SINGAPORE: As Singapore’s Speaker of Parliament, Mr Seah Kian Peng believes that he consciously makes an effort to apply the rules and oversee proceedings in an impartial manner.
“So that whoever and whichever party they are from, will feel that … the way I’ve chaired, the way I’ve called on people, I’ve done it fairly and consistently,” he told CNA.
Mr Seah, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade GRC, marked his first year on the job earlier in August.
And a recent incident involving Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai served to reaffirm Mr Seah’s belief that what is said in parliament is “serious business”.
Mr Leong, a member of the opposition Progress Singapore Party’s (PSP) central executive committee, had said on a podcast that he was usually “one of the last to be called” to speak in parliament, despite being one of the first to raise his hands.
Though he eventually publicly retracted the comment, Mr Leong’s words had still cast aspersions on the Speaker’s fairness and impartiality, Mr Seah said in a July sitting.
“Anyway, I think he put it on record that, yes, I was fair,” said Mr Seah, 62.
He noted that with over 100 members in the House currently, including non-partisan Nominated MPs, it was only natural for questions to arise over opportunities to speak.
“I was a backbencher before, so I also felt that ‘Speaker how come don’t give me time to speak’ (feeling),” he said.
