dissecting, if only as an exercise in cold, hard logic.

The Issue of Competence

One common refrain was that these people should not have stepped down because having an extramarital affair is not illegal and does not affect their competence.

That is correct. The fact that they betrayed their marriage vows has no legal relevance. They were elevated to their positions due to intelligence, experience and professional qualifications. Extramarital affairs do not make them suddenly unintelligent (there's an off-color joke to be made about blood rushing from the brain to other parts of the body that would result in temporary stupidity, but I shall not go there) and incompetent.

Liking avocado on toast?

My job as a software developer demands that I solve business problems with tech. Whether or not I am a choirboy or a foul-mouthed, immoral SOB does not change the fact that I can do my job, and I can do it well. I don't suddenly become incapable of writing code just because I cheat on my wife, or like eating avocado on toast, or like scratching my bum in public. One is my professional life, and one is my personal life. These are separate matters.

But precisely because these are separate matters, it should not even be part of the discussion. It's a mystery to me why people keep on harping about how the affairs don't affect their ability to do their job. Of course they don't, and that's exactly why them stepping down had nothing to do with competence.

The Moral Component

Another common refrain was that of morality. It's hard to argue that an extramarital affair isn't immoral. What's more contentious is whether morality should be a factor in whether or not politicians step down from their role. Arguing that a politicians should have to resign because their conduct was not in keeping with your morals, is a slippery slope. How far do you want to take it? They can't be in office if they don't have believe in the same God you do? Or support the same sports team you do? Or generally believe in the same things you do?

Must our public servants
share your faith?

I would also venture to say that anyone looking towards politicians, of all people, to be their moral standard, may as well depend on monkeys to predict the weather. Thus, you can probably tell that I have very little regard for the argument that their conduct was immoral and that warranted their expulsion from politics.

Actually Good Reasons to Resign

We've covered why the issues of competence and morality are irrelevant. What, then, is relevant?

Well, let's say I'm an extremely stellar software developer (I'm not, but this is for argument's sake) who can bend machines to my will and make tech wizardry happen. Without question, I am professionally qualified for my job. But what if my behavior publicly and dramatically contradicts my company's brand or mission statement? If that were the case, I would be seen as a liability, and no amount of expertise in my field would save me from the axe.

While Singapore is largely a meritocracy, suitability for a position does not consist of only professional competence. You would not, for instance, ask a Muslim to peddle grilled pork even if he or she might be an exceptionally good cook.

Mmm, pork.

Similarly, Tan Chuan Jin, as Speaker of the House, was expected to conduct himself with impartiality during Parliamentary debates between PAP and WP. Such impartiality is called into question if the Speaker has an affair with one member of one side.

Cheng Li Hui, Leon Perera and Nicole Seah, on their part, rode on platforms such as family values, transparency and accountability on the way to success in the last General Elections. None of which will have aged well in the light of these scandals.

It's also worth mentioning that extramarital affairs, for the most part, are secret affairs. They're not something people are necessarily proud of. Thus, for politicians, or indeed, anyone in a position of power, to voluntarily put themselves in a position that they could be compromised via blackmail, is beyond the pale.

That is why they all had to go. They had become liabilities.

Final words

We all have biases and our personal feelings. However, where national interests are concerned, those feelings should be put aside. And when arguing for one side against the other, it's especially important that these are intelligent and logical arguments.

But this being Social Media, my expectations remain low.

By affair means or foul,
T___T