Low Thia Khiang's attendance in Parliament is the stuff of legends.

He has been showing up almost without fail each and every time Parliament sits, since he was elected in 1991 after winning the single-member constituency of Hougang.

It is a testimony to how seriously he takes his duties and his workhorse-like consistency, as well as his intellectual and emotional stamina the past 28 years as the longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament -- very often, acting as the sole check against the ruling party.

This was why his recent absence from Parliament for two days in a row stood out and was a cause for concern.

Low had to apply for leave of absence from parliamentary duties, something which almost never happened, and it was done so on his behalf by his colleague and fellow MP, Pritam Singh, who is now WP chief.

It was subsequently revealed that Low fell at home on April 30 and suffered a head injury.

He was then warded at the intensive care unit, but has been transferred out and remains hospitalised for observation.

Low's constant Parliament presence

Missing out on two days of Parliament might not seem like much to many people, since parliamentary attendance is not compulsory and absenteeism occurs.

But for the opposition MPs who only occupy a small minority of seats in the house, the stakes are high.

Being in Parliament all the time is part of their winning mandate during hard-fought electoral victories.

A check against public records shows clearly the extent of Low's formidable attendance record.

Low's Parliament attendance record

Parliament sits about 28 to 29 times a year.

In between elections, which happen every four to five years, there are about 120-odd sessions.

In the 12th Parliament, which was convened after the WP team won Aljunied group representative constituency -- the opposition's first GRC -- Low showed up for all 117 parliament sessions that term without missing a single one.

As data is only available in digitised format for the last 15 years, a check on Low's attendance can only go as far back as the second half of the 10th parliament from Jan. 12, 2005.

Excluding the second half of 10th Parliament, in total, Low only missed six out of 376 parliament sessions in 14 years -- a period starting from the 11th Parliament on Nov. 2, 2006 until the 13th Parliament now.

11th Parliament = 127 sessions, Nov. 2, 2006 to April 19, 2011

(1 day absence, July 19, 2010)

12th Parliament = 117 sessions, Oct. 10, 2011 to Aug. 25, 2015

(Full attendance)

13th Parliament = 132 sessions, Jan. 15, 2016 to present

(5 days absence, Jan. 8 & 9, Sep. 10, 2018, May 4 & 5, 2020)

Background

The official records are lodged with the Votes and Proceedings of Parliament, which are available for public viewing.

The Votes and Proceedings are the official minutes of the proceedings of Parliament, which include a record of attendance, papers presented and announcements by the Speaker, among other records.

The data is usually only updated several weeks after each Parliament session is over.

There are, of course, consequences to an MP regularly missing out on Parliament sittings.

Under the Constitution of Singapore, Paragraph 46 states that the seat of an MP shall become vacant if he/she is “absent from all such sittings without having obtained from the Speaker before the termination of any such sitting permission to be or to remain absent”.