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SINGAPORE: The Parti Liyani case will be on the agenda when Parliament meets on Monday (October 5), after 14 members of Parliament (MP) presented questions related to the issue.
Parliamentarians asked the Home Office (MHA) to clarify what went wrong in relation to the High Court ruling of the former Indonesian maid, who was convicted of stealing from her former employer in March 2019, before the sentences were overturned. last month.
Members also asked about the handling of the matter by the police and how problems identified in the trial process will be addressed.
READ: Shanmugam will make a ministerial statement in Parliament in November on the Parti Liyani case
READ: The Workers’ Party presents a motion to speak on fairness in criminal justice in the next session of Parliament
Parti was acquitted of stealing items worth S $ 34,000 from Changi Airport Group Chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family.
This was after a district judge found her guilty of four counts of robbery in 2019 and sentenced her to two years and two months in jail. The convictions were overturned on September 4 after an appeal.
Popular Action Party (PAP) deputy Vikram Nair asked if there were any updates on the internal reviews of the case by the MHA, in particular on the handling of the matter by the Attorney General’s Office.
Non-constituent MP (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai, who is a member of the Singapore Progress Party, also asked whether an inquiry commission made up of members not affiliated with the Government will be appointed to conduct a public inquiry.
On Monday, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, said that he will make a ministerial statement in Parliament next month to address the questions raised about the case of Ms Parti Liyani.
READ: Sylvia Lim will not seek further votes for the motion of adjournment in the case of Parti Liyani: Workers Party
Also on Parliament’s agenda is the issue of layoffs in Singapore, as the country continues to grapple with the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to data released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on September 14, layoffs 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 cuts in the first half of the year to 11,350, more than the 10,120 recorded during the SARS period, but still lower than other recessive peaks, MOM said.
READ: Layoffs in Singapore on the rise in the first half of the year, surpassing the peak of SARS: MOM
Workers’ Party (WP) MP Sylvia Lim asked MOM to clarify national guidelines on managing excess manpower and responsible staff reductions that ensure Singaporeans are better off compared to permanent residents and not Singaporeans in terms of job and income security.
PAP MP Yip Hon Weng asked how many Singaporeans aged 60 and over have been fired or have not renewed their contracts. He also asked how MOM will address the challenges of age discrimination in the COVID-19 economy.
Several members also inquired 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 standard face-to-face activities and classes when TraceTogether tokens are in widespread use with safe distancing measures.
Jessica Tan from PAP asked the Minister of Health what to expect in terms of more flexibility of measures and when it can be done, considering the low number of community cases of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Mr. Louis Chua from WP asked if the Government has completed its review of work-from-home arrangements. He also asked where Singapore is in the Government’s risk assessment to determine when to move to Phase 3.
