Reading about the legislative assistants (LAs) who help the various MPs (Unseen backbone of Parliament, Dec 9), one cannot help but feel a sense of respect for all LAs on both sides of the political divide.
These LAs help MPs to be better prepared to scrutinise details of Bills and the Budget.
Indeed, MPs are spending more time debating each Budget and contentious Bills, a sign of a maturing legislative branch.
Such research will only get more important and complicated in the increasingly complex age we live in. Increasingly, MPs are asked to look into areas they may not be as familiar with.
For robust debate to happen, a foundation of fact and research must be established by the MPs and their legislative assistants.
It is therefore instructive that, with an expanded team, Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng can speak on more topics than an MP with one LA.
LAs in the Workers' Party are also helping on the ground and getting feedback from residents, informing their approach to government policies.
Nominated MPs count on resources beyond official support to help them scrutinise legislation and prepare them for debate.
It is, therefore, time to recognise that official resources are limiting our parliamentarians, and one legislative assistant may not suffice for MPs that lack ministry support.
Parliament should consider establishing a parallel research service and budget office for the MPs and their LAs to tap. This underpins the foundation of facts that MPs can draw upon for reliable research when it comes to the scrutiny of Bills and the Budget.
Parliament should also consider giving MPs a fixed budget of, say, $4,000 per month for building their own team. Beyond the narrow research, MPs who are more grassroots-focused could use part of this sum to help support their own outreach to their respective communities.
The end result would be an informed and independent legislature, one that looks at each policy option presented by the executive branch robustly and carefully. Singapore will benefit much from that.
Lim Shi Shun
