The Michael Palmer Affair Source

2 Thursday, December 13 2012 G THE NEW PAPER THE NEW PAPER G Thursday, December 13 2012 3 NewsNews The Michael Palmer Affair Source. Messages. Scandal Y FRIEND got a super scandal about issue needed to be escalated. a politician having an affair. Got He declined to speak to TNP and would only com- The woman in “M proof. You interested?” municate through SMS. This intriguing text message sent to The New “You recall Yaw Shin Leong? We need good minis- the scandal Paper by a contact at 10.48am on Saturday was ters,” he wrote. the first hint of what unfolded yesterday. Mr Yaw, a former member of the Workers’ Party, REPORT: SHAFFIQ ALKHATIB and TNP immediately tried to find out more was the MP for Hougang before news of his alleged ELIZABETH LAW about what seemed like an explosive story. extramarital affairs caused his sacking earlier this year. [email protected] For the next hour, there was silence. As TNP was trying to verify the information given by SHOCK and surprise. Then a couple more messages arrived five the source, somewhere else in Singapore that same That was the reaction of someone minutes before noon from a source close to the day, Mr Palmer was coming clean to the People’s Ac- who knew Madam Laura Ong Hui Hoon woman linked to the scandal. tion Party (PAP). well. Madam Ong, 33, is the woman At noon, four e-mails with the header He met Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and “Michael Palmer” were sent to TNP. Attached involved with former Speaker of the said that “he would resign his positions”, the media was House Michael Palmer. to three of them were screengrabs of SMS and told in a press conference chaired by the DPM yester- e-mail exchanges allegedly between the politi- “How could it be, she’s such a day. soft-spoken person,” said the woman cian and the woman. When Mr Palmer apologised “for what he had Michael Palmer. Speaker of Parliament Madam Laura Ong who declined to be named. done”, Mr Teo told him to look after his family and to She described Madam Ong as a “filial since last year. Young, dashing politician. do what he could “to make up for the hurt he had This was a big story indeed. “Hello person who always cared for her caused them”. mother”. The messages, which seemed to have Words like “soft-spoken” and “kept to been sent to the woman’s smartphone, sug- Married darling... herself” were also used when she spoke gested an intimate relationship between the about Madam Ong. two, which included regular Monday meet- Mr Palmer, 44, has been married for 15 years to I love you Madam Ong was the former ings. Diane, 41, a former lawyer. They have a 10-year-old constituency director with the People’s One message reads: “Hello darling... I son. loads too. Association (PA) in Pasir Ris West love you loads. More than I sometimes He said he was having a relationship with a woman, Mr Michael Palmer Constituency Office. show... Sorry. Love love.” a People’s Association (PA) staff member working in TNP PICTURE: JONATHAN CHOO More than Records from the Registry of Another message says: “But you can’t the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. be accessed. Marriages showed that she got married in judge our relationship by just what hap- WHOIS MICHAEL The source told TNP they had been in a relationship At the PAP, the next two days were spent making March 2006. The New Paper understands pens on Monday.” I sometimes for more than a year. arrangements to ensure that the residents of Punggol that she met her husband at a One e-mail shows a forwarded mes- PALMER? The two did not work directly together. East would be taken care of. rollerblading school he runs. sage: “Your booking at Fairmont Singa- show... DPM Teo, who has worked closely with Mr Palmer MICHAEL Palmer, 44, was elected a Member of Then yesterday, things came to a head. pore.” for more than six years, assured him that arrangements Separated The last e-mail sent by the source Parliament (MP) for the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group First, Mr Palmer’s personal Facebook account was Sorry. Love would be made so the residents in his constituency Representation Constituency in the 2006 General deleted in the morning. Then his Facebook page and However, the couple separated about contained a picture of a Dior handbag would be looked after. that Mr Palmer purportedly gave the Election (GE). Twitter accounts also disappeared. love.” two years after marriage. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was then informed. He served as the chairman of the Government At 9.33am, the PAP invited the media to a press TNP also understands that while woman. He agreed that Mr Palmer’s offer to resign was the Shortly after, the informant Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign conference by DPM Teo at 1.15pm. – One of the messages Madam Ong no longer lives with her proper thing to do. husband, she remains on cordial terms said in an SMS that the Affairs from 2008 to 2011, and as the chairman of Facing a roomful of reporters and cameras, a visibly By Saturday night, the source had also gone quiet. the Home Affairs and Law committee in 2011. tired and grave Mr Palmer, accompanied by a solemn with his family. On Sunday morning, PM Lee met Mr Palmer and At last year’s GE, Mr Palmer was elected as MP DPM Teo, announced his resignation. Checks showed that Madam Ong’s confirmed the decision to accept his resignation. for Punggol East, a Single Member Constituency, Reading from a written statement, he told the press 32-year-old husband is a director and Mr Lee also directed that the matter “be dealt with shareholder of five different companies. after defeating candidates from the Workers’ Party he had resigned “to avoid further embarrassment to the decisively and in an open way”. PAP and to Parliament”. He is also owns a company that deals Later that night, Mr Palmer’s Face- and the Singapore Democratic Alliance. with souvenirs. He was nominated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien He declined to take personal questions on his affair book account could no longer and how it had affected his family. The PA confirmed that Madam Ong Loong as Speaker of Parliament, and was elected to resigned from her position on Dec 10, the role by the House on Oct 10 last year, making In his letter to the PM, also dated yesterday, he tendered his resignation as MP and as a PAP member citing “family commitments”. him Singapore’s eighth Speaker. “The People’s Association has with immediate effect. A lawyer by training, Mr Palmer is also a partner accepted her resignation,” said the He said he took full responsibility for his “grave at law firm Harry Elias. spokesman. In a shock move yesterday, Continued on PAGE 4 Attempts to contact Madam Ong Speaker of the House PROOF: E-mails were sent to The New Paper with yesterday on her mobile phone went screengrabs of SMS and e-mail exchanges allegedly unanswered. Michael Palmer resigned as between Mr Michael Palmer and Madam Laura Ong. Member of Parliament for Punggol East after revealing he had an extramarital affair with a woman employee from the People’s Association working in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. The New Paper first caught wind of the affair last Saturday. JUDITH TAN ([email protected]) reports on how the scandal unfolded TNP hotline: 1800-7 33 44 55 SMS/MMS: 94778899 Website: tnp.sg Email: [email protected] Fax: 6319 8266 To subscribe: 6388 3838 TNP ILLUSTRATION: CHNG CHOON HIONG 4 Thursday, December 13 2012 G THE NEW PAPER THE NEW PAPER G Thursday, December 13 2012 5 News The Michael Palmer Affair Appealto PAP was INDISCRETION: Mr Michael Palmer, seen here respect with his wife, Diane, announced his resignation as Speaker of the House and MP yesterday. TNP FILE PICTURE indiscretion is consistent with its stand on Mr Yaw’s privacy alleged affairs. WHATNOW? ‘swift and He said: “The PAP has indicated its zero-tolerance Who will replace Mr Michael stance and the expectations it has of its MPs. From PAGE 3 Palmer at Punggol East “I think the approach taken by the PAP suggests that constituency? mistake”. it is no less harsh on its own MPs, notwithstanding its Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said he has “My conduct was improper and it was a serious measured criticism.” asked Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Trade and error of judgment,” he wrote. Mr Goh thinks this scandal will affect PAP’s credibili- Industry and North East District Mayor, to oversee PM Lee accepted the resignation “with great sad- resolute’ ty. Punggol East constituency, which is a single-seat ness” yesterday. “It just shows that no party, even the ruling party, constituency. He said: “It is necessary that all PAP MPs and advis- with its mechanism in screening candidates, can be 100 Mr Zainal Sapari will be appointed as the new ers to grassroots organisations uphold the highest per cent sure of the good character of the candidates,” chairman of Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council. standards of personal conduct... and that the party be Political observers analyse he said. seen to hold its MPs and advisers to these standards.” Mr Palmer’s resignation Mr Goh said the “so-called myth” of the PAP’s brand Who will replace Mr Palmer as Mr Palmer also asked for his family to be spared the name and its ability to come up with decent candidates Speaker? publicity.

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