Speaker Seah Kian Peng apologises for falling asleep in parliament
Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng said he was unwell that day and had taken medication, but added that this did not excuse what happened.
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SINGAPORE: Speaker Seah Kian Peng apologised on Friday (Sep 18) for falling asleep while chairing parliament proceedings last week.
This came after videos of a clerk trying to wake Mr Seah up during a parliamentary sitting on Sep 9 were circulated online.
In a Facebook post, Mr Seah said he was unwell that day and had taken medication.
“But that does not excuse what happened,” he added, saying that the incident fell short of the standards expected of the office and that he took full responsibility.
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According to Mr Seah, he fell asleep after the sitting’s four-hour mark.
“I should have called for a break earlier rather than continuing with proceedings. I normally do so after four to six hours,” he said.
Mr Seah, who became Speaker of Parliament in August 2023, said he had sought to discharge his duties “conscientiously and to uphold the standards expected of the office” during his time in the position.
“I apologise for the lapse. I will learn from it and take steps to ensure it does not happen again,” he said.
“I remain fully committed to serving parliament and Singaporeans to the best of my ability.”
Video footage of the incident showed MP Dennis Tan (WP-Hougang) delivering his speech on the Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill.
After Mr Tan finished speaking, about 20 seconds passed before Mr Seah was seen waking up after a parliamentary staff member approached him.
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