President Halimah Yacob gave the President's Address on Aug. 24. Now, the Members of Parliament (MP) will have a chance to respond.
You might have heard an MP say this in his or her speech before: “With this, I support the motion of thanks to the President.”
But what exactly does the Motion of Thanks mean?
And why do you need to move a motion in Parliament just to thank the President?
We'll answer these questions, but first, here's some background as to what happens before the Motion of Thanks.
Parliament opened at two places for the first time
The first session of Singapore's 14th Parliament opened on Aug. 24 this year.
Held simultaneously at the Parliament House and the Arts House, it is the first time that an opening of parliament was held in more than one location.
The decision was made by Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, who decided that in light of the ongoing pandemic, the proceedings will take place across two locations for safe distancing measures to be implemented.
Any MP can move Motion of Thanks to kickstart debate
After the President’s address -- which outlined the priorities and policies for the new term of government -- was given by President Halimah Yacob, the Parliament was adjourned.
This is so that the ministries had time to issue their statements of policies and priority areas in the new Parliament term, which form the Addenda to the President's Address.
Here's where the Motion of Thanks comes in.
At least two days later, or whenever Parliament re-opens, a motion is moved expressing Parliament’s thanks for the President's Address.
Any MP can move the motion, and he or she will say the following to kickstart the motion:
"We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the Opening of the First Session of this Parliament."
Five sitting days will then be allotted to debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President.
The debate is when MPs and Ministers scrutinise the policies of the Government as outlined in the President’s Address and the Addenda, debate the points made, and raise their concerns if any.
When the debate is over, the Parliament will then vote on the Motion of Thanks, which is typically passed.
Therefore, the Motion of Thanks is an opportunity for the MPs to discuss the government's aims over the next term of Parliament, in view of the public.
Here's a nifty infographic by the Singapore Parliament that lays out the parliamentary proceedings:
Inforgraphic via Parliament of Singapore
Independent Singapore's first Motion of Thanks
Since Singapore's independence, numerous Motions of Thanks have been moved at the start of a new parliamentary term.
But perhaps one of the most notable instances was the first Motion of Thanks that was moved after Singapore first became independent.
On Dec. 14, 1965, the late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew moved the nation's first Motion of Thanks after Singapore split from Malaysia.
He began his speech by expressing his thoughts on speaking in Parliament as the head of a newly-independent nation:
"... I am faced with the unusual duty of recounting to the House, first the unusual circumstances in which we have found ourselves as a sovereign and independent legislature; and next the problems that arises in order to ensure that our sovereign status shall always be safeguard and respected by our neighbours."
He added that Singapore's sovereignty came at a price, both in terms of a loss in revenue in the two years Singapore was part of Malaysia, and also in terms of coming face to face with the "stark realities of conflict" over race, language and religion.
Likening Singapore's new-found sovereignty to "an antique gold piece", however, he acknowledged that as compared to other nations who had to suffer bloodshed to get the ultimate goal of independence, Singapore came out of the process with less damage.
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Top image via Parliament of Singapore/FB.