Next week, Parliament will sit again for the first time in 2026.
We look back at some of the highlights of Parliament in 2025. Over the course of the year, there have been plenty of robust debates, tough questions and historic legislation.
Robust debates, tough questions and honest dialogues
Over 26 parliamentary sittings, PAP MPs fought for Singaporeans, making your voices and perspectives front and centre of lively debates.
In particular, our Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs) worked tirelessly to scrutinise policies, and proposed policy tweaks to improve the lives of Singaporeans.
GPCs are set up by the PAP to scrutinise the legislation and programmes of the various Ministries. They also serve as an additional channel of feedback on government policies.
At times, our MPs have also raised motions to spotlight the causes close to their hearts. This passion was what spurred MPs Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang GRC) to call on the government to provide more support to help Singaporeans start and raise families. In a debate lasting over 6 hours, our MPs raised issues related to childcare costs, work-life balance, and housing affordability.
More importantly, Singaporeans can always count on PAP MPs to ask the difficult questions when it matters.
From the ACRA incident, to the tragic case of Megan Khung, PAP MPs have not shied away from speaking up and insisting on answers. This full and transparent airing of issues has ensured that our government and our system remains fully accountable and honest to Singaporeans.
Sweeping aside difficult conversations is not what the PAP stands for. It is a part of the PAP’s DNA to be honest and open with Singaporeans. This is the way we have earned the trust of Singaporeans over decades.
New MPs find their voice in parliament
During the debate on the President’s speech, MP Shawn Loh (Jalan Besar GRC) spoke on the need to use our fiscal system to reduce wealth inequality, drawing on his deep knowledge and experience in policy creation.
Meanwhile, MP Dr Hamid Razak (West Coast–Jurong West GRC) highlighted the importance of addressing the root causes of mental health issues.
There was also MP Hazlina Abdul Halim (East Coast GRC), who shared her vision of how we can care for our seniors. She also won praise for including all four official languages in her speech.
We can look forward to the fresh ideas our crop of new, diverse MPs brings to Parliament sessions this year.
A series of historic legislations
Finally, Parliament is also the place where we introduce and debate new legislation. Twenty twenty-five was no exception, as we strengthened old laws and passed new ones to ward off evolving threats.
After years of lobbying by tripartite partners, the landmark Workplace Fairness Bill was passed in January 2025. Under the new law, employers will be penalised if they treat workers unfairly based on five categories of protected characteristics.
The law was further strengthened with the Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill, which provides workers with a means to seek redress.
Besides building a more just and inclusive environment, the government also introduced new laws to keep Singaporeans safe.
The Protection from Scams Bill, for instance, gives banks more power to pause payments or freeze accounts if they detect scam-like activity. This will help plug a loophole in cases where victims refuse to believe they were being scammed and insist on transferring money to the scammers.
Similarly, the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill, passed after an 8-hour debate, provides victims of online harms with swifter intervention and stronger legal recourse.
As a new year of questions and debates in Parliament awaits, PAP office holders and MPs continue the unending work of building a fairer and just society, where we put the well-being of Singaporeans at the centre of everything we do.
