The apology by PSP and its chief Leong Mun Wai acknowledged that both the original and edited videos had “created a misleading impression about the proceedings in parliament on 3 July 2023 on the ministerial statements on the Ridout Road matter”.
Monday’s parliamentary sitting included a six-hour session on the rental of state properties on Ridout Road by ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.
PSP also acknowledged that its Members of Parliament could have further debated the matter by filing a motion, but did not do so; that Deputy Speaker Christopher De Souza told Mr Leong that he would be given latitude and could ask all his questions; and that Mr Leong did ask the questions he wanted to ask.
“We accept that through our two videos, we have given the impression that no debate was allowed (even though it was we who did not file a motion for debate). We also accept that this is misleading,” PSP said.
“Our two videos are also misleading because they give the impression that Mr Leong was not given the time to ask the questions that he wanted to, when in fact he was given the time to ask all his questions, and he did ask all his questions.”
Earlier on Thursday, in parliament, Ms Indranee told Mr Leong – a Non-Constituency MP – that the PSP’s edited video still gave the misleading impression that issues could not be “ventilated” in the House.
The segment of parliament proceedings showcased in the video was intended to “cast aspersions on the manner in which parliamentary proceedings were conducted and to suggest that the deputy speaker was not carrying out his duties neutrally, or fairly or in a proper manner”, she said.
