SINGAPORE — Members of Parliament (MPs) called for continued investments in security, defence and education on the final day of the Budget debate on Thursday (Feb 28).

The Committee of Supply (COS) debates also began, during which MPs file “cuts” to speak on issues under the various government ministries’ purview.

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Here is a selection of quotes that got our attention.

HITS

• “However, integrity means that we need to take responsibility and be accountable at every level for what went wrong. If we do not address the mistake head-on at the respective levels, but instead choose to indiscriminately sack staff or leaders every time something goes wrong, then we will have a weaker system over time. This will also discourage the Public Service from trying new things, because the surest way to not make a mistake, is not to do anything novel. But that will be the biggest mistake and disservice to our nation.” — Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service and Minister for Trade and Industry

• “When the family is not flourishing and no longer serves as the central organising feature of society, the nation begins to lose its basic unit. So it is not just about the money; the more money we throw at the problem, I fear that the more monetised and mercantile this most natural of building blocks becomes...” – Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam 

• “Training safety is not confined just to full-time national servicemen (NSFs) but also to regulars who serve in the Singapore Armed Forces. This bond of trust we have with the families of NSFs and NSmen, those who are required by law (to serve), is where it can be felt most keenly. That is not to say we mollycoddle our servicemen or that we eliminate activities which carries the slightest amount of risk, that is not how a military should be run.” – Punggol East MP Charles Chong

• “In the course of the debates, there will be times when we debate morality and our interpretation of it. That is important and we should not shy away from it. Nevertheless, it is important that politics in Singapore does not move into single-issue politics.” — Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza

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MISSES

• “We need to achieve a quantum leap in productivity by creating new engines of growth.” — Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Programme Office

• “It is important for the Government and businesses to work together to put in place measures to build up a strong and robust economy, which would in turn ensure the resilience of our country.” — Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Joan Pereira

• “Religious radicalism plants dangerous seeds of antagonism and mistrust which could destroy our social bonds.” — MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling