History was made yesterday as MPs masked up for the first Parliament sitting since the wearing of a face mask in public was made mandatory. Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin announced at the start of the sitting that all MPs will wear masks in Parliament House and remove them only while speaking so they can be heard clearly.
The significance of the move taking place on May 4 - Star Wars Day - was not lost on Mr Tan, who said on Facebook that he was masking up in Parliament though it was "not quite Darth Vader's mask".
An accompanying photo in his Facebook post shows, from front to back, the Serjeant-at-Arms shouldering the mace - a symbol of the Speaker's authority - Mr Tan, the Clerk of Parliament and an assistant clerk in a single file, before they entered the Chamber. All four wore face masks.
"Cue the 'Imperial March' and watch my #MotherOfAllLightSabre in front... keep safe distance!!" said Mr Tan, referencing Darth Vader's famous theme song in the Star Wars franchise.
May 4 is celebrated by fans of the franchise across the world following the pun "May the Fourth be with you" on the famous Star Wars line: May the Force be with you.
The new measure enhances safe distancing safeguards introduced in Parliament since March for MPs to be seated farther apart and in the public and press galleries.
Members of the public now observe proceedings via a screening at the auditorium, and members of the media at the press room.
Said Mr Tan: "We stand in solidarity with all Singaporeans in supporting and adhering to the Government's circuit breaker measures as these are adjusted with time, and depending on the prevailing situation."
The uncertainty brought by Covid-19 has shown why it is imperative that the Government prepares for scenarios in which it is impossible or unsafe for MPs to meet at one place to carry out parliamentary businesses, the Speaker added.
The pressing need for this was evident as Leader of the House Grace Fu yesterday introduced the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Amendment) Bill under a Certificate of Urgency, allowing it to be debated and passed in a single sitting.
Parliament will debate the amendments today to allow MPs to spread out at different locations while it is in session, and for the House to convene through virtual means, if necessary.
Mr Tan said that as Speaker, he has provided his views and advice on the parliamentary law and procedures to be considered in the drafting of the Bill, and that "the ultimate form and modalities of such continuity arrangements would be looked into once the Bill is passed".
"In tackling the Covid-19 situation, what must remain constant is that we must always be planning and preparing in advance as best as we can," he said.
In this, Singapore will learn from other countries and Parliaments, and implement what works best in the Republic's context, he added. "We must be primed and ready to swiftly respond should such exigencies happen."
