Why did Civil Service reply for MPs?

The Prevention of Human Trafficking Bill is slated for debate in Parliament this month, and the non-governmental organisations that organised the StopTraffickingSG campaign sent a note to Members of Parliament to disseminate relevant information for the debate.

In our note, we also requested to meet MPs. Instead, our request was met with a response from the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons. (“Support system for victims of trafficking already in place: Task force”; Oct 28)

We think this was inappropriate. By responding to our note that was addressed to MPs, the task force seemed to pre-empt the Parliamentary debate.

Moreover, civil society groups, as well as private citizens, should have direct channels to engage with MPs on any Bill, given Parliament’s supreme legislative authority in a democratic system and the accountability of parliamentarians to their electorate.

It is inappropriate for the Civil Service to respond on behalf of MPs. It detracts from this part of the democratic process. Furthermore, the response is inappropriately timed, as the matter is now in Parliament and that process should take precedence.

Nonetheless, we appreciate the concerns the task force raised in its letter. StopTraffickingSG looks forward to continuing to engage with the task force to tackle trafficking in persons in Singapore.