| Wanted: Input from the public, interest groups | |
| The Straits Times (May 7, 2010) | |
| Nur Dianah Suhaimi |
WHEN Mr Seah Kian Peng accepted the challenge to beef up the Maintenance of Parents Act, he did not have the slightest clue what he was in for.
Without any legal background or any thoughts about what he was supposed to do next, the engineering-trained chief executive of NTUC FairPrice supermarket chain confesses that initially he felt overwhelmed.
He did not realise that he would be making legislative history as the first PAP MP to propose a Bill in 36 years.
The first and only Bill initiated by PAP MPs since Singapore's independence in 1965 was the Roman Catholic Archbishop's Bill moved by Mr P. Selvadurai and Dr Chiang Hai Ding in 1974.
In 1994, then-NMP Walter Woon pushed through the Maintenance of Parents legislation which Mr Seah is now relooking to give it more teeth.
Asked why he undertook such a daunting challenge, he says he sees it as simply 'part of my job as an MP'.
He had been alarmed by the sharp increase in the number of parents filing applications with the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents in recent years.
Speaking in Parliament in March, he asked for more powers for the tribunal to obtain data on the whereabouts and financial status of the children. He suggested that government agencies be roped in to provide such information.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan agreed with the suggestions but conceded that it was difficult to make laws relating to intra-family relationships and filial piety. So he challenged Mr Seah to initiate the amendments in a private member's Bill.
The moment he accepted the minister's challenge, he knew that he needed the most capable team to work with, and some lawyers.
While still sitting in the House, he began jotting down the names of MPs whom he wanted on his team.
Some parliamentary colleagues did not even wait for him to ask. They approached him to ask if they could be part of the team, says Mr Seah.
They included Mr Sin Boon Ann, Tampines GRC MP and a lawyer, and Mr Wee Siew Kim, Ang Mo Kio GRC MP and an engineer by training.
'The response was so good that within a few days, I already had a team put together,' says Mr Seah.
His 10-member team is a diverse mix of people with experience in family issues, ranging from Madam Halimah Yacob who is legally trained and a former tribunal member, to Ms Ellen Lee, a family law specialist. The other five parliamentarians are: Ms Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC MP), Mr Sam Tan (Parliamentary Secretary for Information, Communications and the Arts) and NMPs Mildred Tan, who is a member of the National Family Council, Viswa Sadasivan and Laurence Wee.
Former attorney-general Walter Woon also agreed to come on board. He is now dean of the newly launched Singapore Institute of Legal Education and teaches criminal and company law at the National University of Singapore's law faculty.
Mr Seah and his team plan to conduct focus group discussions to ensure that the amended Act will meet the needs of elderly parents and the community.
They have set up a website, www.mpa.sg, where the public can convey their views.
Mr Seah says his team hopes to get as much input as possible from the public and various interest groups.
However, he is quick to qualify: 'The amendments are mainly to make the Bill more effective and powerful so that those who need the law can get help more efficiently.
'It doesn't mean that the Government is washing its hands of caring for the elderly.'
ndianah@sph.com.sg
This article was first published in the Straits Times.