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AsiaOne
07-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving Singaporeans' lives: Seah Kian Peng, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — Singaporeans can expect more debate in the upcoming 15th Parliament, with today's uncertain world and the need for more policies to tackle the attendant challenges, and more MPs in the House. But this does not mean that parliamentary sittings must go on for longer, as what is important is the quality of the debate, said Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng. Noting a trend of more parliamentary questions being filed in the previous term of Parliament, Seah sounded a note of caution against having this become a numbers game. "I hope we don't get to a point where MPs are filing questions for the sake of clocking numbers — I think that is not necessary and not very productive," he said in a July 1 interview with The Straits Times about the role of Speaker, and his plans if elected. On June 20, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the Government intended to propose Seah's election as Speaker when Parliament reopens on Sept 5. Seah has served as Singapore's 11th Speaker since 2023. Seah said he sees his role as helping to take the quality of debate in Parliament to the next level, which can be achieved if MPs "have done their homework and know the dos and don'ts (of Parliament's Standing Orders)". This has become more important with more MPs in the House, he added. The 15th Parliament will have 97 elected MPs and two Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs) for a total of 99, up from 93 elected MPs and two NCMPs previously. The 14th Parliament had set new records on the number of sittings, ministerial statements delivered and other kinds of speeches. "Each hour spent in Parliament, if everyone turns up, is 100 man-hours... which is why we do want to make sure time is spent productively for everyone," said the former labour MP. To help new MPs get up to speed, Parliament has started to hold orientation briefings for them. Seah, who joined politics in 2006 and continues to be an MP for the Braddell Heights ward of Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, had some guidance for his colleagues: Focus on representing the people to improve their lives, and not playing to the gallery. This means agreeing to disagree, where needed, rather than asking questions — or giving answers — that retread the same ground, he said. "I say this to both sides of the House: Whichever party you come from, frontbench or backbench." Seah was asked about suggestions some MPs have made previously to improve the efficiency of Parliament. These include a proposal that Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai made in 2020 as a backbencher for some speeches to be taken as read, so that more time can be spent on debate and clarifications. Seah's response was that there is a certain limit to efficiency, as people want to see their MPs' convictions when they speak, and whether their proposals are convincing. Without resorting to such measures, quite a lot of time can be saved if MPs follow Parliament's existing rules, he said. With the 15th Parliament being Singapore's biggest yet, Seah said he was particularly heartened that it includes more women MPs — 31 of them, up from 27. He expressed confidence that the proportion will only increase in the years ahead, and that more diversity — in terms of gender, race and background — makes for a better Parliament. This is as Parliament makes laws that affect all Singaporeans, and better representation of views will allow for better policies to be formulated, he added. On 'refereeing' Parliament and stepping up outreach Unlike the 14th Parliament, where there were three political parties with representatives in the House, the new term of Parliament will have two: the ruling People's Action Party, which has 87 seats, and the Workers' Party, which has 10 plus the two NCMP seats. The Progress Singapore Party, which had two NCMPs in the last Parliament, was not re-elected into the House. Seah said his role has not changed since he first became Speaker in July 2023 following the resignation of Tan Chuan-Jin, and that is to remain impartial to MPs from all parties. "Whether it's two, three, or for that matter four or more parties, to me that should not affect how we conduct the proceedings," he said. Using a football analogy, Seah said he sees himself as a referee: stepping in as needed to enforce the rules and make decisions, such as when an MP raises a point of order. That is the procedure by which a member can interject to bring to the Speaker's attention a perceived breach of the House's rules during a sitting. "The referee must know the rules, right? But we also hope the players know the rules as well," he said. Asked how he maintains impartiality while also being a PAP member, Seah responded that he has over his corporate and political career become adept at juggling different hats. "In the general election, I stood as a member of the PAP, so I wear that hat when I'm representing my constituents... But when I'm in the Chamber, I'm wearing my hat as the Speaker, I'm not wearing the hat of a PAP member," he said. What he intends to do more of is to step up Parliament's outreach to Singaporeans on the work that is done in the House. On this front, the live streaming of Parliament since 2021 has been great as it allows people to tune in to sittings wherever they are, he said. Other projects in the pipeline include an interactive, online version of Parliament set to be hosted on the virtual gaming universe Roblox, which Seah said will be ready by the end of the financial year. One lesser-known aspect of his work — which Seah called a highlight of his role — is that the Speaker represents Singapore's Parliament to other countries' parliaments and representative bodies. In June alone, he had meetings with the Bulgarian and Vietnamese ambassadors to Singapore, as well as Kazakhstan's senate chairman. He recounted how veteran diplomat Tommy Koh had, over a lunch in 2023, impressed on him the importance of this area of work. This is as diplomacy between parliamentarians is another lever by which Singapore can improve its ties with other countries and governments in this challenging period, said Seah. "That's something I do with pride and honour... You realise the respect that many parliamentarians from other parts of the world have for Singapore," he added. Seah said it has been an honour to be Speaker, but admitted that he misses being a backbencher and his corporate career. He stepped down as group chief executive of NTUC Enterprise, as well as from the boards of its social enterprises, after becoming Speaker in 2023. This was not a requirement, but he did so to focus on his new role, he said. The upside is that he gets to meet and talk to more MPs, and listen to more debates by virtue of being in the Chamber most of the time. "Of course, there are more interesting ones, and sometimes some of the speeches could be not as interesting," he said. "But it comes with the part." [[nid:719795]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
AsiaOne
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Daily roundup: Poultry supply in Singapore not affected by bird flu outbreak in Brazil, supermarkets say — and other top stories today, Singapore News
Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today. 1. Poultry supply in Singapore not affected by bird flu outbreak in Brazil, supermarkets say Poultry supply remains stable despite Brazil reporting its first bird flu outbreak at a commercial farm last week, supermarkets in Singapore said on Tuesday (May 20)... » READ MORE 2. 'I will serve with conviction and integrity': WP's Eileen Chong and Andre Low on being elected NCMPs After being elected as Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs), the Workers' Party's (WP) Eileen Chong and Andre Low have promised to take Singapore further... » READ MORE 3. Singapore's beef kway teow ranks 18th in best stir-fried dishes list, Indonesia's sambal goreng takes crown Our local cuisine has once again made us proud by having not one, not two, but four dishes ranked on a list by experiential travel online guide TasteAtlas... » READ MORE 4. 'I told him not to be too ruthless': Mark Lee responds to Addy Lee's fallout with Quan Yi Fong Veteran local actor Mark Lee has spoken up on former celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee's fallout with local host Quan Yi Fong, after Addy brought him up multiple times in his livestreams and a Facebook post recently..... » READ MORE editor@
AsiaOne
19-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
WP's Andre Low and Eileen Chong declared elected NCMPs, Singapore News
Workers' Party (WP) members Andre Low and Eileen Chong have been declared elected Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs), the Elections Department (ELD) announced on Monday (May 19). Low, 33, contested the Jalan Kayu SMC against People's Action Party's (PAP) Ng Chee Meng and lost, but received the highest percentage of votes (48.53 per cent) amongst the unelected opposition candidates. WP also contested the Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) to receive the second highest percentage of votes (47.37 per cent) amongst the unelected opposition candidates. They had lost in the four-cornered fight against the PAP. The team, consisting Eileen Chong, Faisal Manap, Dr Ong Lue Ping, Jimmy Tan and Michael Thng were contacted by the Returning Officer Han Kok Juan on May 9 and asked to determine among themselves the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP by May 19, according to ELD's media release. The WP team informed the Returning Officer on Sunday (May 18) that they would nominate Chong, 33, as the candidate to be declared elected as NCMP. According to the Parliamentary Elections Act, the number of NCMPs to be elected for GE2025 is 12 minus the number of Opposition MPs elected. NCMPs are then determined from among contesting opposition candidates, with the candidate receiving the highest percentage of votes being placed first, followed by the other candidates in descending order based on the percentage of votes polled by them, ELD stated. This year, 10 Opposition MPs were elected, all from the WP. They are: Party secretary-general Pritam Singh, party chair Sylvia Lim, Gerald Giam, Kenneth Tiong and Fadli Fauzi for Aljunied GRC; He Ting Ru, Louis Chua, Jamus Lim and Abdul Muhaimin for Sengkang GRC and Dennis Tan for Hougang SMC. [[nid:718162]] khooyihang@
Online Citizen
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Online Citizen
Progress Singapore Party vows to regroup after election loss, Dr Tan Cheng Bock to step back
On 10 May, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Chairman of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), announced that he would not be contesting in the next general election. Speaking to the media at West Coast Market, Dr Tan said that while he would step back from the frontlines, he remained committed to advising the younger generation within the party. He stated: 'Today, it's just to come here and say thank you to those who voted for us, and also to show to those who didn't vote for us that we are not running away. We'll be back soon. We'll be back in maybe five years' time. By then, I hope a younger team will take over.' Dr Tan's remarks came during a doorstop statement ahead of PSP's thank-you walkabout at Block 726 West Coast Road, seven days after the party's defeat in the 2025 General Election. PSP contested six constituencies and failed to secure any parliamentary seats, leaving it without representation in the 15th Parliament. Reflecting on the election results, Dr Tan acknowledged the challenges faced by younger candidates, expressing his wish that they would learn from the experience. 'It's been a good journey for us, for the younger people. They know what it's like to fight in the direction with all the odds against you,' he said. Despite the loss, Dr Tan remained optimistic, highlighting that political success takes time and persistence. Drawing parallels with the Workers' Party, he noted that it took decades for them to secure seats. 'I told them (PSP members), don't be discouraged. At least we were given the initial chance. But never mind, we will learn and come back.' Dr Tan, who turned 85 on 26 April during the campaigning period, reiterated his commitment to guiding younger members. He stated that his motivation for participating in this election was to encourage more young people to enter politics and gain experience in Parliament. Leong Mun Wai, PSP's Secretary-General, also addressed the media, reaffirming the party's commitment to reflection and renewal. 'PSP is not going to run away. We'll reflect, regroup and return,' he said. Leong thanked voters for their support and explained that the party was still reviewing its performance and plans. Hazel Poa, PSP's first vice-chair, was also present at the briefing. Following the media session, the PSP team continued their walkabout, visiting four other locations, including Boon Lay Place and Jurong West. In the recent 2025 General Election, PSP's A-team, led by Dr Tan, Leong, and Poa, contested the West Coast-Jurong West GRC but lost to the People's Action Party (PAP) team, which secured 60.01 per cent of the vote. The PAP team was led by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee. In the previous 2020 General Election, PSP had made significant gains by narrowing the PAP's vote share in West Coast GRC to 51.68 per cent, sending Leong and Ms Poa to Parliament as Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs). However, in the latest election, both Leong and Poa lost their NCMP seats. Leong, who was among the most active MPs in the 14th Parliament in terms of questions and debate participation, stressed that the party remains committed to community engagement and political renewal. The West Coast-Jurong West GRC, newly formed for the 2025 General Election, includes parts of the former West Coast GRC and Jurong GRC. It has a voter base of 158,581 and remains a five-member constituency. Dr Tan concluded by expressing his hope that the younger PSP members would continue to grow and learn from the experience, with the aim of eventually securing a stronger presence in future elections.
CNA
05-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh to continue as Leader of the Opposition: PM Wong
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong confirmed on Monday (May 5) that Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh would remain as Leader of the Opposition. This came after Mr Singh told reporters on Sunday that he was unsure whether he would remain in the position. 'I don't know whether I'm going to be Leader of Opposition. This is something that the government of the day has to decide. So let's see what happens there,' Mr Singh had said. In a Facebook post on Monday, Mr Wong said: "Mr Singh will continue as Leader of the Opposition, with staff and resources to perform his duties." He also said that he had spoken to the WP secretary-general. 'The WP fielded a strong slate of candidates and put up a tough fight in this election. They have consolidated and increased their presence in parliament – with 10 elected seats and 2 more NCMP seats,' added Mr Wong. 'I look forward to the contributions of the WP members in parliament.' The WP will be the only opposition in parliament. It retained Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC in the general election and lost by the slimmest of margins in Jalan Kayu SMC and Tampines GRC. If there are fewer than 12 opposition candidates voted in after an election, the "best losers" from among the opposition candidates are offered seats as Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs), to guarantee a minimum number of opposition members in parliament. WP chief Pritam Singh was formally appointed Leader of the Opposition after the 2020 election. In his role, Mr Singh receives confidential briefings by the government on select matters of national security and external relations, and in the event of a national crisis or emergency. He also receives an extra allowance to hire up to three additional legislative assistants, on top of what Members of Parliament (MPs) get for one legislative assistant and one secretarial assistant. Mr Singh also has the right of first response among MPs and more time for his speeches, equivalent to that given to political office holders.
