MPs to lose seat if fined at least $10k, up from $2k

Increase in quantum factors in inflation, sentences handed down by courts today

- ThamYuen-C

MPs who are convicted and fined for an offence will now lose their seat only if the fine is at least $10,000, after Parliament unanimously approved amendments to the Constitution to update the disqualification criteria.

This increase in quantum, from $2,000, takes into account inflation over the years, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, who is also Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, told the House. He noted that the quantum has not been reviewed since independence, and $2,000 then would amount to about $8,000 today.

The change also takes into account the sentences handed down by Singapore's courts today for serious tax evasion and corruption offences, which are relevant to the integrity of a person, he added.

The changes are part of the Elections Department's (ELD) broader review of processes and legislation after General Election 2020, he said. Related changes to the disqualification of members of the Council of Presidential Advisers and Presidential Council for Minority Rights were also approved.

Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) saw the increase as "an attempt to retain the same standards of eligibility that existed when the law was originally enacted”.