SINGAPORE: When Singapore’s newest parliament opens on Friday (Sep 5), 99 individuals will take their oaths to represent the people in the country’s legislative body.
Among them are 32 first-time Members of Parliament (MPs), including seven from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) who have already been appointed as political office holders.
The other MPs who don’t hold political office are called private members or “backbenchers” – a reference to the seats they traditionally occupy in the chamber.
But sitting at the back doesn’t mean sitting back.
They are expected to question the government as well as scrutinise and vote on draft laws. They can also initiate legislative changes.
PAP MP Christopher de Souza, who as a backbench MP in 2014 proposed a Bill to prevent human trafficking, said backbenchers “are most certainly not yes-men”.
“We see that something needs improving, we are willing to step up and do so,” he told CNA.
Opposition MP Gerald Giam of the Workers’ Party (WP) said: “While the government sets the formal agenda, backbenchers can raise issues that are of broad national interest and influence the national conversation.”
He said a backbencher’s motion or question can shine a spotlight on an issue and compel the government to say something.
“Opposition MPs’ motions are often voted down or substantially amended, but the public debate itself gives the public a chance to hear both sides of an issue, allowing for a more informed discussion.”
Law don Eugene Tan said it would take an “intrepid” backbencher to set the legislature’s agenda on his or her own – whether aligned or not with the front bench of office holders.
But this doesn’t mean they are helpless or lack agency, added the associate professor at Singapore Management University, who also pointed to moving motions as one way backbenchers ensure they are not “mere passengers” in the parliamentary process.
Assoc Prof Tan cited how parliamentary questions, especially supplementary ones, can prompt office holders to respond without having “scripted text prepared by staffers” to rely on.
“Sometimes, backbenchers can exert influence without being deliberate about it,” he said.
He added that for PAP backbenchers, the challenge is to show their relevance and hold their own in a parliament that tends to be dominated by the front bench and opposition MPs.
And MPs from the WP – now the only opposition party in the House – will be just as raring to demonstrate their worth when the 15th parliament kicks off, said Assoc Prof Tan.
“(They) will seek to show that more opposition MPs will be to parliament’s and Singapore’s benefit – that instead of a PAP backbencher, a WP MP will add to parliament in ways that a PAP backbencher would not be able to.”
Parliament sits for an average of 30 to 40 days a year. Sittings tend to take place in the first week of the month, though this can vary.
Question time: Each sitting starts with 90 minutes reserved for MPs to pose questions to ministers. MPs can submit up to five parliamentary questions in a sitting, with at least seven days’ notice. These can be for oral or written answers. After oral answers, MPs can ask related supplementary questions on the spot.
Ministerial statements: Sometimes ministers want to make statements on government decisions. Such statements don’t need advance notice, and so can be used to address developing situations. MPs are allowed to seek clarification afterwards, but not to debate.
Bills: These are the draft laws debated and voted on by MPs. Bills can be introduced by any MP. Government Bills are tabled by ministers, while all other MPs – including Non-Constituency and Nominated ones – can move private members’ Bills.
Motions: These are proposals for parliament to do something; order something to be done; or express an opinion. MPs debate and vote on them, and can also amend them by vote. Motions can range from uncontroversial ones to honour national athletes, to more contentious suggestions to do with issues like cost of living and public housing policy.
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Many come from interactions with residents during house visits and Meet-the-People sessions, according to MPs CNA spoke to.
Mr De Souza said he typically hears of potential gaps in government assistance, “policies not reaching the ground”, or requests for exceptions.
“Where I think a very valid point is, and a possible solution has been suggested, I will communicate with my legislative assistant and say I’d like to raise a PQ on this,” he said.
Mr Giam said his parliamentary questions also originate from his own experiences. For example, while caught in a train disruption in August, he observed issues on the ground that he intends to raise in parliament.
“For opposition MPs, we don’t have the same access to government resources as our government counterparts, and so we are much more reliant on the public and our volunteers to get the full picture,” said Mr Giam.
“Our questions are often the result of independent, in-depth research to ensure we can distil the key challenges our residents face.”
By introducing private members’ Bills. Singapore’s parliament has passed at least five such Bills since independence.
Mr De Souza said the Prevention of Human Trafficking Bill which he tabled in 2014 took about one-and-a-half years of work.
He said that when he started looking into the issue, there was a gap that related pieces of legislation like the Immigration Act and Women’s Charter did not cover.
He started piecing together a draft, and emailed it to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“I explained to him why I felt this was necessary and that I would be willing to table this … he wrote back within a very short period of time and said ‘I support this initiative’,” said the MP.
The eventual Bill was developed with the support of a government inter-agency task force on trafficking, which had been established in 2010.
Religious and civil society groups, the business community and members of the public also shared their views in multiple focus group discussions, said Mr De Souza.
Assoc Prof Tan said a backbencher would still need to secure the support of the government of the day for a private members’ Bill.
“For a variety of reasons, the government may prefer a particular Bill to be moved by backbenchers,” he said.
He noted for example that the Maintenance of Parents Act, first tabled by Nominated MP Walter Woon and passed in 1995, continues to have amendments moved by backbench MPs rather than the government.
Assoc Prof Tan also pointed out that while Nominated MP Kanwaljit Soin’s attempt to pass a Family Violence Bill in 1995 failed, many of its provisions on violence against women later made their way into amendments to related laws, such as the Women’s Charter.
Draft laws, or Bills, are “read” three times in parliament.
The First and Third Readings are largely formalities. After the First Reading, the draft law is circulated to MPs and they get time to research and prepare their speeches. At least 10 days must pass before the Second Reading is held, typically in the next month.
Most of the time is spent on this Second Reading. A minister will introduce the Bill, and MPs then speak on it. After the debate, the minister will wrap up by replying to MPs’ questions and arguments.
Votes are taken at the end of the Second and Third Readings. MPs can vote in favour or against; or abstain.
Passing a Bill – or motion – requires the support of a simple majority, or more than half the MPs present.
Constitutional changes have a higher bar, requiring support from a two-thirds majority. This means at least 66 out of 99 elected and Non-Constituency MPs.
In Singapore’s 15th and latest parliament, the PAP holds a supermajority with 87 seats. The WP holds 12 seats, comprising 10 elected MPs and two Non-Constituency MPs.
It’s rare, but if parliament decides a Bill needs special consideration, it can form a select committee to do so before the final vote. This committee can call witnesses to testify in public hearings, and invite members of the public to write in about the proposed law.
It typically takes two parliament sittings across two months to pass a Bill.
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They get up to S$1,300 (about US$1,000) a month to engage a legislative assistant, and S$500 for a secretarial assistant. These amounts are only reimbursed if the MP hires such staff.
Mr Giam said the assistants are a “vital backbone” for the work of opposition MPs, whose roles extend beyond legislative duties to include “crucial grassroots work such as organising events, mobilising volunteers and assisting with house visits.”
“The allowance they receive is modest, and only sufficient to support a part-time assistant. They are instrumental in handling the administrative work I cannot do alone.”
Mr De Souza described the legislative assistant as a “key colleague” and said he tends to engage university students or fresh university graduates for this role.
Sociologist Dr Tan Ern Ser said informal engagements between ruling party MPs and political office holders can provide an additional channel to give feedback and share municipal issues as well as residents' concerns.
“My sense is that ruling party backbenchers could contribute to setting the agenda more so via informal meetings with office holders, rather than through parliamentary debates,” he said.
The adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies also pointed to the PAP’s Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs).
Despite the name, these are not parliamentary bodies but groupings within the ruling party with the stated aim of scrutinising policy and legislation.
Former PAP MP Carrie Tan, who was part of the National Development as well as Social and Family Development GPCs, said these groupings would meet regularly in the run-up to the annual Budget.
In between Budgets, “whenever there is a key motion or a key Bill that is being worked on, we would be enrolled into those conversations”, she told CNA.
Ms Tan said the GPCs also helped government agencies get input from the ground.
“There are real debates happening, where the MPs on the GPCs will give our views and our opinions very strongly, reflecting sentiments from the ground and also the people’s pain points,” she said.
Want an issue or topic explained? Email us at digitalnews [at] mediacorp.com.sg. Your question might become a story on our site.
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Among them are 32 first-time Members of Parliament (MPs), including seven from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) who have already been appointed as political office holders.
The other MPs who don’t hold political office are called private members or “backbenchers” – a reference to the seats they traditionally occupy in the chamber.
But sitting at the back doesn’t mean sitting back.
Related:
How can backbenchers shape parliament’s agenda?
They are expected to question the government as well as scrutinise and vote on draft laws. They can also initiate legislative changes.
PAP MP Christopher de Souza, who as a backbench MP in 2014 proposed a Bill to prevent human trafficking, said backbenchers “are most certainly not yes-men”.
“We see that something needs improving, we are willing to step up and do so,” he told CNA.
Opposition MP Gerald Giam of the Workers’ Party (WP) said: “While the government sets the formal agenda, backbenchers can raise issues that are of broad national interest and influence the national conversation.”
He said a backbencher’s motion or question can shine a spotlight on an issue and compel the government to say something.
“Opposition MPs’ motions are often voted down or substantially amended, but the public debate itself gives the public a chance to hear both sides of an issue, allowing for a more informed discussion.”
Related:
Law don Eugene Tan said it would take an “intrepid” backbencher to set the legislature’s agenda on his or her own – whether aligned or not with the front bench of office holders.
But this doesn’t mean they are helpless or lack agency, added the associate professor at Singapore Management University, who also pointed to moving motions as one way backbenchers ensure they are not “mere passengers” in the parliamentary process.
Assoc Prof Tan cited how parliamentary questions, especially supplementary ones, can prompt office holders to respond without having “scripted text prepared by staffers” to rely on.
“Sometimes, backbenchers can exert influence without being deliberate about it,” he said.
He added that for PAP backbenchers, the challenge is to show their relevance and hold their own in a parliament that tends to be dominated by the front bench and opposition MPs.
And MPs from the WP – now the only opposition party in the House – will be just as raring to demonstrate their worth when the 15th parliament kicks off, said Assoc Prof Tan.
“(They) will seek to show that more opposition MPs will be to parliament’s and Singapore’s benefit – that instead of a PAP backbencher, a WP MP will add to parliament in ways that a PAP backbencher would not be able to.”
What happens in a parliament sitting
Parliament sits for an average of 30 to 40 days a year. Sittings tend to take place in the first week of the month, though this can vary.
Question time: Each sitting starts with 90 minutes reserved for MPs to pose questions to ministers. MPs can submit up to five parliamentary questions in a sitting, with at least seven days’ notice. These can be for oral or written answers. After oral answers, MPs can ask related supplementary questions on the spot.
Ministerial statements: Sometimes ministers want to make statements on government decisions. Such statements don’t need advance notice, and so can be used to address developing situations. MPs are allowed to seek clarification afterwards, but not to debate.
Bills: These are the draft laws debated and voted on by MPs. Bills can be introduced by any MP. Government Bills are tabled by ministers, while all other MPs – including Non-Constituency and Nominated ones – can move private members’ Bills.
Motions: These are proposals for parliament to do something; order something to be done; or express an opinion. MPs debate and vote on them, and can also amend them by vote. Motions can range from uncontroversial ones to honour national athletes, to more contentious suggestions to do with issues like cost of living and public housing policy.
Collapse Expand
Where do parliamentary questions come from?
Many come from interactions with residents during house visits and Meet-the-People sessions, according to MPs CNA spoke to.
Mr De Souza said he typically hears of potential gaps in government assistance, “policies not reaching the ground”, or requests for exceptions.
“Where I think a very valid point is, and a possible solution has been suggested, I will communicate with my legislative assistant and say I’d like to raise a PQ on this,” he said.
Mr Giam said his parliamentary questions also originate from his own experiences. For example, while caught in a train disruption in August, he observed issues on the ground that he intends to raise in parliament.
“For opposition MPs, we don’t have the same access to government resources as our government counterparts, and so we are much more reliant on the public and our volunteers to get the full picture,” said Mr Giam.
“Our questions are often the result of independent, in-depth research to ensure we can distil the key challenges our residents face.”
Related:
How can backbenchers make laws?
By introducing private members’ Bills. Singapore’s parliament has passed at least five such Bills since independence.
Mr De Souza said the Prevention of Human Trafficking Bill which he tabled in 2014 took about one-and-a-half years of work.
He said that when he started looking into the issue, there was a gap that related pieces of legislation like the Immigration Act and Women’s Charter did not cover.
He started piecing together a draft, and emailed it to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“I explained to him why I felt this was necessary and that I would be willing to table this … he wrote back within a very short period of time and said ‘I support this initiative’,” said the MP.
The eventual Bill was developed with the support of a government inter-agency task force on trafficking, which had been established in 2010.
Religious and civil society groups, the business community and members of the public also shared their views in multiple focus group discussions, said Mr De Souza.
Assoc Prof Tan said a backbencher would still need to secure the support of the government of the day for a private members’ Bill.
“For a variety of reasons, the government may prefer a particular Bill to be moved by backbenchers,” he said.
He noted for example that the Maintenance of Parents Act, first tabled by Nominated MP Walter Woon and passed in 1995, continues to have amendments moved by backbench MPs rather than the government.
Assoc Prof Tan also pointed out that while Nominated MP Kanwaljit Soin’s attempt to pass a Family Violence Bill in 1995 failed, many of its provisions on violence against women later made their way into amendments to related laws, such as the Women’s Charter.
How are laws passed?
Draft laws, or Bills, are “read” three times in parliament.
The First and Third Readings are largely formalities. After the First Reading, the draft law is circulated to MPs and they get time to research and prepare their speeches. At least 10 days must pass before the Second Reading is held, typically in the next month.
Most of the time is spent on this Second Reading. A minister will introduce the Bill, and MPs then speak on it. After the debate, the minister will wrap up by replying to MPs’ questions and arguments.
Votes are taken at the end of the Second and Third Readings. MPs can vote in favour or against; or abstain.
Passing a Bill – or motion – requires the support of a simple majority, or more than half the MPs present.
Constitutional changes have a higher bar, requiring support from a two-thirds majority. This means at least 66 out of 99 elected and Non-Constituency MPs.
In Singapore’s 15th and latest parliament, the PAP holds a supermajority with 87 seats. The WP holds 12 seats, comprising 10 elected MPs and two Non-Constituency MPs.
It’s rare, but if parliament decides a Bill needs special consideration, it can form a select committee to do so before the final vote. This committee can call witnesses to testify in public hearings, and invite members of the public to write in about the proposed law.
It typically takes two parliament sittings across two months to pass a Bill.
Collapse Expand
What resources do MPs have?
They get up to S$1,300 (about US$1,000) a month to engage a legislative assistant, and S$500 for a secretarial assistant. These amounts are only reimbursed if the MP hires such staff.
Mr Giam said the assistants are a “vital backbone” for the work of opposition MPs, whose roles extend beyond legislative duties to include “crucial grassroots work such as organising events, mobilising volunteers and assisting with house visits.”
“The allowance they receive is modest, and only sufficient to support a part-time assistant. They are instrumental in handling the administrative work I cannot do alone.”
Mr De Souza described the legislative assistant as a “key colleague” and said he tends to engage university students or fresh university graduates for this role.
How can backbenchers shape the agenda outside of parliament?
Sociologist Dr Tan Ern Ser said informal engagements between ruling party MPs and political office holders can provide an additional channel to give feedback and share municipal issues as well as residents' concerns.
“My sense is that ruling party backbenchers could contribute to setting the agenda more so via informal meetings with office holders, rather than through parliamentary debates,” he said.
The adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies also pointed to the PAP’s Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs).
Despite the name, these are not parliamentary bodies but groupings within the ruling party with the stated aim of scrutinising policy and legislation.
Former PAP MP Carrie Tan, who was part of the National Development as well as Social and Family Development GPCs, said these groupings would meet regularly in the run-up to the annual Budget.
In between Budgets, “whenever there is a key motion or a key Bill that is being worked on, we would be enrolled into those conversations”, she told CNA.
Ms Tan said the GPCs also helped government agencies get input from the ground.
“There are real debates happening, where the MPs on the GPCs will give our views and our opinions very strongly, reflecting sentiments from the ground and also the people’s pain points,” she said.
Want an issue or topic explained? Email us at digitalnews [at] mediacorp.com.sg. Your question might become a story on our site.
Continue reading...