Indranee Rajah, Tan Chuan-Jin on decorum, courtesy and respect in Parliament

Members must respect the authority of the Chair and refrain from making allegations which cannot be substantiated. They should also refrain from making statements outside Parliament which reflect on the character of the Speaker or any Member which falsely or scandalously defame the proceedings or the character of Parliament, or which contain false reports of Parliamentary proceedings. Leader of the House Indranee Rajah issued this reminder at the start of the sitting in Parliament on Tuesday (Apr 18). She stressed that none of these rules will inhibit robust debate. They aim to ensure that the focus remains on making points of substance, she said. Making false or unsubstantiated statements or casting baseless aspersions only serve to erode trust and undermine Singapore’s democracy, she added. Members should pay attention to the responses given and engage on the points that are made, so that people will gain a deeper understanding of the issues and trade-offs at play, she said. It will also strengthen trust in Singapore’s Parliament, she added. Her reminder stems from the “disrespectful” behaviour of NCMP Leong Mun Wai towards Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin at a sitting in March. Responding, Mr Tan stressed the need to focus on the substance of the debate. He pointed out that with a full agenda before the House, it would be a useful opportunity to take stock of how Parliament works. “I expect members to continue debating all issues robustly, to scrutinise and question policies and programmes thoroughly. I believe that we can do so while at the same observing these fairly simple and reasonable rules. And importantly, to do so with decorum, courtesy and respect to each other here in this House,” he said.