Raj Joshua Thomas on Parliament’s handling of MPs under investigation

Minister S Iswaran is still under investigation. No judgment has been arrived at. The presumption of innocence continues to stand unrebutted and any move by Parliament to suspend an MP is premature and “does not have the legal legs to stand on”,  said NMP Raj Joshua Thomas. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday (Sep 19), he said he cannot support the motion of NCMP Hazel Poa but will support that of Leader of the House Indranee Rajah. “Her motion restates the standards that we expect our MPs to have,” he said. It also affirms that they are to be treated fairly but firmly in the period after investigations are initiated but before the presumption of innocence is rebutted, and resolves to deal with the matter at hand once the outcome of investigations is known, he added. He noted that the matter involving Mr Iswaran has understandably created some consternation amongst the public. “As a polity that prices transparency, fairness and incorruptibility, it is not unexpected that questions on egalitarian treatment or just or unjust remuneration have arisen in relation to this case. These matters evoke emotions in people. But Parliament operates within the constructs created by the Constitution, by law and by our Standing Orders,” he said. “This is called the rule of law,” he said. While investigations are underway, due process must be allowed to run its course, he added.