NOTICES OF MOTIONS (Moment of interruption)

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr D. S. Marshall (Cairnhill): If it please you, Mr Speaker, Sir, I find that from the Order Paper two motions of mine which were on the Order Paper yesterday are not carried over. I would draw attention, Sir, to the procedure of this House on Wednesday when Members in charge of items on the Order Paper were not called upon to name a date at the end of the day, and I was under the impression, Sir, that yesterday, as the day before, the items would be carried over automatically. I do not mind the one on the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry on Corruption, Sir, because the Chief Minister has accepted it in full, but I am most unhappy that a long overdue motion on banishment should have been dropped.

[That this Assembly notes: -

(i) that the Banishment Ordinance (Cap. 127) now in force in this territory provides opportunities for completely unfettered and absolutely unchallengeable arbitrary exercise by the executive of the power to banish permanently domiciled aliens from their homes and their work and their normal surroundings;

(ii) that the population of Singapore is unique in the very large proportion of domiciled persons who are technically aliens and potential victims of the Banishment Ordinance;

(iii) that the Principles and Aims presented by the Labour Front to the electorate require inter alia "the investigation of the working of the Banishment law with a view to repeal and revision in conformity with basic concepts of democratic justice and the actual needs of the country and the removal of opportunities for injustice.";

and calls upon the Government to present to this Assembly within 30 days a Bill amending or replacing the Banishment Ordinance (Cap. 127) and giving the domiciled aliens of Singapore adequate protection against arbitrary deprivation of their right to live and work in this territory.]

[That this Assembly recognising that it is of paramount importance to the development of the democratic process in Singapore that not only should the elected representatives of the people and public servants be incorrupt, but that they should be manifestly incorrupt, and their conduct should at all times be beyond suspicion, recommends to His Excellency the Governor that an inquiry Commission be appointed with all the powers provided by the inquiry Commissions Ordinance, of which the Chairman should be a High Court Judge, with legal assistance from either the Attorney-General's Department or the Singapore Bar, to enquire into public anxiety on the subject of the integrity of members of the Assembly and the City Council whether holding office or not and all public servants whether in Government service or in the service of Statutory bodies or of the City Council and report thereon, and to make recommendations as to what steps (including the formation of a permanent Court with special powers, and strengthening of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) should be taken to enforce the highest standards of integrity and to develop the confidence of the public in their elected representatives and their public service.]

Mr Speaker: The honourable Member has been good enough to give me notice that he was going to raise this point. On the first point, of course, on Wednesday there was no moment of interruption. There was just a motion for adjournment and, following past practice, all items undisposed of were automatically carried over to the next sitting day. But when there is the moment of interruption, different considerations arise.

Under paragraph (6) of Standing Order No. 7, inter alia, at the moment of interruption the Clerk shall "read through the remaining items of business standing on the Order Paper and, as each item is read, the Member in charge of that business may name a day on which that business shall again be placed upon the Order Paper."

I have in the past, at the moment of interruption, suggested to honourable Members that, unless there was a dissentient voice, I should take the remaining items of business as having been read and place them on the Order Paper for the next sitting day. That of course postulates that Members in charge of those items of business are present. I am not entitled to assume that Members in charge will not dissent.

At the moment of interruption yesterday, I noticed that both the Honourable Member for Changi and the Honourable Member for Cairnhill, who were Members in charge of three of the remaining items of business, were not present. I therefore was unable to follow the procedure adopted in the past and the Clerk proceeded to carry out the strict terms of the Standing Order.

The position now is that the Honourable Members concerned will have to give new notices of their motions in order to bring them before the Assembly again.

Mr Lim Cher Kheng (Changi) rose -

Mr Speaker: Is it on this point of order?

Mr Lim Cher Kheng: Yes, Sir. In view of the statement made by the Chief Minister that the Government was going to appoint a Commission of Inquiry into corruption, which meets the aims and purposes of the motion standing in my name on the Order Paper yesterday but not appearing on today's Order Paper, I here and now declare that I am prepared not to proceed with it any further.

[That this Assembly recognizes the paramount importance to Singapore of an incorruptible Public Service, and is of the opinion that a Commission of inquiry under the provisions of the Inquiry Commissions Ordinance (Chapter 52) should be appointed (a) to inquire into the report of allegations of corrupt practices, if any, in the Public Service, the City Council, the Singapore Improvement Trust and the Singapore Harbour Board; and (b) to recommend measures for preventing, combating, and eradicating corrupt practices in the aforesaid Public Service and organizations.]