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Leong Mun Wai clarifies podcast remark, denies criticizing Speaker’s impartiality

Non-constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai clarifies that his remark in a podcast was a light-hearted comment, not a reflection on the Speaker’s impartiality, after Speaker Seah Kian Peng’s warning.

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SINGAPORE: Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai clarified that his recent remark on a podcast was not intended to imply bias on the part of the Speaker of Parliament towards impartiality.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (25 June), Mr Leong explained that his comment during the “Yah Lah But” podcast appearance was meant to be light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek.

Former Secretary-General of the Progress Singapore Party, Leong Mun Wai, had guested on the podcast, which was shared on 14 May.

During the podcast, host Haresh commented, “I mean, at least for (the debates) that we were there, whenever the Speaker says, okay, any questions, you’re one of the first to put your hands up.”

Leong responded with a chuckle, “And one of the last to be called.”

The exchange can be viewed here:

In his Facebook post, Leong mentioned that Speaker Seah Kian Peng had alerted him that his remark “may be construed as casting aspersions on his impartiality in calling MPs. “.

In response, Mr Leong clarified that his response to Haresh’s earlier comment was intended as a light-hearted remark at the beginning of the podcast to set a relaxed tone.

He emphasized that his comment was not a reflection of the Speaker’s impartiality and acknowledged instances where the Speaker had called on him ahead of other members.

Mr Leong’s challenging work to fulfil his duty in Parliament

While Mr Leong clarified that his recent remark was not a reflection on the Speaker’s impartiality, his role as an NCMP from an alternative party made his duty in the Chamber—scrutinizing the government and voicing concerns of ordinary Singaporeans—more challenging compared to MPs from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

For instance, in March, Mr Leong expressed disappointment with Education Minister Chan Chun Sing for not addressing MPs’ Parliamentary Questions (PQs) on Israel-Palestinian content within character and citizenship education (CCE) lessons through a Ministerial Statement.

At the time, Mr Leong demanded that the PQ times be reinstated to 1.5 hours instead of half an hour.

However, Speaker Seah Kian Peng rejected Mr Leong’s request and preferred to maintain the originally allocated time.

Speaker Seah reiterated that the issues regarding the CCE lesson had been extensively discussed during the Ministry of Education’s COS debate on 4 March, despite Mr Leong expressing the importance of the issue which had garnered significant concern from Singaporeans.

Following this, the issue was deferred to the 2 April parliamentary sitting.

In 2023, PSP filed a motion advocating for an “independent and impartial Speaker” following a hot mic incident involving former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

In his speech, Leong Mun Wai proposed that the Speaker should be “non-partisan” or at least not from the core leadership of the PAP Central Executive Committee (CEC).

However, PAP MP Vikram Nair disagreed, suggesting amendments to the PSP’s motion. He argued that Speakers do not automatically lack independence in their duties simply because they are members of a party or its leadership.

The Leader of the House, Indranee Rajah, concurred that the Speaker must be independent and impartial but disagreed with Leong’s interpretation of “independent” as meaning “non-partisan”.

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We all have the right to criticise the speaker – he is no god. I have a speaker at home and I swear at it and hammer him when he is not working. Now my speaker works harder and better for me. The speaker is paid by taxpayers – always remember that pinky had said pubic servants are the servants of the people. Can we not criticise our servant speaker???

Now this guy is insinuating publicly the speaker is bias damaging his reputation. You guys are nuts or what? How can a wrong becomes right and the right becomes wrong? Light hearted and fun, go tell dirty jokes lah. Gotten pofma and lost his secretary position, and got warn umpteen times in parliament still don’t know how to behave and learn. You guys want this fellow to hold the opposition flag, seriously?

SPEAKER YOU will only be considered impartial if you refuse to let LMW speak, which order you call him no one cares, learn to accept a joke.

Sgeans rarely care what goes in parliament let alone access impartiality. Any 3rd person looking at Sg parliament with one party majority knows what chances the Opposition have.

So please don’t make a mountain out of molehill.

While not wanting to whole heartedly address and allivate the current hardships and really uncomfortable lives of most SG voters, Pappy’s runners seem to enjoy narrowly single out and interpreting discourse of their honourable opposition to bring forth target measures just to discredit them.Voters should by now ignore such under the belt manoeuvres.Let’s see how many more GRCs Pappies will loose in the coming GE.

This PAP is CONSTANTLY HARASSING Leong.

WORST – citizens HAS to INterpret, by whatever means, the PAP Administration is Putting Leong Mun Wai on criminal trial based on their brand of politics, their application of manipulative politics.

The CONSTANT and REGULAR telling lies of this Current 3 or 4G PAP will One Day Bring DOWN the progress of SG which Kuan Yew, Raja, Kim San, Keng Swee has had SO PAINSTAKINGLY built with their Scarificed time and Efforts

And who knows SG DOWN can Happen VERY Very soon this PAP Administration will and Shall be soundly DEFEATED this GE when Costs of Living, Losses of jobs to so so so many foreigners BECOME UNBEARABLE to suffering citizens.

This SUFFERING load becomes HEAVIER and HEAVIER that this PAP Administration AVOIDS effective solutions EXCEPT Ownself CONSTANTLY Praise Ownself.

Can ANY VOTER deep in his heart’s Honesty, Moral Uprightness, BE Fair to His Fellow Neighbours, to BE A PART of a System showing DENIALS at every opportunity, esp LYING BIG TIME in Parliament where they SWORE, a System Refused Ownership of Mistakes, Paying Themselves Millions to REWARD incompetence, Lies, a System of FAIL TFRs, a System of Mass F Trash To REPLACE Blue SGpns, FAILURES to Enact Liveable Wages for SGpns AND a Corrupt system that cannot nail down briberies and a system scandalised the living off of Huge Lands, MUCH like at the EXPENSE of DENIAL DENIAL of… Read more »

Revenge on the PAP will come. It will come very swiftly. The world is moving towards against immigration, bringing back historical values of moral equity of everyone whether Millionaire PAP politicians or what. In fact these SNOBBISH PAP will CRAWL on bended knees as per KY statement on JBJ. Let’s keep watchful – ALL HAVE TO VOTE VOTE AGAINST Against Against this PAP who HAS NO PLANS NO INTENTIONS NO IDEAS to improve TFRs, REDUCE MASSIVE inflation BeDeviling on Millions of Suffering Singaporeans EXCEPT Fattening their OWN pockets and Bank Accounts, the CLASSIC example to Rob State Resources to Live… Read more »

LMW build your team continuously……we need more young blood.

Spam x2

Last edited 3 months ago by Blankslate

good article

Spam

Last edited 3 months ago by Blankslate

Spam

Last edited 3 months ago by Blankslate

What Pappy meant was the Speaker must be in dependent and also in partial in whatever he do simply because he is a member of a party or its leadership.

VTO. VTO.

SG parliament starts to behave like CCP court?

Good article

Spam

Last edited 3 months ago by Blankslate

So … “Independent” is NOT “non-partisan” according to Indranee Rajah. So what is her interpretation of “independent”?

Hey can you all Not Talk in Parliament.
Use Hand Signals.
Teo Chee Hean needs to sleep Ok

Of course the “speaker” is bound to be impartial. The last one made some awful remarks and then it was exposed that he was committing adultery. Another was able to change their “race”, a privilege not afforded to an ordinary citizen to become a (s)elected president.

Any random person off the street is bound to be more impartial than any ruling government selected speaker.

SG parliament starts to behave like CCP court?

This reflects poorly on the Speaker. People who are too sensitive shouldn’t be in politics. Is the PAP going to make a mountain out of this? Please just let it pass.

PAPs are just too sensitive…
Theyre suspicious of everyone & everything that ruffles their feathers..like as tho theyre so high and mighty….or …
….perhaps hiding too many secrets from sgs.

It seems that just about everybody in SillyPore has to explain themselves, … except for the biggest herd of white suited elephants in the flippin room !!! From the “ciggie” artist to just about most aspersion casting and balloon testing member of the opposition !!! All this whilst the herd of “white suited elephants” only ever make statements and usual demands for an apology !!! It’s not rocket science or well mitigated oil spillages, … that it’s an unspoken truth and pofma protected fact, that equitability does not exists in SillyPore, … unless you are a part of, heavily affiliated… Read more »

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