SINGAPORE – In a parliamentary debate that lasted nearly two hours on Aug 7, four opposition MPs exchanged words with Education Minister Chan Chun Sing on Singapore’s electoral boundaries review process and whether it is fair and transparent, or needs change.
The division bell rang at the end of the debate, leading to an electronic vote. All 10 opposition MPs supported the motion, while the remaining 76 PAP MPs and Nominated MPs objected to it.
Here are the key takeaways from the sitting:
The Ministry of Digital Development and Information has set up an internal task force to assess whether further measures need to be taken to enhance Singapore’s tech resilience in the light of July 19’s tech outage, caused by cyber-security firm CrowdStrike.
The task force will engage relevant partners to gain insights into the incident, said Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo. She said it is not yet fully understood what had caused a relatively routine software update to create such major disruptions around the world.
Mrs Teo was responding to questions from seven MPs about the impact of the outage, and what was being done to address the issue.
The tech outage disrupted banks, hospitals and emergency lines around the world as a faulty software update issued by CrowdStrike crashed about 8.5 million Windows devices.
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In Singapore, the outage hit gantry operations at some HDB carparks and passenger check-in services for some airlines at Changi Airport. It also affected staff of businesses using CrowdStrike’s Falcon Endpoint Detection and Response solution.
However, government services here, as well as most essential services, were not affected.
Mrs Teo on Aug 7 said that while not all such disruptions can be prevented, system owners should have plans in place to help them quickly recover.
READ MORE HERE: Task force set up to bolster S’pore’s tech resilience following CrowdStrike outage: Josephine Teo
Four opposition MPs posed questions on the free shuttle bus service for residents in Marine Parade GRC and the single-seat wards of MacPherson and Mountbatten, which started on July 8. At one point, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC) asked what the free service says about equity and fairness in the use of taxpayer-funded grants.
In response, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan said the service was a ground-up initiative supported by the South East Community Development Council (CDC). The CDC will review the pilot scheme after one year and determine if it is suitable for other divisions.
He added that the free service costs about $1 million to operate a year, with the CDC supporting it with a one-off $200,000 grant. The rest of the money comes from donations raised by the CDC, and by the respective grassroots organisations.
News of the shuttle service came amid recent efforts to rationalise bus routes that run parallel to MRT lines.
A sticking point was the role of the Land Transport Authority in this, and why it was not able to step in to plug the perceived gap in the public transport network.
There were also questions over whether public money was being used, and the issue of parity given that the service is limited to Marine Parade cluster residents.
Mr Singh and Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai asked if similar bus services could be launched in other constituencies, whether through the public transport system or more CDC funding.
In response, Mr Tan said the Marine Parade shuttle is part of a “local community project” unique to that particular area, noting that it was too early to tell if the service is effective.
READ MORE HERE: Marine Parade shuttle bus service costs about $1m a year to run, funded largely by donations
The two-hour-long debate over the electoral boundaries review process emerged from a motion raised by both NCMPs from the Progress Singapore Party, Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leong.
The motion called on the Government to review this process, so as to increase transparency and fairness for all political parties.
Mr Singh, Associate Professor Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) and Nominated MP and lawyer Raj Joshua Thomas also participated in the debate.
Opposition MPs have been filing parliamentary questions on whether the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), which determines electoral boundaries ahead of each general election, has been formed. The committee’s formation has not always been immediately announced.
Addressing the House on behalf of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Mr Chan said the electoral review process is fair and transparent, as civil servants, who are not politically affiliated, take charge of this process. His remarks had MPs thumping their armrests.
He also stressed that the EBRC’s primary goal should be to serve the interests of Singapore and Singaporeans, not that of political parties.
“What are the goals of Singapore and Singaporeans? First, have an MP that can take care of them. Second, have an MP that can represent them. Third, have a Parliament that can form a functioning government that can take Singapore forward and look after Singapore and Singaporeans,” he said.
READ MORE HERE: Electoral boundaries drawn to serve interests of Singaporeans, not political parties: Chan Chun Sing
The network of 95 social media accounts linked to self-exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui have stopped making posts carrying malicious narratives on Singapore’s leadership transition after May 10.
The posts also had low reach in Singapore’s local information space, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said.
She was giving an update after her ministry on July 19 said it had directed Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok to block the 95 accounts for Singapore-based users under the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act.
Singapore’s position is aligned with the July 19 findings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in response to questions about the evolving situation in the Middle East. The ICJ had found that Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law.
That is why Singapore has consistently voted in support of UN General Assembly resolutions that reject Israeli settlement activities and call upon Israel to rescind all unilateral measures taken to change the status of Jerusalem, he said.
In the light of recent attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border, Dr Balakrishnan revealed that there is at least one Singaporean in Lebanon currently. The man had registered his travel with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.