No action will be taken against Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai following his apology and the withdrawal of his statements.
He had previously came under fire for his perceived rude remarks to Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan Jin during a heated exchange with Minister of Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam, where he infamously told Tan:
If miniSTER DIDN’T ASK ME, i SUGGEST YOU DON’T ASK ME
When then prompted a response of shock from Tan who said “wow”, and Leader of the House Indranee Rajah was also seen reacting angrily at Leong’s behaviour, which Rajah described as having “disregarded the authority of the chair”.
@sgprimememesters Other ministers also chuah tio @ Leong Mun Wai v Shanmugam debate
♬ original sound – sgpmo
Leong also posted statements that casted aspersions on the minister, which he later took down and issued an apology.
Rajah said yesterday (18 April) that following his apology and the withdrawal of his statement, no further action will be taken against him.
She also reminded MPs of the proper conduct required of them inside and outside of Parliament, ahead of the second sitting of Parliament.
Rajah also distributed copies of highlighted parliament rules which included respecting the authority of the chair and not making allegations that ware unsubstantiated, not making false statements outside parliaments that defame the character of parliament, and making statements outside of parliament that reflect on the character of the speaker or the MP fulfilling their parliamentary duties.
She said that “I hope that by reading, understanding, and observing these rules, we can avoid a repeat of the incidents which occurred in the last session.”
“Making false or unsubstantiated statements or casting baseless aspersions only serves to erode trust and undermine our democracy.”
Tan also addressed the issue and said that he is appreciative when members of the house express their views passionately, but they have to respect the chair and fellow members as well.
He said that “if everyone decides to insist on their own way, this will become a chaotic space, like we see elsewhere.”