Parliament of Singapore: Difference between revisions

In parliamentary systems of government on the Westminster model, the Leader of the Opposition is the MP who is the leader of the largest opposition party able and prepared to assume office if the Government resigns. This political party often forms a Shadow Cabinet, the members of which serve as opposition spokespersons on key areas of government.<ref>{{citation |contribution=Leader of the Opposition |url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/Publications/glossaryL.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713030809/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/Publications/glossaryL.htm |archive-date=13 July 2007 |title=Parliamentary glossary |publisher=Parliament of Singapore |date=June 2003 |access-date=1 October 2009}}; {{citation |contribution=Shadow Cabinet |url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/Publications/glossaryS.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713030722/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/Publications/glossaryS.htm |archive-date=13 July 2007 |title=Parliamentary glossary |publisher=Parliament of Singapore |date=June 2003 |access-date=1 October 2009}}.</ref> This is taken into consideration by the Speaker when seats in Parliament are allocated, and during a debate the MP is often given the privilege of being one of the first non-Government MPs to speak.<ref name="ST 20110908">{{citation |author=Elgin Toh |title=Low won't be unofficial leader of opposition |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=8 September 2011 |page=A4}}.</ref>

In the 2006 general election, Chiam and Low retained their seats, and Sylvia Lim from the WP was appointed an NCMP. The prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, referred to Low, who is the WP's secretary-general, as Leader of the Opposition during a debate in the House on 13 November 2006.<ref>{{Singapore Hansard|mp=Lee Hsien Loong|mplink=Lee Hsien Loong|office=Prime Minister|title=President's Address: Debate on the Address (Fourth Allotted Day) |url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/reports/public/hansard/title/20061113/20061113_S0005_T0001.html|date=13 November 2006|volume=82|columns=745–748}}.</ref> However, following the 2011 general election, Low announced he would not be accepting the title. He said: "Either you have a leader of the opposition, or you do not have it. There's no need to have an unofficial leader of the opposition." He also noted that the title appeared "derogatory" to him because it implied that "you only qualify as unofficial".<ref name="ST 20110908" /> Pritam Singh took over as the Leader of Opposition upon being elected as WP's new secretary-general on 8 April 2018.

*In November 2010, the whip was lifted during the Parliamentary vote on the changes to the Maintenance of Parents Act, most notably the changes included the mandatory attendance of mediation sessions for both parents and children locked in disputes.<ref name=":0" />

*In 1969, the whip was first lifted when the Abortion Bill was heatedly debated for three days in April, subsequently the bill was deferred to obtain public feedback. In December 1969, the bill was presented again to the Parliament whereby the Abortion Bill  was passed and Parliament voted to legalise abortion (32 MPs voted for the bill, 10 MPs voted against the bill, 1 MP abstained, 15 MPs were absent from the vote).<ref name=":0" />

A whip also schedules the MPs that will speak for each item of Parliamentary business. The present government whip is Janil Puthucheary, assisted by deputy government whip, Sim Ann.<ref name="channelnewsasia.com">{{Cite web |title=Janil Puthucheary reappointed PAP party whip, Sim Ann remains deputy party whip |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/janil-puthucheary-reappointed-as-pap-party-whip-sim-ann-deputy-13034486 |access-date=2020-08-19 |website=CNA |language=en |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031023853/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/janil-puthucheary-reappointed-as-pap-party-whip-sim-ann-deputy-13034486 |url-status=live }}</ref> The party whip for the Workers' Party is Pritam Singh, and the deputy party whip is Sylvia Lim.

==Functions==

===Lawmaking===

A bill is a draft law. In Singapore, most bills are government bills; they are introduced in Parliament by ministers on behalf of the Cabinet. However, any MP can introduce a bill. A bill introduced by an MP who is not a minister is known as a private member's bill. Because the Government currently holds a majority of the seats in Parliament, a private member's bill will not be passed unless it gains the Government's support. Three private members' bills have been introduced since 1965. The first was the Roman Catholic Archbishop Bill, a private bill that was introduced by P. Selvadurai and Chiang Hai Ding in 1974 and passed the following year.<ref>{{Singapore legislation|title=Roman Catholic Archbishop Act|cap=375|ed=1985}}.</ref><ref name="ST 20100311">{{citation |author=Sue-Ann Chia |title=Know the past to tackle the future |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=11 March 2010 |page=B14}}.</ref> The first public law that originated from a private member's bill is the Maintenance of Parents Act,<ref>{{Singapore legislation|title=Maintenance of Parents Act|cap=167B|ed=1996}}.</ref> which entitles parents at least 60 years old and unable to maintain themselves adequately to apply to a tribunal for their children to be ordered to pay maintenance to them. The bill was introduced on 23 May 1994 by Walter Woon, who was then an NMP, and eventually passed on 2 November 1995.<ref>{{citation |title=Govt gives backing to Parents Bill |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=27 July 1994 |page=1}}; {{citation |title=Parents maintenance bill passed |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=3 November 1995 |page=1 |quote=Legislative history was made yesterday when the House approved the Maintenance of Parents Bill, the first piece of law to be made at the initiative of a backbencher since independence. The Bill initiated by Nominated MP Walter Woon was passed without debate at its third reading ...}}</ref> In that year, the first woman NMP, Dr. Kanwaljit Soin, also introduced a Family Violence Bill but it did not pass.<ref>{{citation |author=Kumaralingam Amirthalingam |title=A Feminist Critique of Domestic Violence Laws in Singapore and Malaysia &#91;Asia Research Institute Working Paper Series No. 6&#93; |url=http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/docs/wps/wps03_006.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080522130950/http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/docs/wps/wps03_006.pdf |archive-date=22 May 2008 |publisher=Asia Research Institute, [[National University of Singapore]] |date=July 2003 |page=17}}.</ref>

==== Assent to bills by the President ====

The president may act in his discretion in withholding assent to any of the following types of bills passed by Parliament:<ref>Constitution, Art. 21(2)(c).</ref>

The annual budget approval process begins with the Minister for Finance presenting a Budget Statement in Parliament. This usually takes place in late February or early March before the start of the financial year on 1 April. The Budget Statement assesses the performance of Singapore's economy in the previous year and provides information about the Government's financial policy for the coming financial year, including details about tax changes or incentives to be introduced. The Budget Book is presented together with the Budget Statement. This sets out estimates of how each Government ministry proposes to use the public funds allocated to it in the budget in the next financial year.<ref name="Financial control">{{citation |title=Financial control |url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/AboutUs/Func-FC.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080508023200/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/AboutUs/Func-FC.htm |archive-date=8 May 2008 |publisher=Parliament of Singapore |date=3 January 2006 |access-date=2 November 2009}}.</ref><ref name="Budget">{{citation |contribution=Budget Book and Budget Statement |url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/Publications/glossaryB.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713030638/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/Publications/glossaryB.htm |archive-date=13 July 2007 |title=Parliamentary glossary |publisher=Parliament of Singapore |date=June 2003 |access-date=9 November 2009}}.</ref> Following the Minister's budget speech, Parliament stands adjourned for not less than seven clear days.<ref>S.O. 89(1). Where there is a reference to a number of clear days between two events, in calculating the number of days the days on which the events happen and any intervening Saturday, Sunday or public holiday must be excluded: S.O. 1(2).</ref>

If the Government wishes to spend public money in addition to what was provided for in the budget, it must submit supplementary estimates to Parliament for approval. If the financial year has not yet ended, such supplementary estimates are passed in the form of a Supplementary Supply Act. As soon as possible after the end of each financial year, the Minister for Finance must introduce into Parliament a Final Supply Bill containing any sums which have not yet been included in any Supply Bill. This is enacted by Parliament as a Final Supply Act.<ref>Constitution, Art. 148(2).</ref>

In 1953, Governor John Nicoll decided that the building should be renovated for use as a legislative chamber. Renamed Assembly House, it was declared officially open on 9 July 1954, and the existing Legislative Council had its first meeting there on 20 July. It was then occupied from 1955 by the newly formed Legislative Assembly of Singapore, and was renamed Parliament House when Singapore became fully independent in 1965. In 1988 the building's debating chamber was extensively renovated to increase the number of seats in it to 90. However, as further extensions were not feasible without causing MPs discomfort and disrupting the chamber's configuration, plans were approved in 1992 for a new Parliament building to be constructed. The present Parliament House, on a part of High Street that was renamed Parliament Place, was completed in July 1999. It was officially inaugurated on 6 September 1999 with a special sitting that began in the Old Parliament House, continued with legislators walking from the old building to the new one, and concluded in the new Parliament House. Three items from the old chamber were brought over: the Mace of Parliament, the Table of the House, and the Speaker's chair.<ref>Tan, ''Singapore Parliament'', pp. 18, 23, 66–71.</ref> The building formerly occupied by Parliament reopened in March 2004 as a performance venue called the Arts House at the Old Parliament,<ref>{{citation |title=About the Arts House |url=http://theartshouse.com.sg/about.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601092325/http://www.theartshouse.com.sg/about.html |archive-date=1 June 2008 |publisher=The Arts House at the Old Parliament |year=2004 |access-date=1 December 2009}}.</ref> and the street it is on was renamed Old Parliament Lane.