Revisiting the 14th Parliament: The term that delivered hot mics, shock exits, and made history
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The 14th term of Parliament, which began in the thick of a global pandemic, has made history on many fronts.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
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SINGAPORE – The 14th term of Parliament, which began in the thick of a global pandemic, has made history on many fronts.
It set new records for participation among MPs, with more questions asked and private members’ motions tabled than before.
There was also political drama, which included the resignations of six elected MPs and two Nominated MPs.
The Straits Times looks at 14 highlights from the House over the years.
1. First Leader of the Opposition, most women in Parliament
Parliament opened on Aug 24, 2020, with its first formally appointed Leader of the Opposition,
The post meant Mr Singh was given more time for his parliamentary speeches, equivalent to that given to political office-holders, and would receive confidential briefings by the Government on some matters regarding national security and external relations, among other privileges.
There were also a record 28 women entering Parliament.
Twelve of them were political newcomers, like former brigadier-general Gan Siow Huang and lawyer He Ting Ru.
2. Parliament goes live
Parliament was live-streamed for the first time on Jan 4, 2021,
Calls for live streaming over the years were initially rejected because of practical and policy reasons, including the concern that MPs would play to the gallery instead of seriously debating national issues.
But the Government in September 2020 agreed in principle to live streaming as it acknowledged that global trends have made online streaming commonplace, with legislatures in other countries also live-streaming proceedings.
3. Most active backbenchers
Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng was again crowned the most active backbencher of the past term, according to ST’s analysis.
The second-term MP’s indefatigable spirit of speaking up for causes close to his heart brought him to the front of the pack in terms of questions asked, speeches and clarifications made, as well as participation in debates.
He raised more than 50 questions on migrant workers, over 40 involving animals, nearly 30 on curbing the ills of smoking and another 16 related to in-vitro fertilisation, which helped birth his three daughters Ella, Katie and Poppy.
Aware of his doggedness, the founder of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society in his last speech on second-hand smoke in Parliament remarked: “I am sure Senior Minister of State Amy Khor and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng expect me to talk about second-hand smoke and I shall not disappoint them.”
Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng was the most active backbencher of the past term, according to ST’s analysis.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
In a self-assessment posted on LinkedIn, Mr Ng characterised his role in Parliament as a voice for everyone, especially the marginalised, citing his record of raising issues on behalf of migrant workers, single unwed parents, teachers, nurses, junior doctors, sex workers, and more.
He was the man heard most frequently at the end of a sitting, as the MP who delivered the most motions – proposals for the House to act or express an opinion on a matter – once Parliament adjourned by making 11 such speeches.
Mr Ng also successfully introduced the Good Samaritan Food Donation Bill to encourage more to donate leftover food by shielding them from liability. This marked his second private member’s Bill since joining the country’s top legislature.
Other MPs who finished in the top 10 in terms of questions asked and debate participation included all three incumbent Sengkang GRC MPs, Mr Louis Chua, Associate Professor Jamus Lim and Ms He from the WP, and PSP Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai.
Meanwhile, Dr Tan Wu Meng of Jurong GRC emerged as the MP who spoke up most in Parliament for residents in his Clementi ward, based on ST’s analysis of the number of occasions that members advocated for residents or constituents in their district.
The two-term MP raised matters including the alleged abduction of a community cat cared for by one of his residents and a resident facing bankruptcy after she was scammed of her life savings. The oncologist will not represent the ward in the upcoming election.
Also vocal for their wards or constituencies were Mr Yip Hon Weng for Yio Chu Kang SMC, Ms Ng Ling Ling for Jalan Kayu in Ang Mo Kio GRC, Ms Hany Soh for Woodgrove in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC and Mr Dennis Tan for Hougang SMC.
4. Most closing speeches, ministerial statements
Building a heat-resilient Singapore, eradicating the stigma over mental health and banning the transportation of workers on the back of lorries are just a fraction of topics aired by MPs of the 14th Parliament at the end of each sitting.
This right to give a speech of up to 20 minutes on a matter overseen by the Government is given once in any one sitting.
This term’s backbenchers made history by delivering 74 adjournment motions, more than double the 35 in the previous term.
Once a rare occurrence, ministerial statements also became a dime a dozen, with this term logging an all-time high of 59 statements. This was more than double that of the previous term, which saw 29 such statements.
Ministers tackled a range of topics including the Pasir Panjang Terminal oil spill, Singapore’s anti-money laundering regime, and most recently, the US tariffs and their implications.
5. The longest sitting
A marathon debate on foreign competition in the local job market
The session was so long that NMP Janet Ang returned to the chamber after leaving to celebrate her birthday with a family dinner, and the birthday of Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad had just begun when the sitting ended the next day at 12.33am.
For 10 hours, MPs debated a motion by PSP’s Mr Leong on foreign talent policy, together with the Government’s response via a motion on Singaporeans’ jobs and livelihood tabled by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who is now also Prime Minister.
During the debate, Mr Wong criticised the racist and xenophobic undertones
“Look – if it looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, it is a duck,” he said, adding that such irresponsible politics would divide society and spell disaster for Singapore.
6. Hot mic apologies
The longest sitting also delivered a hot mic incident
After Mr Leong had spoken, a voice could be heard saying “he’s illiterate”, while at another point someone was heard saying: “Seriously, how did he get into RI?...Must have been a lousy school.”
RI refers to Raffles Institution, where Mr Leong studied in the 1970s.
Mr Leong later told The Straits Times that Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan apologised to him for the comments.
Another sound bite from a hot mic surfaced on social media in July 2023, nearly three months after the incident took place.
Then Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin was recorded muttering “****ing populist” after the WP’s Associate Professor Lim had finished a speech on doing more to help the lower-income groups here during a debate on the 2023 President’s Address.
Mr Tan said in a Facebook post that he had apologised for the remark,
7. The lie that shook the WP
Ms Raeesah Khan, WP’s youngest candidate in the last general election, shook her party and Parliament when she admitted in November 2021 to telling a false anecdote.
In the months that followed, the political drama behind the falsehood gripped the nation, as Parliament’s Committee of Privileges called up WP leaders in its inquiry into the lie told by Ms Khan, who resigned and left the party.
In February, Mr Singh was fined a total of $14,000
8. Repeal of 377A
In a historic move, Parliament voted in November 2022 to repeal a decades-old law
The repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code followed a 10-hour debate over two days that ended with 93 MPs voting in favour of the move.
The PAP did not lift its whip, while the WP did – allowing its MPs to vote as they wished.
WP MPs Gerald Giam and Dennis Tan, and NMP Hoon Hian Teck were the only three to vote against the repeal.
The constitutional amendment to introduce Article 156 saw 85 MPs vote in favour, while both PSP NCMPs voted against the move, and WP MPs Sylvia Lim and Ms He abstained.
NMPs are not allowed to vote on constitutional amendments.
9. ‘Sia suay’ video
The Hokkien term for embarrassment hit headlines in July 2023, thanks to a video posted by the PSP,
Leader of the House Indranee Rajah aired this matter in Parliament until she was satisfied with changes by the PSP and an apology from Mr Leong, who himself has breached parliamentary rules on various occasions.
Due to the incident, “sia suay” was duly noted down in parliamentary records for the first time since Independence, appearing a total of 21 times in the Hansard.
10. First minister to be charged over a corruption probe
On July 12, 2023, news broke that former Transport Minister S. Iswaran was under investigation over corruption charges.
This prompted PSP MP Hazel Poa to file a motion for Parliament to suspend him as MP
Iswaran resigned from Parliament and the PAP
In October 2024, he became the first former Cabinet minister to be sentenced
He had pleaded guilty to five charges – four for obtaining valuable items as a public servant and the fifth for obstructing the course of justice.
11. Affairs
Just days after Iswaran’s arrest, extramarital affairs involving MPs on both sides of the aisle came to light on July 17, 2023.
Two PAP MPs – then Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and then Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui – had shared an “inappropriate relationship”
The WP was also rocked that same day by revelations of a past extramarital affair
Two days later, on July 19, 2023, Mr Perera resigned as an MP
Despite his early exit, Mr Perera placed eighth in the list of top 10 MPs in terms of questions asked and participation in Parliament’s items of business.
12. Other exits
During the term, then Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam resigned to contest the 2023 Presidential Election, which he won.
NMPs Raj Joshua Thomas and psychiatrist Syed Harun Alhabsyi submitted their resignations
This sparked speculation that they would be involved in party politics. The pair eventually confirmed that they had joined the PAP.
In the wake of their departure, concerns were raised
Mr Thomas has since said that he will not run in the upcoming election, while Dr Syed Harun will be part of the PAP’s five-member slate in Nee Soon GRC.
13. Swifties aplenty
Parliament was not spared from the Taylor Swift craze that swept Singapore when the pop singer held her concerts here in March 2024, as politicians flexed their knowledge with a slew of references to the pop singer and her lyrics.
Amid the flurry of MPs quizzing Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong
He asked: “Did the Government negotiate to make Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour the only ‘blank space’ in South-east Asia, and did it realise that this may be perceived by some of our neighbours as being mean?”
Rising up to the challenge, Mr Tong quipped, “I’ll try not to make my answer the 10-minute version”, in a nod to the extended version of Swift’s ballad All Too Well.
14. Cantonese clashes
The re-enactment of a scene from a Hong Kong movie drew laughter from some MPs when the Manpower Minister showed off his Cantonese chops in March
In a video posted on Facebook the next day, Mr Leong issued his own comeback in the dialect, claiming that Dr Tan did not answer his questions.
The use of dialects and non-official languages, however, is still limited to brief instances, according to a March 17 forum letter
Ang Qing is a correspondent covering local and international breaking news at The Straits Times, with a focus on the environment, crime, technology and social issues.
Wong Pei Ting is a correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers politics and social affairs.
