Parliamentary speeches and more

In his speech on the Corporate Service Providers Bill, MP Louis Chua urged the Government to reconsider imposing training requirements for those who hold a significant number of nominee directorships, to raise corporate governance standards and better combat money laundering risks in Singapore. Given concerns around "Singapore-Washing," a term raised in media articles lately, we need to err on the side of caution when it comes to tightening our regulations, and send a clear message to the world that we are not a haven where our financial system can be easily exploited.

"60 is the New 40": Sylvia Lim Urges Stronger Protections for Older Workers. MP Sylvia Lim highlights persistent age discrimination and calls for robust anti-discrimination laws to ensure older workers can thrive in an AI-driven economy.

In her speech for Budget 2024, MP He Ting Ru 何廷儒 talked about the need for trust between public institutions and the citizenry to be both ways, and how we should trust that those with differing views from us can hold those views in good faith. She emphasised that transparency and information should form the basis on which informed public debate and co-creation of public policy can take place, should inform how we measure our progress beyond GDP. By regularly measuring progress in areas such as tracking the contribution of unpaid workers, and how we invest in our people.

In his budget debate speech on February 27, 2024, MP Faisal Manap addressed the struggles of low-income families in Singapore, highlighting that he welcomes government's initiatives to mitigate these challenges. He also discussed the need for better support for low-wage earners in terms of job security and reskilling opportunities, and highlighted the inadequacies in current housing support for low-income households, stressing the importance of making home ownership more attainable. Additionally, Faisal emphasized the need for inclusive policies for Singaporeans with foreign spouses and advocated for the adoption of international frameworks to enhance social protection.

In his speech in response to this year’s Budget, MP Jamus Lim spoke about the importance of preparing our businesses, workers, and students for an AI era. He reviewed initiatives proposed in Budget 2024 in light of how AI will upend some of our traditional assumptions and hitherto successful policies.

During the Budget Debate 2024, MP Gerald Giam emphasised fostering a meritocratic and competitive culture, leveraging AI and robotics to boost productivity, and addressing job displacement through retraining and subsidies. He also advocated for inclusive economic policies, particularly for the disability community, to ensure social equity amid global challenges.

In his response to Budget 2024, LO Pritam Singh calls for a more participative and united Singapore, with stronger social safety nets to support Singaporeans and their aspirations.

In Parliament, MP Dennis Tan emphasised the significance of preventive care for seniors, advocating for them to remain active and socially engaged. He noted the government's efforts to expand the network of active ageing centres (AACs) to offer more diverse programs, expressing eagerness to hear more details about these initiatives.

In the 2024 Budget Debate, MP Louis Chua highlighted record tax revenues and a stronger fiscal position, advocating for wealth taxes, structural tax reforms, enhanced retirement adequacy, and increased support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

During Parliament proceedings on Wednesday (Feb 7), MP Gerald Giam called for a reassessment of the Government's stance on keeping Singapore's reserves shrouded in secrecy. He argued that the potential of extreme scenarios shouldn't serve as an excuse for such opacity and questioned whether it was also to evade inquiries about why the reserves aren't being utilized more for the benefit of Singaporeans.