ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE CHAIR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE CHAIR:

The Leader of the House (Mr Mah Bow Tan): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise on behalf of hon. Members to thank you and your deputies for so ably chairing the proceedings during the debates on the Budget and the Committee of Supply.

Over the last seven days, a total of 58 Members filed 411 cuts in the Committee of Supply. This was the highest number in the last few years which shows that Parliament is also not immune to inflationary pressures. The three most popular Ministries were the Ministry of National Development (MND), Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), and Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA). The debates on the estimates for MND and MCYS lasted almost six hours each.

Sir, Members used their allotted time well. Some made few but deep cuts, others preferred "death by a thousand cuts" [ Laughter ]. Most, if not all, made their points within the time allowed. So, Sir, your guillotine was exercised sparingly and on the odd occasion, not at all, with good cause.

Clarification time was well used by both front and backbenchers, thus, making the debate more lively and more enlightening. However, some Members' clarifications sounded more like speeches to me. They would do well to remember that sometimes "less is more".

Sir, two years ago, when this House debated the Budget, we were in deep recession. In my acknowledgement to the Chair then, I said that we were facing probably our severest test as a nation since Independence. The Government had announced a Budget which included a Resilience Package, which was unprecedented in size and scope. We tapped into our reserves for the first time in our history. Two years on, we have demonstrated that together – the Government and the people, we have passed the test with flying colours. Parliament has just approved a Grow and Share Budget. The Finance Minister has returned $4 billion to the reserves. There are measures to address both short-term concerns of inflation and cost of living, as well as long-term issues of competitiveness and inclusive growth.

Sir, most governments are focused on the short term, especially in an Election year. That this Government is not like most governments is one reason why we have been able to overcome so many challenges along the way to where we are today.

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Members of this House have not hesitated to speak up on behalf of their constituents on the issues faced on the ground. But they have also not shied away from bringing up the longer-term challenges that we face, difficult though they may be. This is a Parliament that our people should be proud of and one that they deserve.

On this note, Sir, I would like to thank you and your deputies, the Clerks and all Parliamentary Staff including the Reporters, the Interpreters and the Librarians for their support, assistance and cooperation. I would also like to thank members of the media for bringing the proceedings in this House to the general public. Thank you.

Mr Speaker: As usual, the Speaker has the last word. I would like to thank the Leader of the House for his kind words.

Hon. Members, we have finally come to the end of this year’s Budget debates. We have succeeded in ending the debates earlier than we had projected. Now, a great deal of this is due to many Members’ genuine attempts at keeping to their guillotine times. I do appreciate these efforts, although I must say that the simultaneous translators had some difficulty in keeping up with the breakneck speed at which some Members have read their scripts in their attempts to keep within time! It would do well for Members to keep their speeches crisp, uncomplicated and more focused and delivered at a more comfortable pace like I am doing now. It would do well, too, for Members to heed Mr Mah’s counsel by making few but deep cuts instead dying a thousand times through a thousand cuts!

It has been a very good, lively and smooth Budget session. But from where I sit, I have to refrain from participating in the debate. If I may express a view, I think this year’s Budget is a landmark of sorts. It lays the groundwork for us to prepare for the next level of our development through the raising of our productivity, through raising incomes by 30% in real terms within this decade, through ensuring more assistance to our lower-income and less privileged families and citizens to enable them to benefit from the opportunities created, to grow and better their lives. The putting back of the $4 billion into the past reserves, in my view, is also a good principle which we would do well to adopt for ourselves. This Budget is therefore a fitting end to the current session of Parliament. The next Budget, I am told, will only be discussed in the 12th session of our Parliament!

I have enjoyed listening to many hon. Members’ speeches and the sharp exchanges that arose now and then. If I am allowed a personal wish, it is to hear Er Lee Bee Wah speak in Tamil in this Chamber the next time around! If anything, this is one testimony of our journey towards closer integration and our commitment to enhancing our inter-racial and inter-religious harmony in this country.

So, it leaves me now to thank hon. Members for your active participation in this debate and for your cooperation and your forbearance. I thank the Leader of the House and the Whip, and their deputies for their guidance and assistance in ensuring a smooth Budget session – my Deputy Speakers Mr Matthias Yao and Ms Indranee Rajah for their assistance in chairing the discussions and for their patience, and to the Parliament staff for their efforts and their commitment to their duties. I wish all a very pleasant evening.

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