The Workers’ Party (WP) said it was disappointed when viewing the video of the Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin's hot mic incident.
Responding to Reddit video
WP was referring to a video where Tan could be seen and heard muttering "f*cking populist" after WP Member of Parliament (MP) Jamus Lim delivered his speech about poverty in Singapore in Parliament on Apr. 17, 2023.
The video was attached to a Jul. 10 Reddit post, which went viral.
WP said in a Jul. 14 statement that Tan had an "audible outburst" that was directed towards Lim.
PSP filed debate motion
The party's statement comes after Progress Singapore Party (PSP) announced earlier that it has filed a debate motion for the next Parliament session in August 2023.
PSP described the comment that Tan made in Parliament as a "serious matter".
Stressing that "ensuring the Parliament is fair to all starts with the Speaker", PSP raised a debate motion calling on the house "reaffirms its commitment for the need for the Speaker of Parliament to be independent and impartial", and for Parliament to be a "fair arena for all".
WP: Appropriate to address concerns to this issue in Parliament
WP said in its statement: "It is appropriate for public concerns over this issue to be addressed in Parliament."
"It is paramount that everyone has confidence that the Speaker would preside over Parliamentary debates in an impartial manner.
The Speaker is a referee for political debate at the highest level, maintaining order and providing guidance on Parliamentary procedures."
Lim accepted Tan's apology
In a Jul. 11 Facebook post, Tan responded to the video and acknowledged that he appeared to have a "reaction" to Lim's speech.
"When I listen to speeches made, like everyone, I do form views on them. What was said were my private thoughts which I had muttered to myself and not to anyone."
Stating that he should not have expressed his views aloud or in "unparliamentary language", Tan apologised for that.
He added that he has also apologised to Lim, which the latter has accepted.
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Top image screenshot from Ministry of Communications and Information/YouTube