Latest speeches by Workers’ Party
Members of Parliament in 14th Parliament
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Mr Speaker sir, the National Symbols Bill makes several important changes. It provides formal statutory recognition to our National Symbols and seeks to clarify and broaden use of the National Symbols by Singaporeans to express national pride and solidarity. The aim of this speech I support the Bill as making meaningful... -
Introduction Mr Speaker I would like to first declare my interest as an equity research analyst in a financial institution, covering the real estate industry. Mr Speaker, the adequacy of HDB housing for singles has arisen in public and parliamentary discussions ever so often, showing this remains an important and evolving...
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Mr Speaker, According to the MHA’s media release for this Bill, there has been a high number of Police reports against debt collection companies and debt collectors for carrying out debt collection activities in a manner that caused alarm and nuisance to members of the public and MHA is instituting...
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Mr Speaker, my speech today will focus primarily on the increasing visibility of debt collection activities in the eye of the broader public, and how this prevalence is now intensifying as such activities are captured and spread on social media by either third parties or the purported debt collectors...
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Mr Speaker sir, I view this Bill as a step in the right direction and do not object to it. My speech will focus on several suggestions to improve our debt collection and management regime. I shall focus my speech on four major points. Firstly, proposals to simplify the regulation of...
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Introduction Mr Speaker, this Bill seeks to enlarge the DNA database at thedisposal of the police by including less serious crimes under itsambit. Individuals under investigation for both registrable crimesand less serious eligible crimes are expected to surrender theirDNA to the police. To the extent that this Bill is aimed...
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According to the Ministry’s media release of 1 August, the rationale for this Billis to enable law enforcement agencies to more effectively carry out theirduties, while safeguarding personal data. The Bill enables more DNA to becollected from suspects, offenders, volunteers and others, in order to have alarger DNA database...
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Mr Speaker, This bill proposes, among other things, to amend the SAF Act 1972 to establish a digital and intelligence service to be led by a new Chief of Digital and Intelligence Services alongside other existing service chiefs., make changes and enhance punishments in the SAF and to permit...
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Mdm Deputy Speaker, I note both Bills – the Constitution Amendment Bill and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Other Matters Bill are being read at the same time. My speech is restricted to the Constitution Amendment Bill. Mdm Deputy Speaker, Clause 2 of the Bill amends article 22...
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Mr Speaker, In my speech today, I will be focusing on the amendments to the Singapore Armed Forces Act to establish a new Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS). MINDEF plans to establish a DIS, which will be a fourth armed service, alongside the Army, Navy and Air Force. This is...
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Mr Deputy Speaker While speaking during the Private Member’s Motion on ‘Justice For All’ raised by my colleague Ms Sylvia Lim in November 2020, I talked about the importance of having the House of Justice possessing strong pillars to ensure that just outcomes are delivered for those guilty of crimes,...
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In November 2020, the Workers’ Party moved a Motion in this House to call for a review of some aspects of the Singapore criminal justice system. This Motion was filed in the wake of the case involving Ms Parti Liyani, a domestic worker whose theft convictions had been overturned...
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Mr Speaker, when I first came across the term stamp duties, I thought to myself, that is a very expensive piece of stamp compared to the twenty to thirty cent ones we stick on envelopes! The second discovery was that much to my disappointment, there was no physical adhesive...
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Mr Speaker, I wish to speak today on how macroeconomic policy can and should play a role in addressing our cost of living challenges. The state of inflation is not good As members on both sides of this House are aware, the state of inflation in Singapore is not good. Since the...
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Mr Speaker sir, the illegal trade in wildlife and endangered species is a major driver of biodiversity loss and species extinction throughout the world. The depletion of biodiversity at commercial scales is contributing to the deterioration of biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, posing a long-term threat to the...
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For many would-be parents, the little pink plus sign on the home pregnancy test kit is a moment of incredible joy. For other couples, this journey may be prolonged; as this House discussed last month, higher ages for marriage have been accompanied by greater challenges for childbearing, although with...
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Mr Deputy Speaker, I support this Bill. I note that the Bill maintains certain provisions of the existing Act while also codifying certain current practices. I would like to seek clarifications on certain parts of the Bill. Adoption Suitability Assessment Mr Deputy Speaker, this Bill requires that an adoption application must...
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My focus today will be on Area 3 – Taking a Strong Stance against Violence and Harm. I will thereafter make two observations about workplace culture and public policy making. Family Violence I welcome the government’s recognition that there is a need to enhance protection for victim-survivors of family violence. The...
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Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I had—during the Workers’ Party’s motion on this matter last year in this House—spoken about a number of concerns about gender equality in the workplace. To quickly recap, I had explained why womenomics in Singapore still had a...
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Mr Speaker Sir, like MP for Sengkang Ms He Ting Ru and my Workers’ Party colleagues in the House, I support the motion. We all share the goal of a gender-equal society. For us in The Workers’ Party it is a very important goal, which is why Ms He...
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Mr Speaker When moving the Motion on empowering women last year, I spoke about how we stand on the shoulders of those who forged the way before us, and how we must continue to build on the progress that women have made to get us to where we are today....
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Those of us who have traveled or lived in the United States may be aware that if we open our bank or credit card statement and notice an unrecognized transaction, we would simply call the financial institution, report the incident, and in most instances, the customer service officer would...
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Mr Speaker, I would like to declare my interest as an employee of a financial institution in Singapore and I hold a diversified portfolio which include cryptocurrencies. The rising prominence and relevance of virtual assets One of the key aspects of the Financial Services and Markets Bill relates to enhanced regulation...
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According to MinLaw’s press release of 7 March, this Bill seeks to amend the Extradition Act to update and modernize Singapore’s statutory regime. It was further stated that the amendments would “cement Singapore’s role as a responsible global citizen”. At the outset, it should be noted that the Bill preserves the...
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Mr Speaker, I support the attempt to modernize our extradition regime through the Extradition Amendment Bill. I support the streamlining of provisions on extradition requests for declared Commonwealth countries and other non-Commonwealth foreign states into a single framework and also the enhancement of the review procedures for extradition proceedings. Threshold...
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Sir, when the Compulsory Education Act was implemented in 2003, MOE implemented a minimum academic benchmark for madrasah students, requiring them to attain a PSLE aggregate higher than the average PSLE aggregate score of Malay students in the six-lowest performing national primary schools. It was deemed necessary for madrasah...
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I am dismayed that the Government will be going ahead with the rise in the GST. My main concern is with the impact on the low-income households. I note the government’s explanation that assistance will be provided to this segment of society via various schemes. Nonetheless, I believe any additional...
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In the last 2 years, COVID has affected virtually all aspects of our lives. It has affected our workplaces, businesses, public offices, schools, events and many other areas. SAF and military training have not been spared too. SAF had to overcome the challenges which COVID might have imposed on its...
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Singapore and the United States have been close partners in support of the rules-based economic and security order within our region since our independence. A recent example of how we have assisted in the area of security is our offer of military planes to help with evacuation efforts in...
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MAS has already expended significant effort and resources to better understand the nature, function, and practical operation surrounding the possibility of a digital currency issued by our central bank. Based on public documents issued by the Economic Policy Group, the conclusion is—to somewhat oversimplify—that Singapore is ready for a...