Parliament rejects PSP proposal to suspend Iswaran as MP; will 'consider the matter' after outcome of graft probe

• Hazel Poa from the opposition PSP filed a motion to suspend Mr Iswaran from service of parliament, so that he would no longer receive an MP's allowance while not performing duties

• Parliament instead passed a counter-motion by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah, to “consider the matter” when the outcome of investigations is known

• The ruling People's Action Party will consider a clawback of Mr Iswaran’s MP allowance and salary if charges are brought against him and as a matter of party discipline

SINGAPORE: Singapore's lawmakers on Tuesday (Sep 19) rejected a motion by the opposition Progress Singapore Party (PSP) to suspend Transport Minister S Iswaran from parliament, voting instead to consider the matter when corruption investigations against him conclude.

During a two-hour debate, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) would consider a clawback of Mr Iswaran’s MP allowance if justified, such as if he is given criminal charges.

The PSP motion had called for Mr Iswaran to be suspended as an MP for the remainder of the current session of parliament. He was arrested in July and is under investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

But Ms Indranee filed a counter-motion for parliament to consider the matter when the outcome of ongoing investigations against Mr Iswaran is known.

PAP MPs voted for Ms Indranee’s motion, while the Progress Singapore Party's (PSP) two Non-Constituency MPs – Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leong Mun Wai – voted for their own motion. 

All eight opposition MPs from the Workers’ Party (WP) voted for the PAP’s motion, and against the PSP.

Ms Poa said she was filing the PSP motion so that Mr Iswaran would no longer receive the MP allowance while he was not performing his duties whether in parliament or in his West Coast constituency.

“This motion is therefore about the prudent use of taxpayers’ money, not a presumption of guilt,” she said.

She also filed a second motion for permission to introduce a Private Member’s Bill proposing amendments to the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act, so that Mr Iswaran could be reimbursed for his MP's allowance if cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ms Indranee's counter-motion, meanwhile, also affirmed the need for MPs to uphold integrity and conduct themselves lawfully, and the need to deal firmly and fairly with any MP being investigated for possible wrongdoing.

On Tuesday, parliament debated Ms Poa’s and Ms Indranee’s motions simultaneously, but MPs voted on each motion separately.

"DO THE RIGHT THING AT THE RIGHT TIME" 

After his arrest, Mr Iswaran was instructed to take a leave of absence. He has been interdicted from duty with a reduced pay of S$8,500 (US$6,200) a month. He continues to draw the full annual MP allowance of S$192,500.

Mr Iswaran’s ministerial duties are being covered by Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat. His responsibilities as an MP are being covered by the other MPs in West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC). Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said it would be “difficult” for Mr Iswaran to carry out his MP duties during the corruption probe.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong previously said that an MP’s allowance was not at the Prime Minister’s discretion, and that to remove it, parliament must move a motion to interdict the individual as an MP.

Parliament has not done this in previous cases, according to Mr Lee.

While tabling her counter-motion, Ms Indranee questioned the underlying principle of PSP’s motion, asking if it would be applicable in other situations.

“What is the principle that Ms Poa is advocating in calling for his suspension? Is it that he is under investigation? If so, then her proposal should cover all MPs being investigated,” she said.

Leader of the Opposition and WP chief Pritam Singh, along with fellow WP MP Faisal Manap, are also under police investigation for their conduct during hearings by the Committee of Privileges into former MP Raeesah Khan's lies in parliament.

Ms Indranee pointed out that Mr Singh and Mr Faisal have not been suspended as MPs, and questioned whether Ms Poa was calling for their suspension as well.

She added that it would be “premature” to take any action on Mr Iswaran as an MP at this stage, saying: “We simply do not have sufficient material to make an informed decision at the present time.”

“At the end of the day, it is important that we deal with situations like these objectively and dispassionately. We should not attempt to exploit such situations for political ends, but rather to do the right thing at the right time.”

PSP ON TAXPAYERS' MONEY

While introducing her motion, Ms Poa explained why Mr Iswaran’s case warranted a suspension in the PSP’s view.

First, she said that Mr Iswaran was no longer performing his duties as an MP, whether in parliament or West Coast GRC. “So, in effect, Minister Iswaran has been fully suspended from his MP duties, but not from his MP allowance.”

Second, she said that Mr Iswaran’s potential offences involved corruption, for which Singapore has “zero tolerance”, and which thus merited a strong response.

“In addition, for many years, the government has justified the high salaries for political office-holders on the basis of ensuring that our government remains honest and free of corruption. This is why many Singaporeans, including myself, find it difficult to accept that taxpayers’ money is being used in this way.”

Ms Poa questioned whether it was a “good use” of taxpayers’ money to continue paying an MP their allowance through the entire duration of a criminal investigation and court proceedings, up until the pronouncement of guilt or innocence and the exhaustion of all avenues of appeal.

She also argued that suspending the allowance and reimbursing it if the MP is found innocent was preferable to continuing to pay the allowance and clawing it back if the MP is found guilty.

This is because there could be difficulties in recovering the money later.

After her speech, Ms Indranee asked Ms Poa to confirm that she was “not bringing this motion as a matter of broad principle or general application, but a very specific targeted motion directed at Mr Iswaran”.

“Yes, I believe that all disciplinary cases are of that nature,” replied Ms Poa.

More at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/parliament-votes-against-psp-motion-suspension-iswaran-corruption-3782671

Netizens: Singapore’s lowest paid Minister still earns more than most citizens, with additional $16K allowance per month despite CPIB probe

SINGAPORE: The revelations that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made in Parliament yesterday (2 Aug) about Transport Minister S Iswaran’s current pay package has led a number of Singaporeans to note that he is still earning more than most Singaporeans, despite the fact that he has been barred from his ministerial duties amid an ongoing corruption probe.

PM Lee said that Mr Iswaran’s pay had been reduced to $8,500, and his ministerial duties have been interdicted amid his arrest and subsequent release on bail. He later said that Mr Iswaran still draws an MP’s allowance because this differs from a minister’s pay and does not come under the Prime Minister’s discretion.

The annual MP allowance is S$192,500. This amounts to just over $16,000 per month.

Instead of satisfying Singaporeans, the details on Mr Iswaran’s pay package during the ongoing corruption probe have sparked a fresh wave of criticism from Singaporeans online.

A number of netizens expressed a wish to have such a high monthly “reduced pay”, drawing attention to the stark difference between the minister’s salary and that of ordinary citizens, while others pointed out that the longer the investigation drags on, the more Mr Iswaran appears to benefit from his reduced pay package.

Some noted that even the lowest-paid minister still earns more than most Singaporeans, while others asked whether the reduced $8,500 is the “new proverbial peanuts” for the minister.

Many were taken aback by the fact that $8,500 was considered a reduced salary, questioning whether common Singaporeans would ever have the chance to earn such an amount.

A common complaint was that the ruling party appeared out of touch with the struggles of the average citizen, given that the reduced salary is still substantial for most people.

More cynical voices mocked the notion that politicians understand the daily struggles of the common man, given the notion that the pay cut should be enough to satisfy voters when it is an enviable pay package for most folks and constitutes what someone would take months, perhaps even a whole year or more to earn.

Some voiced outrage at the lack of greater consequences for a minister under investigation for corruption, arguing that Iswaran should have been suspended without pay as a minimum measure.

In Parliament, PM Lee said he based the decision on Mr Iswaran’s ministerial pay on how the civil service handles investigations involving senior officers as there is a lack of established rules or precedents for interdicting a political office holder, due to the rarity of such incidents involving ministers.

In response to questions on why Mr Iswaran’s MP allowance was not impacted, Mr Lee said that for the MP allowance to be removed, a motion to interdict the MP as an MP must be moved in Parliament, which had not been done in this case. Instead, the minister had been placed on a leave of absence, and consequences would follow once the probe concluded.

He said, “If you want to (remove the allowance), parliament has to move a motion to interdict the MP as an MP, and parliament has not done that. Neither, in previous cases, has parliament done that. What has happened is that the MP has been on leave of absence, and eventually when the case is settled one way or another, then consequences follow.”

Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, Chan Chun Sing, clarified that an MP’s allowance is withheld only after the MP is suspended from parliamentary service, as per the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities, and Powers) Act. This would require a motion tabled in parliament to suspend the MP.

On why Mr Iswaran continued to draw a ministerial pay of $8,500 despite being interdicted from duty, PM Lee emphasized the principle of presumption of innocence in Mr Iswaran’s case.

He explained that in such situations within the civil service, individuals are interdicted and placed on half-pay, subject to a specific range. If proven innocent, their back pay is reinstated, but if found guilty, their pay is stopped entirely, and other consequences follow. PM Lee said:

‘But you are there until the matter is disposed of. If you are, at the end of it, innocent… your back pay is reinstated to you and made good,” he added.

“If later on, you are in fact found guilty … your pay will stop completely and other consequences will follow. I think that is a reasonable model to follow and that is the basis on which Mr Iswaran would be interdicted and he would be paid S$8,500 a month instead of his normal salary.

“He was told, he acknowledged, and that was done. I think that’s the proper way to do things.”

PM Lee asserted that this approach was reasonable, justifying the S$8,500 monthly pay Mr Iswaran received instead of his normal salary.

Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Hazel Poa questioned why Mr Iswaran was not on no-pay leave. In response, PM Lee stated that it was a judgment call and emphasized the need to be fair to the minister and consider the interests of the government and taxpayers.

He cited the civil service’s practice of putting convicted individuals on “zero pay” and noted that Mr Iswaran had not been charged yet. PM Lee questioned the fairness of reducing Mr Iswaran’s pay to zero while the case was still pending.

The PM defended his position: “It is not a minor matter. He has not been charged. Is it fair for me to say, ‘Your pay goes to zero’? I think it is not.”

Stressing that he referred to the way the civil service handles such matters by imposing half-pay “subject to minimum and ceiling,” the head of government added:

“The ceiling is about here too, so I decided on this number — 8,500 — because it’s much less than half pay. So I think we have to go on principles rather than ‘Whatever we do, anything you can do, I can do stronger’. I think that would not be a wise approach to take.”

https://theindependent.sg/netizens-singapores-lowest-paid-minister-still-earns-more-than-most-citizens-with-additional-16k-allowance-per-month-despite-cpib-probe/

Hazel 阿姨 jin fierce siol, she no give the dishonourable son face at all

Me thinks she should move a motion to suspend the MP allowance for Iswaran at the next sitting of parliament....

Old is indeed gold, unfortunately old is no more :(

Vote for change, vote Hazel Poa into parliament at the next GE!

The current PAP is utter fucking trash, there I said it.