Speaker Seah Kian Peng apologises for nodding off while chairing parliamentary proceedings

Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng apologised for the lapse and said he will learn from it and take steps to ensure it does not happen again.

Published Sep 18, 2026, 11:37 AM

Updated Sep 18, 2026, 11:50 AM

SINGAPORE – Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng has apologised for nodding off while chairing proceedings in the House on Sept 9.

In a Facebook post on Sept 18, Seah said he had been feeling unwell that day and taken medication, but added that that does not excuse what happened.

“This should not have happened, and I take full responsibility,” he said.

Seah was seen nodding off during a debate on a Bill to consolidate health regulatory functions under the Health Sciences Authority.

After Hougang MP Dennis Tan finished his speech, the Speaker was supposed to call on the next MP to speak.

There was a pause of about 20 seconds that was caught on the live feed, and Seah did so after he was roused by a parliamentary staff member.

In his Facebook post, Seah added that he should have called for a break earlier rather than continuing, and that he normally does so after four to six hours of parliamentary proceedings.

He had fallen asleep after the four hour mark on that day’s sitting, which began at 10.30am.

Seah added that over the past three years as Speaker, he has sought to discharge his duties conscientiously and to uphold the standards expected of the office.

“This incident fell short of those standards,” he said.

He apologised for the lapse and said he will learn from it and take steps to ensure it does not happen again.

“I remain fully committed to serving Parliament and Singaporeans to the best of my ability,” he said.

Wei Kai is a correspondent at The Straits Times, where he covers politics. He also writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy.

Singapore Parliament

国会议长谢建平就此次失误表示道歉，并表示他将从中吸取教训，采取措施确保此类事件不再发生。

发布于 2026 年 9 月 18 日上午 11:37

更新于2026年9月18日上午11:50

新加坡——国会议长佘建平就9月9日在国会主持会议期间打瞌睡一事道歉。

Seah 于 9 月 18 日在 Facebook 上发帖称，他当天感觉身体不适并服用了药物，但他补充说，这并不能成为他所作所为的借口。

“这本不应该发生，我愿承担全部责任，”他说。

在就一项旨在将卫生监管职能整合到卫生科学局下的法案进行辩论期间，有人看到谢女士打瞌睡。

后港区国会议员陈志远结束发言后，议长本应请下一位国会议员发言。

直播画面捕捉到了大约 20 秒的停顿，而 Seah 是在被一名国会工作人员叫醒后才这样做的。

Seah 在 Facebook 帖子中补充说，他本应该早些呼吁休会而不是继续进行，他通常会在议会会议进行四到六个小时后这样做。

当天上午 10 点 30 分开始的庭审，进行到 4 个小时后，他就睡着了。

Seah补充说，在过去三年担任议长期间，他一直努力尽职尽责地履行职责，并维护该职位应有的标准。

他说：“这起事件没有达到这些标准。”

他为自己的疏忽道歉，并表示会从中吸取教训，采取措施确保此类事件不再发生。

他说：“我将继续竭尽全力为国会和新加坡人民服务。”

魏凯是《海峡时报》的记者，主要报道政治新闻。他还撰写每周一期的新加坡政治与政策简报《Unpacked》。

新加坡国会