Duties and Privileges of the Leader of the Opposition

1.20 pm

The Leader of the House (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Speaker, following the General Election held on 3 May 2025, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had announced that Mr Pritam Singh would continue to be the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Parliament of Singapore and that he would be given staff and resources to perform his duties. This was reported in the media.

As the position of the Leader of the Opposition is not dealt with in our Constitution or in the Standing Orders of Parliament, I should, for good order, state the duties and privileges of the Leader of the Opposition for the Parliamentary record.

Mr Singh’s duties and privileges as the Leader of the Opposition in this 15th Parliament will remain the same as those in the 14th Parliament. Those were set out in my Ministerial Statement of 31 August 2020 when the office of the Leader of the Opposition was officially recognised and implemented. They can be summarised as follows.

First, on the Leader of the Opposition’s Parliamentary privileges. The Leader of the Opposition will take the seat directly across the Prime Minister in this Chamber during Parliamentary proceedings. This is the same practice as that in other countries which formally recognise the role of the Leader of the Opposition and was also observed by us in previous terms of Parliament in Singapore in respect of the leader of the main opposition party.

The Leader of the Opposition will generally be given the right of first response among Members of Parliament (MPs) to ask the lead question of Ministers on policies, Bills and Motions in Parliament. This will be at the Speaker’s discretion and subject to existing speaking conventions. The Leader of the Opposition will have a longer speech time for debates than other backbenchers – 40 minutes as opposed to the usual 20 minutes. I will be moving a Motion to this effect later.

The Leader of the Opposition will also be allocated an office in Parliament, staff support and resources, and his Parliamentary allowance will be double that of other MPs. I have consulted the Speaker on these arrangements and he has agreed that they remain appropriate. I have also apprised Mr Singh of this.

Next, I touch on the Leader of the Opposition’s Parliamentary duties. The 15th Parliament of Singapore is our largest Parliament to date with 99 elected Members. There are 12 opposition Members, of whom two are Non-Constituency MPs. As the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Singh will lead and organise the Opposition’s Parliamentary business in our largest Parliament to date. This includes leading the Opposition in: presenting alternative views in Parliamentary debates on policies, Bills and Motions; scrutinising the Government’s positions and actions in Parliament; and nominating opposition Members for appointment to the Standing Select Committees and other Select Committees of Parliament.

Finally, the Leader of the Opposition may be called upon to assume other duties, such as attending official state functions and taking part in visits and meetings alongside Members of the Government and the Public Service. From time to time, the Leader of the Opposition may receive confidential briefings by the Government, on matters to be determined by the Government. These briefings will promote better understanding across both sides of the House on important national issues such as security and external relations, especially in the event of a national crisis or emergency.

I congratulate Mr Singh on his continuation as the Leader of the Opposition. I look forward to working with him on this Parliament’s mission to serve Singaporeans and build a stronger Singapore.

1.24 pm

Mr Speaker: As Speaker, I would also like to take this occasion to formally welcome Mr Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition in this 15th Parliament of Singapore.

The position of the Leader of the Opposition, and the duties and privileges accorded to the position, was first given formal recognition in the 14th Parliament. The arrangements have worked out well and Parliamentary proceedings have gone on smoothly. Such arrangements will continue in this 15th Parliament – a second time the position is formally recognised – with Mr Pritam Singh continuing to lead and to organise the Opposition’s Parliamentary business.

The role of the Leader of the Opposition could continue to evolve in future. The position’s duties and privileges may then be correspondingly updated, where necessary, to best meet Singapore’s Parliamentary context, bearing in mind the objective of having the opposition scrutinise the Government’s positions and actions in Parliament, and presenting alternative views and proposals for debate.

Having worked with both the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition in the 14th Parliament, I ask for their support and continued cooperation across the aisle, which will ensure that all Members, regardless of party, uphold the House’s decorum, dignity and honour at all times. I look forward to working with them once again to conduct Parliamentary business and debates in an orderly, efficient and constructive manner in this 15th Parliament of Singapore.