Expression of Regret at the Conduct of Mr Pritam Singh and Consideration of His Suitability to Continue as the Leader of The Opposition

Order. Before we commence the debate on the Motion, I wish to draw hon Members' attention to certain provisions in our Standing Orders.

First of all, Standing Order No 50(1) states that the Member shall confine his observations to the subject under discussion and may not introduce matters irrelevant thereto.

The main subject matters under discussion are the conduct of Mr Pritam Singh and his suitability to continue as the Leader of the Opposition. Hon Members are reminded that they should confine their observations to the subject matter of the Motion and not to shift the debate to other unrelated incidents or political issues.

Furthermore, as this Motion is about the conduct of Mr Pritam Singh and other persons named in the Motion, and only to such extent, Members should refrain from raising and discussing the conduct of other Members as it is not directly relevant to the Motion. If any Member wishes to widen the debate to discuss general political matters or party issues or the conduct of another Member, he can and he should do so by filing a separate Motion for debate by the House.

Secondly, Parliament is not re-litigating the case. While reference can be made to the judgment of the Court to set the context for the debate on today's Motion, the intent of this Motion is not to reopen the case, to dispute the findings of the Court or to question its decisions or to discuss the conduct of the trial.

Hon Members are to abide by the rules and other provisions of the Standing Orders. I will disallow any remarks which infringe the rules. Members are urged to exercise judgement in their speeches and clarifications and to be prepared to substantiate any factual point that they make.

Deputy Leader.