According to The Straits Times on Sunday, March 11, the Singapore government had sought legal advice from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

The issue was on whether Workers’ Party chairman (MP) Sylvia Lim’s statements in Parliament during the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike debate had been in breach of parliamentary privilege.

Spokesperson responds on behalf of Grace Fu

However, it was reported the advice had been sought prior to Leader of the House Grace Fu’s request on March 5 for Lim to apologise and retract what she had said.

Interestingly, ST queries were replied by Fu’s spokesperson, who said that she did not know what advice the AGC gave.

The spokesperson added that Lim was “in breach because she should have known that her allegations were untrue, and because of her refusal to withdraw the allegations even after the facts were clarified”.

Not the first time advice sought

The spokesperson also said this is not the first time advice has been sought: “The government seeks the advice of AGC as and when it requires the advice. This is not the first time it has sought advice of AGC on such matters.”

Not a purely legal matter

Singapore Management University law academic Eugene Tan said the government’s actions in consulting the AGC suggested that it wanted the force of the law on its side in the matter.

But he noted that the issue is ultimately something for Parliament to decide. This is so as a breach of parliamentary privilege has a political dimension and may not be a purely legal matter.

What Sylvia Lim said

On March 1, Lim had voiced her suspicions that the government had floated some “test balloons” on a possible GST hike following Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat’s wrap-up speech on Budget 2018.

Lim said the government later backed down on the hike after the public latched onto statements made by several leaders that the government “has enough money for the decade”.

While Fu had given Lim till March 8 to accede to her request, no apology was issued and Lim only admitted that her suspicion may have been wrong.

In response, Fu placed Lim and the rest of the House “on notice”, cautioning that she would refer Lim to the Committee of Privileges should the latter repeat such conduct.

You can be fined for abusing parliamentary privilege: