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SINGAPORE: Speaker Seah Kian Peng apologised on Friday (Sep 18) for falling asleep while chairing parliament proceedings last week.<\/p>\n
This came after videos of a clerk trying to wake Mr Seah up during a parliamentary sitting on Sep 9 were circulated online.<\/p>\n
In a Facebook post, Mr Seah said he was unwell that day and had taken medication.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that does not excuse what happened,\u201d he added, saying that the incident fell short of the standards expected of the office and that he took full responsibility.<\/p>\n
According to Mr Seah, he fell asleep after the sitting\u2019s four-hour mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have called for a break earlier rather than continuing with proceedings. I normally do so after four to six hours,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Seah, who became Speaker of Parliament in August 2023, said he had sought to discharge his duties \u201cconscientiously and to uphold the standards expected of the office\u201d during his time in the position.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI apologise for the lapse. I will learn from it and take steps to ensure it does not happen again,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I remain fully committed to serving parliament and Singaporeans to the best of my ability.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Video footage of the incident showed MP Dennis Tan (WP-Hougang) delivering his speech on the Health Sciences Authority (Amendment) and Other Matters Bill.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n