Tan Chuan-Jin | |
|---|---|
| 陈川仁 | |
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| 8thSpeaker of the Parliament of Singapore | |
| In office 11 September 2017 – 17 July 2023 | |
| Deputy | Charles Chong Lim Biow Chuan Christopher de Souza Jessica Tan |
| Preceded by | Halimah Yacob |
| Succeeded by | Jessica Tan (Acting) Seah Kian Peng |
| Minister for Social and Family Development | |
| In office 9 April 2015 – 10 September 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Chan Chun Sing |
| Succeeded by | Desmond Lee |
| Minister for Manpower | |
| In office 1 May 2014 – 4 May 2015 Acting: 1 August 2012 – 30 April 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Preceded by | Tharman Shanmugaratnam |
| Succeeded by | Lim Swee Say |
| Member of Parliament forMarine Parade GRC | |
| In office 7 May 2011 – 17 July 2023 | |
| Preceded by | PAP held |
| Succeeded by | PAP held |
| Majority |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1969-01-10)10 January 1969 (age 57) |
| Party | People's Action Party (2011–2023) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics (BSc) King's College London (MA) National University of Singapore (MPA) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Singapore Army |
| Years of service | 1987–2011 |
| Rank | Brigadier-General |
| Commands | Commander, Army Training and Doctrine Command Commander,3rd Division Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Plans) Commander,7th Singapore Infantry Brigade Army Attaché,Jakarta Commanding Officer,3 Guards Battalion |
Tan Chuan-JinPPA(P) (Chinese:陈川仁;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Tân Chhoan-jîn; born 10 January[1][2] 1969) is a Singaporean former politician andbrigadier-general. A former member of the governingPeople's Action Party (PAP), he served asSpeaker of Parliament between 2017 and 2023, and theMember of Parliament (MP) forMarine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 2011 to 2023.
He also served asMinister for Manpower between 2014 and 2015, andMinister for Social and Family Development between 2015 and 2017.
Prior to his appointment to the Cabinet, he served as aSenior Minister of State and Acting Minister between 2012 and 2014. Tan also served as President of theSingapore National Olympic Council between 2014 and 2023.
In July 2023, both Tan andCheng Li Hui resigned from Parliament and the PAP after admitting to a years-long extramarital affair with each other. Tan resigned as an MP, the Speaker of Parliament and a member of the PAP on 17 July. His division was temporarily covered byEdwin Tong, fellow MP for Marine Parade GRC.
Tan attendedAnglo-Chinese School andRaffles Junior College before graduating from theLondon School of Economics with aBachelor of Science degree ineconomics under theSingapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship.
He also completed aMaster of Arts degree indefence studies atKing's College London,[3] and aMaster of Public Administration degree at theNational University of Singapore'sLee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in 2008.
Tan enlisted in theSingapore Armed Forces in 1987 and was commissioned as an officer in theSingapore Army before attaining the rankBrigadier-General. During his time in the military, he held various command and staff positions, including Commanding Officer of the3 Guards Battalion,Army Attaché at the Singapore embassy inJakarta, Commander of the7th Singapore Infantry Brigade, Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Plans), Commander of the3rd Division, and Commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command.[4][5] In the aftermath of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Tan was the commander of the Singapore Armed Forces Humanitarian Assistance Task Force deployed toMeulaboh. He received thePublic Administration Medal (Silver) (Military) for services rendered in the Tsunami Relief Operation in 2005.[6][7] He was also the chairman of the executive committee of the 2009Singapore National Day Parade.[8]
On 25 March 2011, Tan retired from theSingapore Armed Forces to enter politics.[9]
Tan was announced as aPeople's Action Party (PAP) candidate joining the five-member PAP team contesting in Marine Parade GRC during the2011 general election. After the PAP team won with 56.65% of the vote against theNational Solidarity Party, Tan became aMember of Parliament representing theKembangan–Chai Chee ward of Marine Parade GRC.[10]
On 1 August 2012, he was appointedSenior Minister of State at theMinistry of National Development and ActingMinister for Manpower.[10] During his tenure at the Ministry of National Development, Tan worked with heritage, nature, environmental and animal welfare groups on issues related to theRail Corridor andBukit Brown Cemetery. He also worked on issues which led toSisters' Islands being designated as Singapore's first marine park, as well as amendments being made to the Animal and Birds Act.[11]
On 1 September 2013, Tan relinquished his appointment at the Ministry of National Development and became Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Manpower while continuing to serve as Acting Minister for Manpower. On 1 May 2014, he was promoted to full Minister.[12] On 9 April 2015, Tan becameMinister for Social and Family Development as part of aCabinet reshuffle and continued to helm the Ministry of Manpower until he relinquished it toLim Swee Say on 4 May of the same year.[13]
During the2015 general election, Tan with his PAP teammates defended their seats in Marine Parade GRC which they won with 64.07% of the vote against theWorkers' Party.[14] After the election, Tan continued serving as Minister for Social and Family Development.[9]
Tan retained his parliamentary seat after his five-member PAP team contesting in Marine Parade GRC during the2020 general election won again with 57.74% of the vote against theWorkers' Party (WP).
On 11 September 2017, he resigned his Cabinet portfolio and became the 10thSpeaker of Parliament after the post was vacated byHalimah Yacob when she resigned to contest in the2017 Singaporean presidential election.[15][16]
On 11 July 2023, Tan made a public apology to WP MPJamus Lim after a clip of him usingunparliamentary language during a 17 April parliamentary sitting was shared onReddit. As Speaker of Parliament, Tan was heard saying "fucking populist" under his breath at the end of a 20-minute speech by Lim urging the PAP government to further help lower-income groups and to establish an officialpoverty line, when the microphone picked up Tan's comment. Tan apologised to Lim who accepted his apology.[17][18]
On 17 July 2023, both Tan andCheng Li Hui simultaneously resigned from Parliament and as members of the PAP due to "propriety and personal conduct".[19] Prime Minister and PAP's Secretary-GeneralLee Hsien Loong confirmed that Tan, who is married, and Cheng were having an extramarital affair, since at least 2020.[20] Though Lee found out that the extramarital affair continued through to February 2023, and Tan had offered his resignation then, Lee asked for Tan to first sort out the succession arrangements in his ward.[21][22]
In a statement, Lee responded to their resignation letters that their resignations were "necessary" for "maintain[ing] the high standards of propriety and personal conduct which the PAP has upheld all these years."[23][24] Their respective parliamentary seats at Marine Parade GRC and Tampines GRC were subsequently left vacant, and the workload for Tan's Kembangan–Chai Chee division of Marine Parade GRC and Cheng's Tampines East division of Tampines GRC were distributed among the other MPs in their respective GRCs. Tan also resigned his position as Speaker of the Parliament.[19]
In January 2014, Tan began serving as the president of theSingapore National Olympic Council.[25] He resigned in 2023 following his announcement of his extramarital affair.[26]
In 2024, Tan would be announced as an instructor for a "masterclass in leadership" held at the SMF Centre for Corporate Learning in a Facebook post, which was quickly taken down due to significant backlash; the course itself would proceed as scheduled.[27] He has also been a consultant at theTan Chin Tuan Foundation since October 2023.
Tan is married with two children. He is a practisingChristian.[28][29]
In 2023, it was revealed that Tan had anextramarital affair with fellow parliamentarianCheng Li Hui since at least November 2020. Both resigned from Parliament as a result.[30][31]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for Manpower 2012 – 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Social and Family Development 2015 – 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Singapore | ||
| Preceded by Ong Seh Hong as MP (Kampong Ubi-Kembangan) | Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC (Kembangan-Chai Chee) 2011 – 2023 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of Parliament 2017 – 2023 | Succeeded by |
