Workers' Party's Member of Parliament (MP) Faisal Manap gave his speech in Parliament on Sep. 2, touching on issues such as diversity, political transparency, race and religion.

Diversity in Parliament

Speaking in Malay, Faisal recalled the 2020 General Election, which saw a fall in national votes for the ruling party and 10 WP MPs being voted into Parliament.

This, he said, signalled the need for Singaporeans to have a "diversity of views and thoughts" in the country's political and development processes.

"Efforts to assimilate and practice unity in diversity in our society should start from the country's political leadership. The actions of political leaders will serve as examples and role models for the public."

Broadcasting live parliamentary sessions

Faisal also reiterated a suggestion that WP MP Leon Perera had made in Parliament in May.

Perera proposed that parliamentary sessions should be broadcast live so that the public can appreciate the atmosphere of the sessions and understand the procedures better.

A spokesman for Minister Grace Fu, who was Leader of the House at that time, responded by saying that live broadcasts of Parliament risk turning the House into a "form of theatre" and do not add to transparency.

Faisal, however, said that he agreed with Perera's suggestion and rebutted the ruling party's argument by saying that even without live telecasts now, each politician is aware that the sessions are being recorded and can be viewed by the public through social media.

People's Association not free from partisan politics

The People's Association (PA) is a statutory body and is not political in nature, Faisal also said, touching on the nature of the organisation.

He cited some views from political observers who have said that the PA is used as a platform to fulfil the political interests of the ruling party.

Faisal added: "I cannot accept that the People's Association is free from partisan politics."

He proposed the appointment of senior public officers, such as a chief executive officer or director, whether still in service or retired and are not members of any political party, as PA grassroots advisors.

Race and religion

Towards the end of his speech, Faisal brought up the issue of race and religion.

He cited two recent controversial incidents that had occurred:

1. An incident in June involving a Sikh man who was told to remove his turban in a phone interview as his appearance could cause unease.
2. An incident in August involving a Muslim woman who was told to remove her hijab at work as it was deemed unprofessional.

In response to the two cases, Faisal said:

"These two incidents indicate that there should be more open and dynamic approaches to further strengthen understanding, acceptance, and tolerance among Singaporeans so that the discriminatory attributes, whether consciously or indirectly, can be better curbed. Such efforts should start at the leadership level.

Leaders should be open and not narrow-minded whenever an endeavour or a discussion on religious practices is put forward."

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Top image from CNA.