MPs to query Govt on AI guardrails, inequality and fiscal strategy in debate on record $155b Budget

PM Wong revealed during his Budget speech that Singapore will

, more than twice the initially projected $6.4 billion. Economists later said this failure to estimate the surplus accurately was likely due to

This is the second year in a row that Singapore has posted a larger-than-expected fiscal surplus.

Mr Yip noted that volatility-driven surpluses are not permanent revenue streams.

“Prudence must guide deployment. At the same time, given the current surplus position and without reopening past debates, we can consider possibly signalling stability by avoiding further tax increases in the near term.”

That would reinforce confidence while allowing Singapore to focus on strengthening social mobility and easing cost pressures in a targeted and responsible way, he said.

MPs will also focus on how the Budget delivers to workers real outcomes, including stronger productivity and better jobs.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) said his GPC for finance, trade and industry will focus on stepping up support for businesses and households to proactively navigate transitions.

The opposition Workers’ Party declined to comment.

The debate is set to run for the next two weeks, from Feb 24 to March 6. MPs will first discuss the Budget statement, and PM Wong is expected to address their questions later in the week.

Each day’s sitting will start with questions from MPs before the debate proper begins. According to the order paper published on Feb 23, the Feb 24 sitting will start with questions from MPs on health, support for those in professional, managerial, executive or technical (PMET) jobs, and protection for Singapore’s critical infrastructure.

Four MPs, including Nominated MPs Mark Lee and Neo Kok Beng, have asked about the Government’s plans to expand the space industry here. The Government had said earlier in February that it will set up a

(NSAS) on April 1 to seize opportunities in the expanding space economy and develop its space capabilities.

Mr Victor Lye (Ang Mo Kio GRC) has asked what strategic role Singapore intends to play in the global space economy beyond domestic launch capability and how it will leverage the country’s comparative advantages. He has also asked about the talent pipeline for the space sector and how Singapore will position itself in terms of regional space cooperation.

After the Budget debate, Parliament will debate each ministry’s spending plans, when MPs will raise questions on sector-specific issues.

Mr David said he will ask the Government for an update on

(GEP), which was announced in 2024.

Starting with the 2024 Primary 1 cohort, more pupils will have access to higher-ability programmes in primary school, and will no longer need to transfer to specific schools to join a centralised GEP.

He also plans to ask the Government to extend to primary schools the policy of giving each student personal learning devices. Such devices are already available to all secondary school students.

Mr Henry Kwek (Kebun Baru) said his GPC for national development intends to ask the Government about how to make housing more affordable and accessible to more segments of Singaporeans.

The segments are singles, seniors, sandwiched-class families, who have decent incomes but face loan eligibility challenges, and those seeking greater diversity in housing types beyond the standard Build-To-Order flat.

He added that his GPC members will also look further ahead at how to renew and reimagine Singapore’s ageing estates, how the coming

can be implemented fairly and with clarity, and re-imagining home ownership for Singaporeans at different life stages.

He said: “Beyond housing, we will speak to Singapore’s broader liveability – deepening our vision as a City in Nature, creating vibrant third spaces within our communities, where residents can gather and connect, and how the Ministry of National Development can foster a more productive and pro-enterprise built sector.”

Ultimately, this Budget must position Singapore for two structural shifts: geopolitical fragmentation and technological acceleration, Mr Yip said.

The world is entering a more volatile era, and in such an environment, fiscal strength is not just about healthy balance sheets – it is strategic capacity, he added.

“Singapore’s surplus reflects credibility in an uncertain world. Capital flows towards stability, predictability and the rule of law. But cyclical gains are not structural guarantees.

“Fiscal strength is national strength, and the real test is whether we convert today’s buffers into tomorrow’s security and opportunity.”