Simultaneous Debate on Motions

Mr Speaker, I beg to move, "That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the Motions on:

(a) "Committee of Privileges Report (Recommendations in respect of Ms Raeesah Khan)"; and

(b) "Committee of Privileges Report (Recommendations in respect of Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Faisal Manap and Ms Sylvia Lim)", be taken together, and the debate on these Motions and on any amendment proposed thereto be proceeded with simultaneously as though the debate were on a single Motion.

Mr Speaker, both Motions arise out of the Report of the Committee of Privileges issued last week in respect of the complaint against Ms Raeesah Khan for untruth spoken in Parliament.

The First Motion deals with the Committee’s findings and recommendations in respect of the conduct of former Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) Ms Raeesah Khan which I had previously referred to the Committee.

The Second Motion deals with the Committee’s findings and recommendations in respect of the conduct of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Pritam Singh, and Workers’ Party MPs Mr Faisal Manap and Ms Sylvia Lim, which arose in the course of the Committee’s inquiry.

Given that both Motions arise out of the same report and, further, given that the facts and matters pertaining to the Motions are interlinked and the same set of evidence applies to both, I wish to move that the two Motions be considered together and debated concurrently. A concurrent or simultaneous debate will allow Members to address both Motions in a single speech and enable the issues raised in the two Motions to be considered holistically. It will also allow for more efficient conduct of parliamentary business.

To be clear, and for avoidance of doubt, it is only the debate that is to be concurrent. The Motions remain as two separate Motions and, at the end of the debate, the votes on the two Motions will be taken separately. Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved, That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the Motions on: (a) "Committee of Privileges Report (Recommendations in respect of Ms Raeesah Khan)"; and (b) "Committee of Privileges Report (Recommendations in respect of Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Faisal Manap and Ms Sylvia Lim)", be taken together, and the debate on these Motions and on any amendment proposed thereto be proceeded with simultaneously as though the debate were on a single Motion.

The Clerk will now proceed to read the Notices of Motion.