Parliamentary privilege: What it is and why it matters in the Raeesah Khan saga

Parliamentary business can only be properly conducted without fear or favour and hindrance, including from the other branches of Government.

Former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan giving evidence before Parliament’s Committee of Privileges, on Dec 2, 2021. PHOTO: GOV.SG
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The next few weeks promise to be significant for the 14th Parliament. It will deliberate the Budget Statement and fiscal allocations for the upcoming financial year, amid inflationary pressures and the pandemic still ravaging lives and livelihoods. Also much anticipated is Parliament's report bringing to a close the complaint against Ms Raeesah Khan, the former Workers' Party (WP) MP for Sengkang GRC, which is the subject of an ongoing inquiry by Parliament's Committee of Privileges (COP).

The hearings in December 2021 had captivated the public with competing and conflicting accounts of what transpired leading to Ms Khan resigning her party membership and, consequently, vacating her parliamentary seat last year.

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