TODAYonline | Singapore | Palmer resignation 'right and honourable' -
Michael Palmer did the 'right and honourable thing' by resigning, said Minister of State Amy Khor yesterday. She added that politicians must uphold the highest standard of integrity in personal conduct.
Palmer resignation 'right and honourable'
Minister of State Amy Khor stresses that politicians must uphold highest standard of integrity in personal conduct
Former Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer "did the right and honourable thing" by resigning, Minister of State (Health and Manpower) Amy Khor said yesterday.
"Like many others I am very shocked and saddened by the news of Michael Palmer's resignation under such circumstances," she said.
"In fact my heart goes out to the family but I think he did the right and honourable thing to resign because MPs and politicians must uphold the highest standard of integrity in personal conduct in order to earn the respect and trust and confidence of people who have elected us to represent them."
Dr Khor, who also chairs Government feedback channel REACH, was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a dialogue session on "Women, Babies and Career".
On Wednesday, Mr Palmer announced his shock resignation after admitting to an extramarital affair with People's Association (PA) employee Laura Ong. Ms Ong had tendered her resignation to the PA on Monday.
Mr Palmer had informed party leaders of the affair and his wish to resign on Saturday. His resignation was accepted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Dr Khor said: "What the party and what the Prime Minister has done in terms of making a quick and decisive action - very open and transparent action - is also a right thing to do because that is testimony that the party holds dearly to the requirement of our MPs to uphold the highest standard of integrity, personal propriety and personal conduct."
Yesterday, PM Lee also held a closed door meeting with the People's Action Party MPs to talk about Mr Palmer's resignation.
MPs whom TODAY spoke to were tight-lipped on what was discussed at the meeting, which was understood to have lasted about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, some of Ms Ong's co-workers were surprised to learn that she had an affair with Mr Palmer, as she was not short of admirers who sent flowers to the office, said an acquaintance.
"She has a lot of suitors, so (people) never expected her to be a third party," said the acquaintance, who declined to be named.
Ms Ong was working at the Punggol South constituency office before becoming director of Pasir Ris West constituency office after last year's General Election.
Ms Ong and Mr Palmer may have had opportunities to interact when Pasir Ris West constituency office provided support to the events of Punggol East Single Member Constituency, where Mr Palmer was Member of Parliament, the acquaintance said.
Some of Ms Ong's co-workers are sympathetic to her plight and uncomfortable that the PA had named her in its media statement on Wednesday.
"They revealed her identity, which is not a very moral thing to do. PA was her first job until now. She has sacrificed a lot to get up to the position and now she has to give up everything," the acquaintance said.
Registry of Marriage records show that Ms Ong got married in 2006; it is believed that she is separated from her husband.
The New Paper yesterday published intimate SMS exchanges between Mr Palmer and Ms Ong, which it received from a source who had first tipped the newspaper off on Saturday morning - hours before Mr Palmer went to see Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean to confess the affair on Saturday night.
According to the source, Mr Palmer and Ms Ong had been in a relationship for more than a year - which would mean that the affair was ongoing when former Workers' Party MP Yaw Shin Leong was expelled in February from his party and vacated his Hougang seat over an extramarital with a fellow party member.