ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE CHAIR

The Leader of the House (Mr Wong Kan Seng): Sir, I think we have all had a fairly long day today, and I do not intend to make a long speech. I will leave the best speech to the last.

I just want to thank the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker for listening to the hundreds of speeches made by the MPs and the replies given by the Ministers. It has been a very long sitting. I am sure we have heard exhaustive replies concerning many issues but, despite this, MPs do not seem to get tired. Just by looking at the number of speeches made on the seven Bills, a total of 19 apart from the two Supply Bills, in addition to those by the Ministers in their Second Reading, I think we have covered quite a lot in the last four hours.

So, on this note, I beg to move,

That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, during the tea break, the Leader of the House asked me if I would be having the last word. He did not exactly say that I should make a short speech, but he did mention to me that it has been two weeks of many, many speeches, and he reminded me that today would be a long day. But have no fear, hon. Members. As you are all aware, I am not well-disposed towards lengthy speeches, from me or from others.

It is the tradition at the end of the Budget debate for the Speaker to say "Thank you" to all of you, and I always make it a point every year to tell you how interesting I find your speeches except that, every year, when I say this, as I look around at your faces, I cannot help but get the feeling that some of you are not quite convinced by what I said. In fact, somebody asked me a while ago why is it that your Deputy and you look so expressionless at times. I think he was trying to tell me in his own polite way, "Why do you look so bored?" But, hon. Members, far, far from it. It is just that both my Deputy and I are not, shall I say, well-inclined towards displaying visual expressions of exuberance, at least not in the Chamber.

Some of you have been unceremoniously "guillotined", and I do extend my apologies for that. But some things in the House - and the Committee of Supply is one of them - have to be regulated with a kind of precision clockwork, and that is something I am quite familiar with, as you know. So, if we had to cut you down, and I know it is very painful, especially when you are just reaching that high point in your speech, to be told that time is up, again, our apologies.

Once again, hon. Members, I thank you for your cooperation and for the effort that you have put in during these past two weeks. Thank you very much. [Applause.]