Seah Kian Peng pledges to be impartial & effective Speaker of House, reminds MPs not to neglect self-care

During the opening of the 15th Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) Seah Kian Peng was re-elected as the Speaker of the House, where he pledged to be "impartial and effective".

"In accepting this Chair of the House, I remain deeply humbled.

During the time that I occupy this seat, I pledge to be an impartial and effective Speaker, and to represent this Parliament with dignity."

He also laid out his expectations for this term of Parliament and offered some reminders to the other MPs.

Expectations

Following the previous term, Seah outlined several things he hopes to see in the 15th term:

• Fewer advisories from the Chair
• For each sitting, MPs are to be present, prepared and accountable
• Speeches, questions and replies kept clear, succinct and concise
• MPs should avoid needless repetition
• While scrutinising and criticising policies, MPs should set out trade-offs clearly and offer alternatives for consideration
• MPs can change their positions and agree over the course of a debate, but they can also agree to disagree
• "Please resist playing to the gallery — this is the House of Parliament, not a livestream on TikTok."

Seah emphasised that MPs should keep their speeches short, reminding them that lengthy speeches "test the patience" of fellow MPs and the attention span of the public.

He then quipped that his own speech this year was much shorter than the one he gave when he was first elected in 2023.

Seah also reminded MPs not to neglect their self-care, stating that they "cannot look after [their] constituents and come up with good policies and speeches if [they] are not in reasonably good shape."

"Let us always uphold the decorum of this house.

Treat each other with respect and never forget our paramount duty  — to serve the people of Singapore with integrity and conviction.

It is through the workings of this chamber that we can ensure a cohesive and fulfilling future for our country, and build a more caring, giving, compassionate and inclusive community for our children and grandchildren."

Top photos via Parliament/Facebook & MDDI/YouTube