Don't forget common purpose: Speaker
He reminds MPs on both sides that they are striving for better outcomes for Singaporeans
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More than 20 years after it closed its doors to elected officials and august assemblies, the Old Parliament House last night again came to life for the opening of the 14th Parliament.
Now called The Arts House, it was designated the second venue for the event, in addition to Parliament House, as part of safety measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The significance of the dual sitting was not lost on newly re-elected Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.
In his speech yesterday, Mr Tan said: "There is a special sense of nostalgia for many of the members - those of you in The Arts House - to be there in the same chamber taking the oath as many of our predecessors did, when they pledged to serve Singapore and Singaporeans honourably and faithfully.
"If I may be candid, I think many of us here would have wished we were one of those that were designated to be there this evening."
For those who were in the old chamber, it was a chance to soak in the nostalgia and political history the place is steeped in.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, in a Facebook post yesterday, put up photos of the seat he sat in during the ceremony. It was the seat once occupied by former health minister Ahmad Ibrahim - who was in the first People's Action Party (PAP) Cabinet in 1959.
Mr Heng said: "The last time that elected Members of Parliament were sworn in at the Old Parliament House was in 1997, for the ninth Parliament. Joining politics in 2011, I never expected that I would be taking my oath of allegiance here."
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, in a separate Facebook post, put up a photo of the seat that former deputy prime minister and PAP Old Guard leader Goh Keng Swee had once sat in. Dr Ng was sitting yesterday in the seat beside it.
The area around both venues yesterday was virtually shut down under a security blanket and MPs started streaming in as early as 4.45pm - 45 minutes before the event was to start.
Everyone made sure they sat at least one seat away from the next person. All were wearing masks, of course - but some seemed to be sporting a special edition white mask featuring a tiny logo of Parliament House.
The Speaker, in his speech yesterday, reminded the MPs gathered in the two Houses that regardless of their political stripes, they should not forget that they are working towards a common purpose - to achieve better outcomes for Singapore and Singaporeans.
And while there will be passionate and vigorous debates on policy issues and Budgets, Mr Tan challenged MPs to show the world that such a robust contest of ideas can take place without being fractious.
He also cautioned against the "wide and easy path" towards polarisation and division, populism and "short-termism".
Mr Tan said Singapore is now in a situation where there are no textbook answers to fall back on.
He said: "There will be difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions to be made because there are very real and genuine trade-offs that need to be undertaken."
Will the focus be on solutions or politicking, he asked. "All of you, all of us, will determine what these possible outcomes would be," he said.
He noted that in this session of Parliament, there are 83 MPs from the ruling PAP, and a record 10 opposition MPs from the Workers' Party - the largest number of elected opposition members in recent history.
There are 31 newly elected MPs, as well as the newly created position of Leader of the Opposition, he added.
All of this reflects a desire by Singaporeans for more voices and choices in Parliament, Mr Tan said.
Urging MPs to fulfil their duties in keeping the Government accountable, Mr Tan said he looked forward to seeing all MPs present for every sitting, unless they were involved in official duties or on urgent leave.
As befitting a highlight of the political calendar, all the MPs came dressed in their formal best.
MPs from both sides of the political aisle, as well the two Non-Constituency MPs from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), took their oaths from both locations, and the ceremony was live-streamed simultaneously to both venues.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Heng, and senior ministers Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam all took the oath individually, followed by other ministers and ministers of state in groups.
The rest of the MPs took their oaths mostly in groups of four to eight people. NCMPs Hazel Poa and Leong Mun Wai from the PSP were sworn in last.
There was a nod to diversity in the languages used - Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong GRC), Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade GRC) and Mr Faisal Manap (Aljunied GRC) were among the five MPs who took the oath in Malay.
Thirteen MPs took the oath in Mandarin, including Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang (Marymount), Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong GRC) and Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC).
Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang GRC) was the only MP who took the oath in Tamil.
Mr Tan first became Speaker in September 2017, after Madam Halimah Yacob relinquished the post to run for the presidency.
Yesterday, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah (Tanjong Pagar GRC) proposed that Mr Tan be elected Speaker. Seconded by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir), Mr Tan was elected unopposed.
MPs from both sides lauded Mr Tan's re-election, and cited his efforts to engage the public on parliamentary proceedings and social media, his fairness and impartiality in managing debates, as well as being compassionate and open-minded.
Mr Heng summed up yesterday's events in his Facebook post, when he said: "We may sit today in two different physical Parliament Houses - the old and the new - but we must always be Members of one House, dedicated to honest and able service to Singapore and Singaporeans."
Opening of Parliament
PROTECTING LIVELIHOODS A PRIORITY
One of the very important areas to the Ministry of Manpower is how we can continue to protect the livelihoods of Singaporeans and ensure that as many of them as possible can stay in work. And for those who unfortunately are displaced because their companies have not been able to continue retaining their services, then our priority must be to help them to move on to other meaningful employment.
(It) may involve a transition to a new occupation, or in another industry. It may involve, for the time being, taking up traineeships or attachments that are hosted by companies. And it may also involve taking advantage of this time to boost their skills.
MRS JOSEPHINE TEO, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Home Affairs.
BROADENING MERITOCRACY
What stuck to me was the President's point about the definition of meritocracy. I was speaking to some young people who felt very strongly that we should start looking (at) and redefining what we mean by meritocracy, because during my generation all of us started from the same base. And so we knew what meritocracy was - you work hard.
But there are a lot of comments from young people that say that Singaporeans today come from different backgrounds and they start from different starting points, and it's good for us to look at meritocracy not just (in terms of) academic excellence, but also the diversity of talents that Singaporeans can come with whenever we're looking out for talent to be placed into different roles in society.
DR MALIKI OSMAN, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs.
LOOKING FORWARD TO ROBUST DEBATES
This is the largest Parliament, with 12 representatives from the opposition and 28 female lawmakers - the largest number and proportion in independent Singapore's history. I look forward to diverse perspectives, robust debates and well-considered policies for the future of Singapore.
Personally, I stand fully committed to represent the voices and interest of Singaporeans and work with fellow parliamentarians to realise our common vision of a stronger and inclusive Singapore.
MR SHAWN HUANG (Jurong GRC), who is a first-term MP.
EXCITED ABOUT NEXT PHASE OF NATION-BUILDING
I am in agreement with many of the points, especially on social mobility and education, the need for us to continually relook policies to ensure multiple pathways and opportunities regardless of starting point. The fact that she touched on early childhood education and institutes of higher learning further motivated me.
I am excited for the next phase of nation-building - the Singapore Together movement. It is important that we recognise the various aspirations, creativity and diversity of views and ideas so that we can propel Singapore forward, together.
DR WAN RIZAL WAN ZAKARIAH (Jalan Besar GRC), who is a first-term MP.
WHAT MATTERS
The thing that we cannot stray from is that we must build a Singapore that is inclusive, a Singapore that is multiracial, a Singapore that seeks to achieve the aspirations of all, that allows those who are not so well advantaged to still have the opportunity to progress, and also to make sure that Singapore is a home for all of us.
So no matter which side of the bench or the chamber you are sitting on, those must be our goals. That was a key message of the President's Address. You can expect that there will be robust debate. You can expect that there will be an exchange of ideas, and we look forward to a more colourful debate, but at the end of the day, those are the things which matter.
MS INDRANEE RAJAH, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development.
CHANGE IS A MUST FOR S'PORE AND GOVT
We are seeing major once-in-a-lifetime changes - the Sino-US relationship, technology, Covid-19, generational shifts in Singapore - converging at one point in time.
So change is a must for Singapore and for the Government. It is not just about spending more money here and there, although some of that will always be necessary, but how we can do things differently.
For example, in my last role (as education minister), reducing exams and phasing out streaming were not major expenditure projects.
Neither is reopening Singapore in order to rebuild our aviation hub and therefore our economy. I believe every MP can contribute to this discussion and I look forward to hearing their views next week.
MR ONG YE KUNG, Minister for Transport.
TOUCHING ON KEY ISSUES
It was a solemn and meaningful message that touched on very key issues affecting Singaporeans. These are tough times but there was a call for Singaporeans to be resilient and chart out our own path in this crisis.
What resonated with me was the reminder that we need to continue to evolve. President Halimah spoke about the shifts in social policies which we have embarked on for over a decade. I'm heartened to note the call to do more to improve social mobility and review our position on merits.
She also spoke about our values of multiracialism. It's so important that in the midst of all the turbulence, we remain steadfast in preserving those values as well as remaining a fair and just society.
MS RAHAYU MAHZAM (Jurong GRC), who is into her second term as MP.
MODEL OF MERITOCRACY WILL HAVE TO EVOLVE
The model of meritocracy that we currently have will have to evolve with changing circumstances. I think there's a recognition that what we have now is not working out in certain areas, and we need to improve it. I hope that means that equity outcome will make its way into the schools' key performance indicators (KPIs).
One of the reasons why we're questioning our model of meritocracy is we find that children from the lower socioeconomic strata are not making it to the top in terms of academic achievements.
It would be good for us to measure such indicators to find out whether we are giving equal opportunities to children from different families across different income levels. If this becomes a KPI that is measurable, and schools are monitored on their efforts, it will go a long way towards a better outcome.
MS HAZEL POA, Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP.
