Parliament in brief: Muslim law amendments passed and other highlights from Nov 4

Parliament passed changes to Singapore’s haze law and discussed trust in AI.

Parliament House, Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)

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SINGAPORE: From changes to Singapore’s haze law to PHP vulnerabilities , Members of Parliament (MPs) covered a broad range of issues on Wednesday (Nov 4).

Here are three other things to note from parliament on Wednesday.

MUSLIM LAW BILL PASSED

Parliament passed the Administration of Muslim Law (Amendment) Bill, which, among other things, seeks to streamline divorce proceedings for Muslim couples by removing unnecessary procedural steps once legal and religious requirements have been met.

The amendments do not change the substantive religious requirements for divorce under Muslim law and are not intended to encourage divorce or trivialise the decision to end a marriage, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad said on Wednesday (Nov 4).

"In all cases, the Syariah Court must still be satisfied that the relevant grounds and requirements under Muslim law for each case have been met," he said, adding that the court will provide clear guidance on the types of evidence required to support applicants through the divorce process.

On child welfare, the amendments will also give the Syariah Court the power to make orders allowing or preventing a child under a custody, care or control order from being relocated outside Singapore.

The debate spanned two days, with 13 MPs speaking. Some raised concerns about safeguards to ensure fair outcomes in divorce proceedings, particularly in cases involving coercion or abuse, as well as the support available to families and children during and after divorce.

The amendments also cover the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS), with the government funding a significant proportion of its non-religious components, including social sciences modules and campus infrastructure.

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In parliament on Wednesday (Nov 4), Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad responded to clarifications sought by Members of the House on the Administration of Muslim Law (Amendment) Bill. The Bill was then passed.

The government will work with industry partners to find out what works in practice when it comes to establishing trust in artificial intelligence (AI) agents, said Acting Manpower Minister Jasmin Lau.

This includes building on existing infrastructure and emerging international standards, and stepping in with common standards or infrastructure where there are gaps that industry cannot fill on its own.

Ms Lau, who is also senior minister of state for digital development and information, was responding to an adjournment motion by Member of Parliament (MP) Tin Pei Ling (PAP-Marine Parade–Braddell Heights), who called for a national digital identity infrastructure for AI agents.

In her response, Ms Lau highlighted several safeguards already in place across financial services, payments, digital platforms and the public sector.

For example, the Monetary Authority of Singapore is working with financial institutions and AI firms to develop safeguards that verify AI agents' identities, check whether their actions are authorised and maintain auditable records.

GovTech is developing an internal registry to help agencies keep track of the AI agents they deploy and the officers responsible for them, said the acting minister.

She noted that this internal registry serves the operational needs of public agencies and is distinct from the broader national infrastructure proposed by Ms Tin.

The MP also drew parallels with Singpass and Corppass that are used to reliably establish individuals and organisations.

Ms Lau said: “We believe we can enable similar trust for AI agents, but we first need to work out how their identity, authority and accountability can be verified across different systems.”

300 FLIGHTS AT SELETAR AIRPORT DISRUPTED BY HAZE

About 300 flights at Seletar Airport were delayed, diverted or cancelled due to haze, said Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on Wed (Nov 4), adding that this included about 160 commercial flights between Subang and Seletar operated by Firefly.

"Flights at Seletar Airport were affected as the airport does not have instrument approach procedures, requiring pilots to rely on visual references to the runway when approaching to land," said Mr Siow in a written parliamentary reply to MP Jackson Lam (PAP-Nee Soon).

Mr Lam had asked whether the haze had affected flights at Changi and Seletar airports and whether the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) was reviewing Seletar Airport's low-visibility capabilities.

Seletar Airport was unable to accept flights for a total of 17 hours across several days when visibility fell below the minimum required for safe landings, he added.

"Even when visibility was above the minimum operating threshold, some airlines and pilots operating out of Seletar Airport took precautionary measures to cancel flights or divert to other airports," said Mr Siow.

He added that CAAS is closely monitoring visibility conditions and will implement additional measures to improve flight safety and efficiency during periods of low visibility, if needed.

This includes turning on airfield lights during the day and implementing instrument flight procedures, including instrument approach procedures, at Seletar Airport.

There were no flight disruptions at Changi Airport due to the haze.

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国会通过了对新加坡雾霾法的修改，并讨论了对人工智能的信任问题。

新加坡国会大厦。（资料照片：CNA/Jeremy Long）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：从新加坡雾霾法的修改到 PHP 漏洞，国会议员们在周三（11 月 4 日）讨论了广泛的议题。

以下是周三议会会议上需要注意的其他三件事。

穆斯林法案通过

议会通过了《穆斯林法律管理（修正）法案》，该法案除其他事项外，旨在简化穆斯林夫妇的离婚程序，在满足法律和宗教要求后，取消不必要的程序步骤。

代理穆斯林事务部长扎基·穆罕默德周三（11月4日）表示，这些修正案不会改变穆斯林法律中关于离婚的实质性宗教要求，也不是为了鼓励离婚或轻视结束婚姻的决定。

“在所有情况下，伊斯兰教法庭仍必须确信每个案件都符合伊斯兰教法规定的相关理由和要求，”他说道，并补充说，法庭将就离婚程序中支持申请人所需的证据类型提供明确的指导。

在儿童福利方面，这些修正案还将赋予伊斯兰教法庭权力，允许或阻止根据监护令、照管令或控制令将儿童迁往新加坡境外。

辩论持续了两天，共有13名议员发言。一些议员对确保离婚诉讼结果公平的保障措施表示担忧，尤其是在涉及胁迫或虐待的案件中，以及在离婚期间和离婚后为家庭和儿童提供的支持。

此次修订还涵盖了新加坡伊斯兰研究学院（SCIS），政府为其非宗教部分提供了相当大比例的资金，包括社会科学模块和校园基础设施。

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11月4日（星期三），在议会，代理穆斯林事务部长扎基·穆罕默德回应了议员们就《穆斯林法律管理（修正案）法案》提出的澄清要求。该法案随后获得通过。

人力部代部长刘嘉敏表示，政府将与业界伙伴合作，找出在建立对人工智能（AI）代理的信任方面哪些做法在实践中行之有效。

这包括利用现有的基础设施和新兴的国际标准，并在行业自身无法填补的空白处，引入通用标准或基础设施。

刘女士同时也是数字发展及新闻部高级政务部长，她是在回应国会议员陈佩玲（人民行动党-马林百列-布莱德尔高地）提出的休会动议时做出上述表态的。陈佩玲呼吁为人工智能代理建立国家数字身份基础设施。

刘女士在回应中强调了金融服务、支付、数字平台和公共部门已经实施的几项保障措施。

例如，新加坡金融管理局正在与金融机构和人工智能公司合作，开发保障措施，以验证人工智能代理的身份，检查其行为是否获得授权，并维护可审计的记录。

代理部长表示，政府科技部正在开发一个内部登记系统，以帮助各机构跟踪他们部署的人工智能代理及其负责人。

她指出，这个内部登记册满足了公共机构的运营需求，与丁女士提出的更广泛的国家基础设施有所不同。

该议员还将其与用于可靠地验证个人和组织的 Singpass 和 Corppass 进行了比较。

刘女士表示：“我们相信我们能够为人工智能代理建立类似的信任，但我们首先需要弄清楚如何在不同的系统中验证它们的身份、权限和责任。”

实里达机场300个航班受雾霾影响

交通部长萧敬腾周三（11月4日）表示，由于雾霾，实里达机场约有300个航班延误、改道或取消，其中包括飞萤航空运营的约160个梳邦至实里达的商业航班。

“由于实里达机场没有仪表进近程序，飞行员在进近着陆时需要依靠目视参考跑道，因此实里达机场的航班受到了影响，”萧先生在给国会议员林志强（人民行动党-义顺）的书面国会答复中说道。

林先生询问雾霾是否影响了樟宜机场和实里达机场的航班，以及新加坡民航局（CAAS）是否正在审查实里达机场的低能见度能力。

他还补充说，由于能见度低于安全着陆所需的最低标准，实里达机场在几天内共计17个小时无法接受航班起降。

“即使能见度高于最低运行阈值，一些从实里达机场起飞的航空公司和飞行员也采取了预防措施，取消航班或改道飞往其他机场，”萧先生说。

他还补充说，民航局正在密切监测能见度状况，如有必要，将在低能见度期间采取额外措施，以提高飞行安全性和效率。

这包括在白天开启机场照明灯，以及在实里达机场实施仪表飞行程序，包括仪表进近程序。

樟宜机场的航班并未因雾霾而受到影响。

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