SINGAPORE: Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng ruled on Monday (Sep 19) that MP Murali Pillai did not “impute any improper motives” to Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai. On the complaint filed against Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Mr Seah noted that Mr Leong filed the complaint two years after the event and said that “the complaint is out of time”.
Mr Leong filed a formal complaint with Mr Seah on Wednesday (Aug 16) over statements made by Mr Murali Pillai in Parliament earlier in the month.
Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) secretary general Mr Leong, said that the Hansard for the debate on the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill during the parliamentary sitting on 3 August 2023 shows that Mr Murali appears to have said that “[t]he hon Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Mr Leong Mun Wai had advocated some form of low-rent control”.
Subsequently, when I rose to clarify this statement with Mr Murali, he appears to have stated three times that he did not assert that I had advocated ‘some form of low-rent control’ in my speech, despite expressly doing so earlier in his statement, and refused to retract said statement”, Mr Leong wrote on Facebook.
He added that Mr Murali’s clarifications “confused the public and created the misleading impression that I was accusing Mr Murali of claiming that I was advocating for rent control when he did not”.
Mr Seah’s verdict
“The words ‘improper motives’ imply something illegal, dishonest or morally wrong. I have perused the relevant speeches recorded in Hansard, and I find that the rent control statement does not suggest or impute any improper motive on the part of Mr Leong,” he continued.
“Both Mr Leong and Mr Murali had differing views of what each meant when they referred to rent control. But that is the nature of parliamentary exchanges and debates,” said Mr Seah.
Mr Leong raised his hand to speak after Mr Seah. The Speaker stressed that his decision on any complaint was final and not open to any appeals, but said he would make an exception and invited Mr Leong to make his clarification.
Mr Leong then asked if he could direct his question to Mr Murali, and Mr Seah replied that he was not reopening the debate. “Can I clarify that you also agree that rent control was never said by me?” Mr Leong then asked Mr Seah.
The Speaker did not address Mr Leong’s question directly. He said: “As I have stated, I am not reopening the debate. I’ve set out the context of the matter, and I’ve made my decision on the complaint that you have registered. I will not repeat myself. If you’re asking me for my personal decision, that is my personal decision.”
Leong Mun Wai files complaint against Murali Pillai; Speaker Seah Kian Peng to decide outcome
Mr Leong’s complaint against Dr Balakrishnan
Mr Leong had also filed a second complaint – against Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan over a comment caught on a hot mic on Sep 14, 2021.
During the sitting, ministers were caught making private comments heard over the microphone criticizing Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai and questioning how he got into Raffles Institution (RI).
After Mr Leong had spoken on jobs and livelihoods, a voice was heard saying “he’s illiterate” towards the Progress Singapore Party NCMP.
At a later exchange between Manpower Minister Tan See Leng and Mr Leong, another voice was heard over the microphone saying, “Seriously, how did he get into RI?… Must have been a lousy school.”
Mr Seah noted that Mr Leong filed the complaint two years after the event but called for Dr Balakrishnan to formally withdraw his remarks and put his apology on record in Parliament.
A copy of Mr Leong’s complaint was shared with Dr Balakrishnan, who in turn responded in a letter on Sep 5, said Mr Seah.
“In my opinion, the complaint is out of time, by reason of the long passage of time. It was not made at the earliest opportunity as required under Standing Order 100 (7c), after the member had noticed the alleged remark,” he added.
There is no formal action for the Speaker to take in his complaint, given that the matter had been concluded with Dr Balakrishnan’s apology and Mr Leong’s acceptance of the apology, said Mr Seah.
In his Sep 5 letter, Dr Balakrishnan accepted that his private remarks were inappropriate and that he stands by his previous apology. His letter will be published in Hansard and kept on parliamentary record, said Mr Seah. /TISG