Pritam Singh on Parliament’s handling of MPs under investigation

The Workers’ Party cannot agree to the motion filed by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) to suspend Transport Minister S Iswaran from Parliament, said Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on Tuesday (Sep 19). As the Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau’s probe involving Mr Iswaran is still underway, and there are no details of what he is accused of, “the wheels of justice must be allowed to fully turn” before Parliament decides what to do, said Mr Singh. Taking action now would not just be unfair and premature, but would also seek to overturn the electoral mandate given to Mr Iswaran by the people, he said. Mr Singh also asked the PSP to consider “the precedent their motion would create, should a future Government decide to fix opposition MPs by way of politically motivated investigations”. However, he noted that while it might not be appropriate to suspend Mr Iswaran from Parliament, it may be appropriate to suspend the payment of his MP allowance. Mr Singh said there is “disquiet among members of the public” on this issue and that the Prime Minister’s act of interdicting Mr Iswaran as minister appears to have effectively interdicted him as an MP too. With that in mind, he asked three questions. What is the full extent of restrictions on Mr Iswaran as an MP? Could there be a “clawback” of Mr Iswaran’s MP allowance for the period when he has not performed his MP duties? And will the House consider the matter of dealing with Mr Iswaran once investigations have been completed and a decision made on whether to charge him, or only upon conclusion of the entire criminal justice process, including any possible appeal?