Singapore — Opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Paul Tambyah has called for a Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the high-profile court case involving former maid Parti Liyani.
Ms Parti was acquitted on appeal on Sept 4 of theft from the home of her former employer, retired Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong.
On Nov 4, Workers’ Party chairman Sylvia Lim in a parliamentary motion made reference to the case and called on Parliament to affirm that “fairness, access and independence are cornerstones of Singapore’s justice system”.
She also urged the Government to “recognise and remedy its shortcomings” to enhance the justice system for all and facilitate a review of the system.
Her call to action was reframed into a positive acknowledgment of the Government’s efforts by People’s Action Party MP Murali Pillai, who suggested amendments to the wording of the motion. Mr Murali removed the call for a review of the system and asked the House to affirm the “Government’s continuous efforts” to build a fair and just society.
Ms Lim refused to accept the amendments and all 10 WP MPs voted against the amended motion, which was ultimately passed by the majority PAP MPs. WP chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said after the vote that the WP MPs wished to have their dissent to the amendments recorded.
On Nov 9, SDP chief Chee Soon Juan weighed in on the issue and criticised Mr Murali for amending the WP’s motion in the way he did. He also drew comparisons between the Parti Liyani case and a murder case from 1992, in which two innocent people served three years in jail before the real culprit was found.
Questioning how many more people were wrongfully accused of crimes they did not commit, Dr Chee backed the WP’s call for a review of the justice system and said that Mr Murali should have spoken for the people instead of his party. He added that the justice system is in “dire need” of a review.
Dr Tambyah shared Dr Chee’s post on his own Facebook page and called for the initiation of a COI or an independent review. He said:
“An independent review or COI would help ensure that not only is justice done but that it is also seen to be done.”
Read his post HERE.