Committee of Supply 2024 debate, Day 7: He Ting Ru on strengthening Parliament
In Parliament on Thursday (Mar 7), Speaker Seah Kian Peng dealt with the expenditure estimates for Parliament. MP He Ting Ru then highlighted that Parliament is where the authority of the Government stems and is ultimately the body that the Government is accountable to. She added that while Singapore has a strong reputation for a strong Government, she asked if the same can be said for its Parliament. Touching on the issue of entrenching the office of the Speaker and its key principle of impartiality, she stated that the Interparliamentary Union of which Singapore’s Parliament is a member states that parliaments must be representative, open and transparent, accessible, accountable and effective. Noting the role of the Speaker includes presiding over sittings and enforcing the rules of debate, she stated that it is imperative that the Speaker is, and is seen to be impartial at all times. Turning to the importance of ensuring that Parliament is relevant and accessible, she noted that citizens must believe that Parliament is a place where the people’s concerns are debated and for their voices to be heard. To build respect for Parliament as a lynch pin for Singapore’s democracy, she said that it must be ensured that Singapore’s policy, law-making and accountability processes flow through the Parliament first and foremost. Ms He stated that the chosen means to discuss important matters of public interest in Parliament also matters, adding that a means through which Parliament obtains regular and better dialogue and input from the public is by the use of Parliamentary Committees. She also said that having members of the public, experts and different interest groups provide evidence as was the case in the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods, can ensure more voices are heard and lead to interested parties being able to watch the proceedings and thus understand the complexity of the issues being considered.
In Parliament on Thursday (Mar 7), Speaker Seah Kian Peng dealt with the expenditure estimates for Parliament. MP He Ting Ru then highlighted that Parliament is where the authority of the Government stems and is ultimately the body that the Government is accountable to. She added that while Singapore has a strong reputation for a strong Government, she asked if the same can be said for its Parliament. Touching on the issue of entrenching the office of the Speaker and its key principle of impartiality, she stated that the Interparliamentary Union of which Singapore’s Parliament is a member states that parliaments must be representative, open and transparent, accessible, accountable and effective. Noting the role of the Speaker includes presiding over sittings and enforcing the rules of debate, she stated that it is imperative that the Speaker is, and is seen to be impartial at all times. Turning to the importance of ensuring that Parliament is relevant and accessible, she noted that citizens must believe that Parliament is a place where the people’s concerns are debated and for their voices to be heard. To build respect for Parliament as a lynch pin for Singapore’s democracy, she said that it must be ensured that Singapore’s policy, law-making and accountability processes flow through the Parliament first and foremost. Ms He stated that the chosen means to discuss important matters of public interest in Parliament also matters, adding that a means through which Parliament obtains regular and better dialogue and input from the public is by the use of Parliamentary Committees. She also said that having members of the public, experts and different interest groups provide evidence as was the case in the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods, can ensure more voices are heard and lead to interested parties being able to watch the proceedings and thus understand the complexity of the issues being considered.
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