Latest speeches by Workers’ Party
Members of Parliament in 14th Parliament
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Mr Speaker, Before speaking on the substantive and amended motions, I would like to recall the perspective of our first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which he shared in 2013, referring to the larger canvas against which the latest hostilities between Israel and Hamas have... -
Mr Speaker, At the outset, I would like to affirm the Workers’ Party’s support for Israel’s statehood and for the creation of a viable Palestinian state, side by side in peace and security with Israel through a negotiated two-state solution, in line with the relevant United Nations (UN) Security Council...
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Introduction Mr Speaker, like many of our fellow Singaporeans, including Parliamentarians and political appointment holders alike, we have all witnessed first-hand in the last few years, how transformational Flexible Work Arrangements or FWAs can be, for the better of both employers and employees. That is the reason why it has...
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Mr Speaker, The automatic registration regime was the main amendment introduced in the Societies (Amendment) Bill in 2004. That was in turn derived from a recommendation by the Remaking Singapore Committee, chaired by then-Minister of State for National Development, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, to adopt a differentiated approach by listing down...
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Mr Speaker, the amendments proposed to the Free Trade Zones (FTZ) Act are meant to provide better oversight to the flow of goods through our nation’s FTZs, essentially by devolving a number of functions away from authorities appointed by the Minister for Finance, to licensed FTZ operators and cargo...
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The Bill before us is an omnibus one that includes a slate of proposed amendments meant to effect policy changes associated with the 2023 Budget, along with almost as many that improve tax administration and align policy objectives. The Workers’ Party has already expressed its reservations with respect to...
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The cost of living crisis Mr Speaker, the number one issue which many of our Sengkang residents share during our house visits, and one which I am sure many residents across Singapore are grappling with, is undisputedly the relentless rise in the cost of living. Indeed, the World Economic Forum...
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Mr Speaker, I refer to the motions filed by the Leader of the House on the 14th of September, precipitated by the motion filed by PSP NCMP Hazel Poa on the 7th of September calling for the suspension of Mr S Iswaran. There are two key issues for Parliament to consider. First, whether it...
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Introduction Mr Speaker, financial scams have become a major issue affecting all Singaporeans. According to the Police’s Annual Statistics for 2022, reported cases of scam and cybercrime increased by 25% year-on-year, totalling nearly 33,700 cases or 92 reports per day. Many more may have gone unreported. Criminals are also becoming...
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Mr Speaker Sir, I will be addressing two areas of amendments in the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, namely, digitalising and automating immigration processes, and the administration of immigration passes and permits. Automating immigration processes The Bill will introduce provisions to support ICA’s (Immigration and Checkpoints Authority) New Clearance Concept (NCC) to further automate...
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Mr Speaker, Children are the greatest joy. Children are the greatest source of worry. And as a society, we work together to find ways to ensure that we put the right support and structures in place to help Singaporeans fulfil their parenthood aspirations. Yet we also wring our hands in...
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Introduction I second and support the motion moved by my honourable colleague Associate Professor Jamus Lim, “That this House celebrates the accomplishments of our athletes and para-athletes at the recent 32nd SEA Games and the 12th ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia, and calls on the Government to undertake a thorough...
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I would like to thank all longsuffering members—like our die-hard and similarly longsuffering football fans—who have stayed till this bitter end. I had originally thought we would end by 6, which perhaps points to my own naïve optimism, and inability to set achievable goals. As the many varied and charged...
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Madam Deputy Speaker, Today I will speak about the development of Singapore as a sporting nation for all. I believe that ‘sporting success’, as the original motion calls for, should not only be measured in terms of winning medals and doing well in various rankings, but also measured in terms...
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When I was in my twenties and thirties, I devoted time training and competing, particularly in middle distance running. I was inspired by the athletes I watched in international competitions, pushing themselves beyond the limits of physical and mental boundaries, determined to fly their national flags high. I am often...
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Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the motion on Sporting Success filed by MP for Sengkang Jamus Lim and MP for Aljunied Muhammad Faisal bin Abdul Manap. I also join my Workers’ Party colleagues, members of this House, and all Singaporeans in extending our well-wishes to Team Singapore...
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I extend my heartiest congratulations to Team Singapore athletes and para-athletes who have qualified for, participated in and, for some, won medals at the recent SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia. These include Aljunied GRC residents Kimberly Ong, Colin Soon, Sophie Soon and Soh Rui Yong. You...
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Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the motion as moved by my honourable colleague and MP for Sengkang GRC Associate Professor Jamus Lim, “That this House celebrates the accomplishments of our athletes and para-athletes at the recent 32nd SEA Games and the 12th ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia, and calls...
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Sir, I beg to move, “That this House celebrates the accomplishments of our athletes and para-athletes at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and the 12th ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia, and calls on the Government to undertake a thorough evaluation of the areas of improvement in Singapore’s sporting ecosystem,...
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Introduction Mr Speaker sir, I rise to support the motion proposed by my Hon friends, Sengkang MP Prof Jamus Lim and Aljunied MP Mr Mohd Faisal Manap, on Singapore sports. We owe a profound debt of gratitude to our athletes who proudly fly the Singapore flag in tournaments like the SEA...
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Mr Deputy Speaker, before I speak on the substantive aspects of the Bill, I want to make the point that not all legislation passed in this House targeting online content is equal. The Workers’ Party will support rules aimed at online content when they are in Singaporeans’ interest, such...
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The Online Criminal Harms Bill (“the Bill”) was introduced for the purpose of empowering the authorities to combat online crimes more effectively, and safeguard the public in Singapore from various online harms. It is also supposed to enable swift government action against online criminal activities, proactively preventing scams and...
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This Bill tabled by the Ministry of Social and Family Development makes significant and detailed changes to the way family violence cases are handled. Among the key changes brought about by the Bill is the setting up of a 24-hour Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT). DVERT will be empowered...
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Mr Speaker, Sir, the Building and Related Works Amendment Bill facilitates a simplified approval process for less complex and lower-risk buildings such as shelters and landed properties, and promotes the regulation of environmental health in respect of buildings, among other things. I support the Bill. Beyond these improvements to regulatory...
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Generosity Begets Goodwill Mr Speaker, as in related motions prior, I am aware that the stipulations in this bill are of an essentially technical nature, and are designed to help us better realize our existing commitments to the international financial system. Nevertheless, I have some comments, both on the specific...
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Introduction Mr Deputy Speaker, as Members of Parliament, we are in a unique position to be not just the voice of our constituents, but to also provide assistance and advice to our fellow Singaporeans who are in need. I am sure this is something which all of us do on...
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Mr Speaker, I will speak about steps we can take, as a nation, toward moving to a better balance in our expenditure on healthcare resources. I will share some details on why I think we can increase the carrying capacity of our healthcare system—perhaps to some detriment in efficiency...
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The world is facing a severe manpower crunch in health and social care. The CEO of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said last year that "the scale of the worldwide nursing shortage is one of the greatest threats to health globally." The ICN estimates that due to existing...
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Mr Speaker sir, when deciding how liveable and how advanced a society is, the quality and affordability of its healthcare sector plays a key role. In most countries, the nature of healthcare provision is highly contested and debated, because of its critical importance. In many countries, including our own, healthcare...
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Madam Deputy Speaker, I will be speaking briefly on the intent of this Bill to amend the Companies Act 1967, the Business Trusts Act 2004, the Variable Capital Companies Act 2018 and the Singapore Labour Foundation Act 1977 to provide for meetings using virtual meeting technology. Such meetings may...