SINGAPORE — Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai on Monday (May 8) made numerous suggestions to give Opposition MPs more resources and support which he said would help them be more effective and hold the Government accountable, but they were rejected by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah. &
SINGAPORE — Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai on Monday made numerous suggestions to give Opposition MPs more resources and support which he said would help them be more effective and hold the Government accountable, but they were rejected by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah.
In Mr Leong’s 20-minute speech, titled"Making Parliament a fairer arena for all", he said that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wongabout how as Singapore develops into a mature democracy, it needs both a serious Government and a serious Opposition. Noting that MPs are given a monthly allowance of S$1,300 to hire a legislative assistant and S$500 for a secretarial assistant, he said this is “completely insufficient to hire even one full-time assistant”.
However, Ms Indranee said that"it is indisputable" that the workloads of NCMPs and NMPs are lighter than that of elected MPs, as they do not have the responsibility of looking after a constituency or the needs of its residents. She also said that Mr Leong's position has not stopped the PSP from “asserting its ability to advance policy positions”, citing the party’s 2020 General Election manifesto which referred to various economic, social and political policies as an example.
He also suggested implementing an Opposition hour, which will provide Opposition MPs hour during the first day of every Parliament sitting to discuss subjects chosen by them. This is similar to the practice in the United Kingdom and Canada, said Mr Leong. “Every sitting is an opportunity for MPs, whether PAP or opposition, to raise topics of their choice, and to hold the government to account, challenge policies and decisions, and propose alternative polices through these mechanisms,” she said.To have more substantive debates on policy, Mr Leong called for more flexibility around timekeeping for questions and debates.
They are the Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises the Government’s financial performance and use of public funds, and the Public Petitions Committee, which provides citizens a platform to voice their issues to the Government.
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