Questions on ministers' code of conduct, perceived conflict of interest dominate debate on Ridout Road bungalows

Over the six-hour debate, 19 Members of Parliament posed supplementary questions on issues such as whether it was appropriate for the independent review to be led by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean.

Responding to this, Mr Teo said that a conflict of interest arises when a person’s duty or responsibility from the office he occupies conflicts with his own personal interests – and that a conflict of interest could be “actual” or “potential”, with the latter arising when a conflicted person is in a position to, but has yet to make, such a decision.

Ms Sylvia Lim of the Workers’ Party cited the code of conduct, which states that ministers should not enter into transactions where financial interest might “conceivably” come into conflict with their public duties. To this, Mr Teo said: “I’m very happy to hear Mr Pritam Singh say that nobody is alleging corruption. And so, my take is that this House actually concurs that there’s no wrongdoing. There's no corruption. There's no abuse of power.

“The reason why we are ranked as highly as we are, and the reason why this Government is not corrupt, is because we take these things seriously.”Several MPs, including MP for Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency Sitoh Yih Pin, also raised questions on whether it was “appropriate” for Mr Teo to lead the independent review.“I am not involved in the rental transactions of both these properties.

In response, Mr Teo said that the Auditor-General looks at things dealing with audits, such as the misappropriation or loss of funds. The Sengkang GRC MP noted that the lease was renewed in October last year, at an increased rental rate of S$20,000, up from S$19,000 – about a 5 per cent increase in rent.

Addressing this, Mr Teo said that the idea of the bungalows being leased at a “relatively cheap rate” was a “misconception” which should be completely dispelled.

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