Speaker Seah Kian Peng criticizes NCMP Leong Mun Wai’s podcast comments

SINGAPORE: In the opening of the Parliament sitting on Tuesday (12 July), Speaker of Parliament Mr Seah Kian Peng addressed remarks made by Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai during a podcast in May.

Speaker Seah reiterated his commitment to upholding the rules of Parliament and maintaining fairness and impartiality in his duties to preserve public trust and decorum.

Following three email exchanges and a meeting on 26 June, Speaker Seah expressed satisfaction with Mr Leong’s clarifications.

Mr Leong agreed to retract his podcast statement, affirmed his satisfaction with the opportunities provided by the Speaker to ask questions, clarified that the Speaker had called on him ahead of other members on multiple occasions, and confirmed that he had not been treated differently from other MPs in this regard.

Mr Leong, former Secretary-General of the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), had guested on the “Yah Lah But” 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:

Speaker Seah characterized the statement as a “gross misrepresentation of the proceedings of Parliament,” pointing out that Leong was frequently called upon for supplementary questions and clarifications before other members.

On 22 June, Speaker Seah wrote to Mr Leong seeking clarification on the basis of his statement.

In a Facebook post on 25 June, Mr Leong explained that his comment during the podcast,  appearance was meant to be light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek.

Mr 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.

Speaker Seah also personally met with Mr Leong on 26 June and reiterated that, after reviewing parliamentary records since assuming the role of Speaker, it is not accurate to claim that Mr Leong was consistently among the last to be called upon to ask questions.

The Speaker emphasized that while Mr Leong may not have intended to cast doubt on his fairness and impartiality in Parliament, such remarks could potentially imply otherwise and affect perceptions of his conduct during parliamentary proceedings.

Mr Leong reiterated that his comments were intended to be lighthearted and did not intend to question the Speaker’s fairness or character in Parliament.

“I explained to Mr Leong that even if the statement was made tongue-in-cheek and was a lighthearted comment, it does not change the fact that attributing such statements to me without basis should not have occurred,” said Mr Seah.

Mr Seah then requested a written clarification from Mr. Leong, including an apology for creating a misleading impression and misrepresenting the proceedings of Parliament.

In his reply dated 28 June, Mr Leong clarified that his earlier statement during the podcast was spontaneous and intended as a tongue-in-cheek response to a comment made at the time.

He emphasized that neither his own statement nor the host’s comment had been planned in advance.

Mr Leong reiterated that he had no intention of questioning the Speaker’s impartiality and expressed satisfaction with the opportunities given to him by Speaker Seah Kian Peng to ask questions since August 2023.

Mr Leong also affirmed that the Speaker had called on him ahead of other members on various occasions.

On 30 June, Speaker Seah expressed gratitude to Mr. Leong for clarifying that he had no intention of questioning the Speaker’s impartiality and expressed satisfaction with the opportunities Mr. Leong had to ask questions in Parliament.

However, the Speaker noted that Mr. Leong’s clarification did not include the requested apology. He gave Mr. Leong a final opportunity to provide a written apology and additional clarifications to resolve the matter.

On 1 July, Mr Leong responded with a third email, acknowledging the Speaker’s acceptance of his clarification regarding impartiality.

He stated that it would not be accurate for him to apologize for any intention to mislead listeners and retracted his statement made during the “Yah Lah But” podcast about being among the last to be called.

Speaker Seah urges MPs to uphold deriousness in Parliamentary Proceedings

During the Tuesday sitting, Speaker Seah reminded Members of Parliament not to take parliamentary proceedings lightly.

Seah warned all members of parliament that such “acts of contempt” should not be repeated again, regardless of a member’s intentions.

Seah explained that the proceedings of Parliament and the conduct of members are not matters that should be taken lightly and cannot be made in jest.

“At the heart of it all, the issue is more than a collection of rules. It really is about the proper functioning of our democratic system of government,” Seah said.

He highlighted the provisions of the Parliament Privileges Immunities and Powers Act 1962, particularly sections 31G, 31H, and 31K, which prohibit statements that reflect negatively on the Speaker or any member, and emphasized that such rules are crucial for maintaining the integrity of parliamentary proceedings.

Speaker Seah underscored the importance of Parliament in the democratic system, explaining its role in governance, policy-making, and accountability to the people.

He reiterated his duty as Speaker to uphold parliamentary rules, ensure fairness and impartiality in conducting parliamentary business, and maintain decorum.