SELECT COMMITTEE ON LANGUAGES OF THE ASSEMBLY (Appointment of Mr. Speaker as Chairman)

The Assistant Minister for Labour and Welfare (Mr Mak Pak Shee): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

(a) That Standing Order 62 be suspended to enable the following motion to be made: -

(b) That Mr Speaker be the Chairman of the Select Committee appointed by this Assembly on the 9th day of February, 1956, to examine, report upon and make recommendations in respect of matters necessary to enable effect to be given to the proposal that for the purposes of oral debate the languages of the Assembly should be English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.

As you have ruled, Sir, the terms of the Standing Order preclude the appointment of Mr Speaker to be Chairman of any Select Committee unless the Assembly by motion so appoints him. The second part of my motion, Sir, gives effect to the recommendation made in the Special Report presented by the Select Committee in Sessional Paper No. L.A. 2 of 1956. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

Mr Lim Yew Hock: Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to second the motion.

Mr Speaker: I will put the first Question, "That Standing Order 62 be suspended to enable the motion appearing as 14 (b) on the Order Paper to be made."

Question put, and agreed to.

Mr Speaker: I take it, Mr Mak Pak Shee, you have already moved (b)?

Mr Mak Pak Shee: Yes, Sir.

Mr Speaker: The Question now is,

"That Mr Speaker be the Chairman of the Select Committee appointed by this Assembly on the 9th day of February, 1956, to examine, report upon and make recommendations in respect of matters necessary to enable effect to be given to the proposal that for the purposes of oral debate the languages of the Assembly should be English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil."

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That Mr Speaker be the Chairman of the Select Committee appointed by this Assembly on the 9th day of February, 1956, to examine, report upon and make recommendations in respect of matters necessary to enable effect to be given to the proposal that for the purposes of oral debate the languages of the Assembly should be English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.