SINGAPORE: The Parti Liyani case will be on the agenda when Parliament sits on Monday (Oct 5), after 14 Members of Parliament (MPs) tabled questions related to the topic.
MPs asked the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to clarify what went wrong in relation to the High Court judgment of the former Indonesian maid, who was convicted of stealing from her former employer in March 2019, before the convictions were overturned last month.
AdvertisementAdvertisementMembers also asked about the police's handling of the matter and how the issues identified in the judgment process will be addressed.
[h=3]READ: Shanmugam to make ministerial statement in Parliament in November on Parti Liyani case[/h][h=3]READ: Workers' Party files motion to speak on equity in criminal justice at next Parliament sitting[/h]Ms Parti was acquitted of stealing S$34,000 worth of items from Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThis was after she was convicted of four counts of theft by a district judge in 2019 and was sentenced to two years and two months’ jail. The convictions were overturned on Sep 4 following an appeal.
People's Action Party (PAP) MP Vikram Nair asked whether there were any updates on MHA's internal reviews of the case, in particular the handling of the matter by the Attorney-General's Chambers.
Non-constituency MP (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai, who is from the Progress Singapore Party, also asked whether a committee of inquiry consisting of members not affiliated to the Government will be appointed to conduct a public inquiry.
On Monday, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam said he will make a ministerial statement in Parliament next month to address questions raised about Ms Parti Liyani’s case.
[h=3]READ: Sylvia Lim will not seek further ballot for adjournment motion on Parti Liyani case: Workers' Party[/h]Also on Parliament's agenda is the issue of retrenchments in Singapore, as the country continues to deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to data released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Sep 14, retrenchments in the second quarter of 2020 more than doubled to 8,130 from the first quarter figure of 3,220.
This brings the total number of retrenchments in the first half of the year to 11,350 - higher than the 10,120 recorded during the SARS period but still lower than other recessionary peaks, said MOM.
[h=3]READ: Retrenchments in Singapore spike in first half of the year, surpassing SARS peak: MOM[/h]Workers' Party (WP) MP Sylvia Lim asked MOM to clarify the national guidelines on managing excess manpower and responsible retrenchments that ensure Singaporeans are better off compared to permanent residents and non-Singaporeans in terms of job and income security.
MP Yip Hon Weng from the PAP asked how many Singaporeans aged 60 and above have been retrenched or did not have their contracts renewed. He also asked how MOM will address the challenges of ageism in the COVID-19 economy.
Several members also asked about Singapore's plans to move into Phase 3 of its reopening.
PAP's Ms Foo Mee Har wanted to know if the Ministry of Education would consider allowing universities and schools to return to more normalised face-to-face activities and classes when TraceTogether tokens are in widespread use with safe distancing measures in place.
PAP's Ms Jessica Tan asked the Minister for Health what can be expected in terms of further easing of measures and when this can be done, considering the low number of COVID-19 community cases.
Meanwhile, Mr Louis Chua of the WP asked if the Government has completed its review of work-from-home arrangements. He also asked where Singapore stands in the Government's risk assessment in determining when to move into Phase 3.
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