Ministerial statement: Indranee Rajah on duties and privileges of Leader of the Opposition

In parliament on Monday (Sep 22), Leader of the House Indranee Rajah delivered a ministerial statement on the duties and privileges of the Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh. His duties include leading and organising the opposition’s parliamentary business in Singapore’s largest parliament to date. This includes presenting alternative views in parliamentary debates on policies, Bills and motions, scrutinising the government’s positions and actions in the House and nominating opposition members for appointment to Select Committees. He might also receive confidential briefings on matters to be determined by the government, especially in the event of national crises or emergencies. Meanwhile, his privileges include generally being given the right of first response among MPs to ask the lead question of ministers during debates. A motion was approved to allocate him double the speech time of backbenchers, at 40 minutes.