Hello.
There was no shortage of political drama this week. In Singapore, the resignations of former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui, as well as the corruption probe involving Transport Minister S Iswaran, dominated discussions in parliament on Wednesday.
While Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged that he should have “forced the issue” sooner given he first learnt of Mr Tan and Ms Cheng’s affair more than two years ago, he also rebutted Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh’s accusation that the government has been “less than upfront” on potentially embarrassing issues.
In Malaysia, campaigning for the six state polls has begun. About 9.7 million Malaysians will head to the ballot box on Aug 12 to elect 245 assembly members in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Penang. Although the state polls have no direct impact on the federal government, the outcome of the elections will dictate if federal-state ties continue to stay prickly, says CNA’s Leslie Lopez.
Meanwhile, there was yet another unprecedented moment in US history this week when former president Donald Trump was handed his third indictment in about four months, this time for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
On Thursday, Trump pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges for his alleged role in inciting the 2021 mob attack on the US Capitol building. Even though Trump may be the one facing the charges, the entire United States and what it stands for will be also on trial, says US politics expert Steven R Okun.
We hope you enjoy our selection of commentaries this week.
Alison Jenner
Supervising Editor, Commentary
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