ST - 4 March 2006
PAP MPs do take sittings of Parliament seriously
I REFER to Mr Christopher Teo Kian Lam's letter 'MPs should make
time for Budget debate' (ST, March 2).
I would like to assure Mr Teo that PAP MPs take Parliament sittings
very seriously. They have to seek the Speaker's permission to be
absent from a sitting. They also have to inform the Government Whip
if they are unable to attend Parliament on time or have to leave
earlier.
During the Budget debate and Committee of Supply, Parliament sits
from 12 noon to 7pm.
While PAP MPs are expected to be in Parliament throughout the
sitting, they may not be able to be in the chamber for the full
seven hours.
They will have to leave the chamber from time to time for lunch, do
research for their speeches, revise their speeches according to the
flow of the debate, respond to urgent calls or even attend brief
urgent meetings which they cannot reschedule. So even if they are
not in the chamber, it does not mean that they are not in
Parliament or not contributing to the business of Parliament.
As we had explained previously, PAP MPs should not be judged by how
long they remain seated in the chamber but by their participation
in debates and the quality of their speeches and how well they
serve their constituents.
PAP MPs do more than attend Parliament. They also have to discharge
their duties in their constituencies, town councils, parliamentary
committees, GPCs and many other similar duties.
Lim Swee Say
Deputy Government Whip
