AMENDMENT OF STANDING ORDERS (Motion)

2.48 p.m.

The Deputy Prime Minister (Dr Toh Chin Chye): Mr Speaker, I beg to move,

That this Assembly resolves that the following amendments, as recommended in paragraph 8 of the First Report of the Standing Orders Committee and contained in Paper L.A. 8 of 1962, be and are hereby made to the Standing Orders of this Assembly:-

'(a) Standing Order No. 31:

Paragraph (2): In line 3, leave out "shall" and insert "may".

'(b) Standing Order No. 35:

(i) After "35", insert---

"(1) No private Member's motion shall be proceeded with unless, upon the notice of such motion being read, support thereof or in principle shall be signified to the Assembly by at least one Member then present in the Chamber or unless the notice of such motion have been signed by a supporter or supporters under the provisions of paragraph (2) of Standing Order No. 31 (Manner of giving Notices)."

(ii) Re-number paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) as (2), (3) and (4), respectively.'.

Question proposed.

Mr David Marshall: Mr Speaker, Sir, the position today is that a Member who seeks to raise a matter of national importance on a motion requires to have the signature of at least one other Member of the Assembly supporting the motion before it can be entertained. That is to say, there must be at least two signatures to that motion before it can be tabled.

You have, Sir, in a very painstaking memorandum, if I may say so, pointed out that in Australia, the Federation of Malaya, Ceylon, Canada, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Nigeria, a motion does not require two signatures before it is entertained. But after it is moved in the House, it must be seconded in the House before it can be proceeded with after the opening speech of the mover. The procedure in India, however, and in the House of Commons, is that no seconder is required and any Member may table a motion in his own name, no supporter is required in the House itself, and once it is moved, it becomes a matter for debate.

Mr Speaker: The hon. Member, of course, is a Member of the Standing Orders Committee and was a Member when this Report was agreed to. I do not know what he is aiming at, whether he wishes to send this Report back or just draw attention to salient points, because if he tries to send this Report back, then I must inform him that that is not good parliamentary practice. If he wished that to be done, he should have asked another Member to interest himself in this.

Mr David Marshall: Mr Speaker, your anticipation in this case is unfounded because you must be aware that I did, in fact, support this Report in Committee. I am merely seeking to draw attention and to give thanks to those who saw the point and gave assistance in a matter of some importance to this House. If you will bear with me, I will not be long, Mr Speaker.

I was saying that in Singapore the requirement for a supporter to sign the motion paper means, in effect, that an independent Member or single representative of his Party in the Assembly is in the acutely difficult position of having to hawk his motion around to other Opposition Parties, pleading for a supporter, and very often, Sir - I mean, there is no secret about this - I found that though a motion has the goodwill, support, and sympathy of other Members of the Opposition side, nevertheless, for party reasons or for other reasons, support has not been forthcoming in actual fact in the concrete form of a signatures, I must nevertheless express my indebtedness to the Barisan Sosialis as well as to the independent Member for Joo Chiat for having come to my assistance very often in the past in order to bring matters of national moment before this Assembly.

Sir, I am indebted to the Member for Hong Lim who, becoming conscious of the unfairness of the existing provisions, was good enough to bring the matter to the attention of this House in his motion and thereby started the machinery in the Standing Orders Committee. Sir, the Report of the Committee is a compromise between the suggestion of the Member for Hong Lim and the existing position. If adopted, it means that in future an independent Member, or a single representative of his Party, may have a motion tabled, and may in this Assembly rise to move it, and it is only at that stage that the Speaker will require that the Member signified support in principle. This is a considerable improvement to the existing position, and I would like to take this opportunity. Mr Speaker, of expressing appreciation for a very helpful provision, not only to the Member for Hong Lim who initiated it, but also to the constructive efforts of the Member for Cairnhill who showed considerable conciliatory abilities and contributed to a solution at a stage when it seemed that the adamant P.A.P. intransigence would prove overwhelming.

Sir, in conclusion, may I say, with respect, that I am indebted for the very considerable assistance and guidance given by you in this matter.

I am happy to support this motion.

Dr Toh Chin Chye: Mr Speaker, the Member for Anson is very profuse with his thanks this afternoon. But he reserves his position vis-a-vis the other Members of the Committee who probably do not see eye to eye with him.

May I just remind the House that in, the Report, page A3, it has been stated very clearly the practice that is followed in other legislatures. In Australia, the Federation of Malaya, Ceylon, Canada, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Nigeria, no motion can be proceeded with unless it be seconded by somebody else in the House. We should as far as possible try to keep our Standing Orders as close as possible to those of the Federation of Malaya, particularly in view of the fact that everyone in this House has agreed upon the principle of merger between Singapore and the Federation. It would indeed be invidious if we follow one set of rules and the Federation of Malaya follows another set of rules. But perhaps the Member for Anson would make a particular note that even in Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, no motion can be proceeded with unless it is seconded on the floor of the House.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Assembly resolves that the following amendments, as recommended in paragraph 8 of the First Report of the Standing Orders Committee and contained in Paper L.A. 8 of 1962, be and are hereby made to the Standing Orders of this Assembly:-

'(a) Standing Order No. 31: Paragraph (2): In line 3, leave out "shall" and insert "may".

'(b) Standing Order No. 35:

(i) After "35", insert ---

"(1) No private Member's motion shall be proceeded with unless, upon the notice of such motion being read, support thereof or in principle shall be signified to the Assembly by at least one Member then present in the Chamber or unless the notice of such motion has been signed by a supporter or supporters under the provisions of paragraph (2) of Standing Order No. 31 (Manner of giving Notices)."

(ii) Re-number paragraphs (1), (2) and (3) as (2), (3) and (4), respectively.'.