5 things to know about Cheng Li Hui, the MP involved in affair with Tan Chuan-Jin

SINGAPORE — Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and Tampines group representative constituency (GRC) MP Cheng Li Hui resigned on Monday (July 17) over their affair.

Cheng, who is not married, stepped down with immediate effect as a member of the People's Action Party (PAP). The 47-year-old has also resigned as an MP for Tampines GRC.

Here are five things to know about her.

1. She helped her father in grassroots activities while in secondary school

She said previously that in secondary school, she had accompanied her grassroots volunteer father on grassroots activities.

Before the 2015 election, she was a councillor in the Northwest CDC for over 10 years, and was said at the time to have 12 years of grassroots experience.

"From being a girl scout to assisting at Meet-the-People sessions since 2003, helping people has been such an integral part of my life," she told The Straits Times in 2015.

2. She became a Tampines MP in 2015

Cheng started volunteering in Tampines East in early 2015 and was fielded in PAP’s Tampines GRC team in the general election later that year.

She took over from former minister Mah Bow Tan, who had described her as a “quiet” person who gets things done.

With her resignation on July 17, the remaining MPs in Tampines GRC are Masagos Zulkifli, Koh Poh Koon, Desmond Choo and Baey Yam Keng.

3. She was appointed deputy district adviser to the PAP Women's Wing in 2016

Cheng was appointed deputy district adviser to the PAP Women's Wing in 2016, along with Cheryl Chan, Joan Pereira, Rahayu Mahzam and Sun Xueling.

Cheng, who has been speaking in Parliament on the issue of elective egg freezing since 2016, said in April 2022 during a marathon debate on the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development in Parliament that the age limit on elective egg freezing should be raised from 35 to 40.

She has also advocated for infant care and childcare facilities in new estates, and more help for couples undergoing fertility treatments, and has spoken on environmental issues such as Singapore's domestic recycling rate.

4. She is an independent director of supermarket chain Sheng Siong

Cheng was appointed as an independent director of Sheng Siong in December 2021.

She served on the board of NTUC Foodfare in 2019 until it merged with NTUC Fairprice in September 2019.

5. She held various positions in engineering firm Hai Leck Holdings

Cheng's father, Cheng Buck Poh, is publicly listed Hai Leck Holdings' founder and CEO. He owns 84.83 per cent of the company's shares, according to its FY2022 financial report.

The engineering firm recorded revenue of $82.5 million in financial year 2022.

Cheng — the third of five siblings — was appointed to the firm's board as executive director of operations in May 2010.

The company said her role is to assist its chief executive in "overseeing the daily operations of the group".

She was later appointed as Hai Leck's deputy chief executive in 2012, a post she held until December 2017.

Along with her parents, Cheng and her siblings all hold shares in Hai Leck.

ALSO READ: PM Lee reveals Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui were in a relationship

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.