Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Hazel Poa has filed a motion for Parliament to suspend Transport Minister S Iswaran from his MP duties.

She announced this on Facebook on Sep. 8, 2023.

This way, Iswaran will no longer receive his MP allowance of S$192,500 per year while he is investigated by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), said Poa.

Iswaran, who is still an MP with West Coast GRC, is not undertaking any MP duties while the CPIB probe is ongoing.

His MP duties are being covered by his fellow MPs — Ang Wei Neng, Foo Mee Har, Rachel Ong, and Desmond Lee, who also serves as National Development Minister — in West Coast GRC.

Parliament has to move motion to suspend MP and stop paying allowance

Poa's motion comes after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Aug. 2 that while Iswaran's ministerial salary has been reduced to S$8,500 until further notice, he is still allowed to draw his MP allowance.

PM Lee clarified back then that MP allowances are different from ministerial salaries; the former does not come under the prime minister's discretion.

According to PM Lee, an MP's allowance can be removed once the MP is suspended from the service of Parliament. Parliament has to first move a motion to interdict the MP.

He also said then that Parliament had never done that for ministers who were investigated for corruption.

Poa said her motion will be debated in Parliament on or after Sep. 19.

The next Parliament sitting will commence at 11:30am on Sep. 18.

Poa will also be introducing a Private Member's Bill to amend the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act 1962 to ensure that Parliament has the power to back-pay Iswaran should he subsequently be cleared of any wrongdoing and resume his official duties, she added.

Why is Iswaran still receiving S$8,500 in ministerial salary?

PM Lee said on Aug. 2 that Iswaran is "innocent until proven guilty".

He said that he "cannot prejudge the case" based on an "incomplete" investigation that was only launched recently.

Nevertheless, PM Lee said he made the decision to reduce the Transport Minister's monthly pay to an amount "less than half," even though he could "technically" choose to let Iswaran go on leave with full pay until the matter is clear.

PM Lee further explained that he used the current civil service practice as a reference point when deciding to reduce Iswaran's ministerial pay.

"The specific details in minister Iswaran’s case follow generally how the civil service would deal with a senior officer in a similar situation. But this was my decision as Prime Minister, because the political contexts for a minister and a civil servant being investigated and interdicted are different."

Under the model adopted by the civil service, which PM Lee considered to be a "reasonable model to follow", the interdicted officer would be put on half pay, subject to a ceiling and a floor, while continuing to carry on their duties until the matter is disposed of.

If the officer is found to be innocent, their back-pay will be reinstated. If they are found guilty, their pay will be stopped completely.

@mothershipsg "He has not been convicted. A presumption of innocence applies. He's innocent until proven guilty." #sgpariliament #sgnews #tiktoksg ♬ original sound - Mothership

Top images via Progress Singapore Party/YouTube & S Iswaran/Facebook