SINGAPORE - MP Tin Pei Ling said her role as a politician is distinct from her new position as director of public affairs and policy at ride-hailing giant Grab Singapore.
In a LinkedIn post on Thursday, Ms Tin, who was elected to Parliament in 2011 as part of the Marine Parade GRC team and is now the MP for MacPherson single-member constituency, wrote that she would be transparent and above board regardless of which capacity she was acting in.
“I am absolutely clear that when I am discharging my duties as an MP, my constituents and Singapore come first. When I am working on behalf of Grab, I will have to ensure that Grab’s interests are safeguarded,” she added.
Ms Tin, 39, who joined Grab in January, said she received several questions about whether there was a conflict of interest after she took up the position.
Her appointment was made public after she appeared at a Chinese New Year lunch on Wednesday that was hosted by Grab for about 750 private-hire drivers and delivery workers at a restaurant at Singapore Expo.
Ms Tin said: “The company has established clear rules of engagement to ensure that any possible conflict of interest will be properly declared and avoided.
“Likewise, the People’s Action Party has a published set of rules of prudence, as well as mechanisms in place for declarations of interest and the avoidance of conflicting interests.”
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In her post, she said that taking up the position at Grab would allow her to broaden her horizons and hone new skills.
“Grab is rooted in Singapore and has a strong social mission – ‘to drive South-east Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone’. I admire this. So when the opportunity came, I decided to take it up,” she added.
Before joining Grab, Ms Tin was from May 2018 the chief executive of Business China, a non-profit organisation that aims to strengthen ties between Singapore and China. She remains part of Business China’s board of directors.
She was group director of corporate strategy at Jing King Technology Group from May 2017 to May 2018.
The Singapore company, now known as Adera Global, is involved in data security, artificial intelligence and automation.
Ms Tin, who is married with two children, is currently chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications and Information, and a member of the GPC for Culture, Community and Youth.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
