SINGAPORE — MacPherson Member of Parliament (MP) Tin Pei Ling, 39, has now moved to a new role within Grab, following public outcry over her initial appointment at the ride-hailing company.
In a statement released by Grab on Friday (10 February), the People’s Action Party (PAP) MP has been appointed the Director of Corporate Development. She was previously appointed Director of Public Affairs and Policy at Grab.
According to Grab, her duties in the new role will include “realising synergies across our investments and acquisitions, as well as supporting strategy development”. It added that under her new role, Tin “will not be involved in public affairs and policy work in Singapore, nor will she represent Grab in public policy discussions with Singapore government officials”.
Grab said that the “significant discourse” generated in recent days had led them to “pause and reflect on how we can create an environment where Pei Ling can serve effectively in both her roles as an MP as well as representing Grab”.
“We acknowledge that this is difficult if the intent behind every action or position she takes in the future is doubted or called into question,” said Grab.
[embedded content]
Tin also made a statement on her Facebook page, in which she said, “Following the recent public attention, Grab and I discussed and agreed that it would be best for me to move into a role that did not involve any government relations in Singapore.”
“I understand and have long come to accept the public scrutiny that comes with being an MP. But I would never want it to hinder my ability to serve my constituents well as MP, or to do my job at Grab effectively. And this would be the case if my intentions and actions in the future are always called into doubt, whether justified or not,” she added.
In the past week, Tin has come under intense public scrutiny over a possible conflict of interest after her appointment at Grab came to light.
The PAP said in a statement, following Grab’s, that Tin had informed the party in September 2022 about taking up the Public Affairs and Policy post at Grab, to which the party had no objections.
“Earlier this month, following public comments about Ms Tin’s appointment, we discussed the matter with her again to understand better the scope of her duties. It then became clear to the party that she would be expected to engage regularly with government ministries and agencies on public policy issues on behalf of Grab,” the PAP said.
PAP also noted that while Tin took up the role in her private capacity, there “could still be challenges in carrying out these responsibilities, especially under the current circumstances”.
Tin was elected MP for the MacPherson Single Member Constituency in 2015, a seat she successfully defended in the 2020 general election.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
,,,
