SINGAPORE – The motion to ease the cost-of-living pressures was discussed extensively on the second day of Parliament. Other issues raised included providing aspiring lawyers with a longer training period and allowing the official registration of stillborn children’s names.
The key takeaways:
1. MPs debate WP motion on how to ease cost-of-living pressures
A motion put forth by Leader of the Opposition and Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh and Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) sparked a seven-hour debate that saw 20 MPs speak.
The motion called on the Government to review its policies to lower cost-of-living pressures on Singaporeans and their families.
All eight WP MPs spoke during the debate, calling for structural changes instead of one-off fiscal payouts for needs such as health, transport and utility costs.
Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs) Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa, from the Progress Singapore Party, were also in favour of WP’s motion, and spoke about certificate of entitlement and food prices, among other issues.
While the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) MPs agreed that cost of living was a concern, those who spoke highlighted the existing policies that help families in need, especially lower-income groups.
The Government also said that it was open to doing more, if needed.
Why it matters
Mr Singh said the inflationary environment and rising prices have contributed to “a cost-of-living crisis” for some Singaporeans.
In bringing the motion, he said that in 2022, the WP had identified the cost of living as a “major pressure point” for low- to middle-income families, which would be most acutely felt by families with both young children and aged parents to care for.
The party also warned earlier in 2023 that Singaporeans were living through one of the most rapid rises in cost of living in history.
While the party acknowledged the one-time reliefs extended to eligible households, Mr Singh said that the national policies “need to be re-examined to make them relevant to today’s Singapore”.
PAP’s Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) proposed amendments to the motion to drop the call for the Government to review its policies.
Instead, his amended motion called for the acknowledgement that the cost of living is a global concern, and for the Government to continue pursuing policies that together lower cost-of-living pressures on Singaporeans and their families. However, it should do so without undermining fiscal sustainability and burdening future generations of Singaporeans.
The WP MPs and PSP NCMPs did not vote in favour of the amended motion at the end of the debate.
2. Aspiring lawyers to get longer training period
Instead of just six months, aspiring lawyers will now get a year-long practice training period, following legislative changes that were passed in Parliament.
Once they have finished at least six months of their training period, trainees can choose to apply for a provisional practising certificate, which allows them to appear in court and give advice to clients under supervision. This new regime will start in January 2025.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law Rahayu Mahzam said these lawyers will be “better equipped to hit the ground running” once they complete their practice training period.
Why it matters
The changes are a result of recommendations made in 2018 by a committee tasked by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon to review the professional training and admission regime for lawyers in Singapore.
Ms Rahayu said that other countries and territories like France, Germany and Hong Kong placed an emphasis on the practice training to complement formal education.
When speaking about the Bill, some MPs raised concerns about trainees having fair remuneration and benefits such as paid sick leave, now that their training period will be extended.
Ms Rahayu said practice training is essentially an apprenticeship and provides opportunities for practical exposure.
She encouraged law firms to provide fair and reasonable compensation to trainees for their contributions.
3. Stillborn children’s names to be officially registered under new Bill
Parents will be allowed to register the names of their stillborn children under a new Bill introduced on Tuesday.
In another change to the Stillbirths and Births (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, the definition of stillbirths will refer to the death of a baby after the 24th week of pregnancy, instead of the 22nd week.
At present, parents cannot register the name of their stillborn child in the stillbirth certificate under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 2021.
Why it matters
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that being able to register the name of a stillborn child may help some bereaved parents deal with the painful experience.
In 2022, there were 110 stillbirths registered, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
The ministry also said that the amendment to the definition of a stillborn child is intended to align with the cut-off period allowed for abortions. A woman can get an abortion here up to her 24th week of pregnancy.
In its statement, MHA said the 24th week cut-off threshold for abortion is based on medical and scientific evidence of foetal viability outside the womb.
READ MORE HERE: Parents will be allowed to register name of their stillborn child under new Bill
If you have a few more minutes:
Animal-centric phrases pep up cost-of-living debate
Some MPs livened up the cost-of-living debate by dropping animal-centric phrases in their speeches to illustrate their point.
PSP’s Mr Leong said more discerning Singaporeans have pointed out that the PAP Government “likes to give Singaporeans a chicken wing and then take back a whole chicken”.
He explained that the Government is like a “shrewd financial manager” who gives out occasional short-term handouts, but commits Singaporeans to long-term payment schemes that require them to pay out consistently over the long term, totalling an amount that is much larger than the handouts.
Meanwhile, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir) said the opposition had “been milking the GST cow for a very long time”, and asked that they “go and milk another cow” instead as the Government has repeatedly explained over the years why the tax increase is necessary.
Protocol for transgender inmates
Prison inmates are housed in a male or female institution based on their registered sex, and not their self-identified gender, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam.
However, he noted that there may be situations where it may be better not to house an inmate with others of their registered sex for safety considerations.
He was responding to Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok), who asked what the Ministry of Home Affairs’ approach was towards the housing of transgender persons in prisons here.
His question was based on a recent case in Scotland where a transgender woman was convicted of raping two women before transitioning, and was initially housed in segregation in an all-female jail.
Should there be safety considerations or discomfort among inmates, transgender persons may be housed alone within the institution of their registered sex, or in a shared cell with “other inmates who are in the same situation”, said Mr Shanmugam.
If inmates are found to have different external genitalia from their registered sex, prisons may initially house them alone in individual cells according to their registered sex.
A medical specialist will then assess if there has been a complete physical change in genitalia, and if so, help the inmate update the registered sex with ICA, said Mr Shanmugam.
