SYLVIA LIM, LEONG MUN WAI QUESTION INDRANEE
MP Sylvia Lim (WP-Aljunied) asked Ms Indranee to clarify whether she was exercising any authority as Leader of the House when she communicated to Mr Tan that an apology was necessary.
“The Speaker is the master of the chamber, he has the power to punish us. But it’s a question mark as to who has the power to punish him if there is any unparliamentary conduct,” she said.
Ms Lim said that from her research into other jurisdictions, a motion of regret filed by backbencher MPs was the usual practice.
Ms Indranee replied that she was not exercising any authority over Mr Tan, and had only indicated her view to him as Leader of the House.
She added that she did not have the power to conclude the matter, and that if any MP had another view, it was up to them to pursue it.
Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai asked why the Leader of the House did not think it necessary for Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to formally apologise when he was caught making comments about Mr Leong on a hot mic.
Mr Leong was referring to a previous incident in which a voice was heard saying “he’s illiterate” and “seriously, how did he get into (Raffles Institution)? Must have been a lousy school” during a livestream of a parliamentary sitting.
Dr Balakrishnan later apologised to the Progress Singapore Party politician in a call.
Ms Indranee said that typically, the Speaker rules on such matters and it is for the person who has the right to complain – in that case, Mr Leong – to raise the issue.
“I have raised it here simply because it is the Speaker who had uttered the words, and other members can raise a complaint if they wish,” she said.
“But I felt that it was appropriate that as Leader, I should address it. And of course, he’s no longer here in parliament to deal with it, so somebody has to raise it.”